please - any strategies for a todder waking up at 4.30am?

[Cappuccino]

I mean better than

a) pretending to be asleep in a chair next to her as she stands up in her cot and bawls

b) trying to b/f her back to sleep while she giggles happily

c) sitting blearily on the sofa in the dark watching MTV Cribs and drinking tea

Say it is to early to get up and put her back to bed. Sometimes just need some reassurance and then tucked back in.

My DS1 used to go back to sleep if I gave him some warm milk to take to bed.

If you bring her into bed with you, will she re-settle? One of the reasons I like co-sleeping is that I realise if dd2 is restless sooner, before she wakes herself up completely, and have a better chance of encouraging her back to sleep.

ticky no

if I take her back to bed she kicks about delighted and climbs over us

co-sleeping has been the kiss of death for both our children

she's 22 ms btw

Sympathy, mine has been waking at 4am recently, and she's nearly 3......we've got it down too the taxi driver who lives down the street coming home at that time and disturbing her tho....we are going with the tack of putting her back in bed and insisting she stays there, screaming or not, at the worst after an hour she generally goes back to sleep, mind you she didn't wake at all last night after 5 days in a row of waking, so you never know....HTH's

I give milk and attempt a return to bed
5 mins+ of crying and we get up and bring him to our bed briefly then try to return to cot again

This morning in desperation I showed him that it was still dark outside

Would lullabies on a tape/cd player stimulate her more?

Sometimes these annoying wake up times sort themselves out after a few weeks (I know, I know, WEEEEEKS?). I think children change their routine just when us parents think we have it sussed, (ie people that say their baby sleeps all night at 3 weeks, you know it won't last!)

we like Frizombie

ignoring the fecks goes with our general spirit of parenting

kindred spirits eh!