18 month old waking up at 5 am!

[Dylan118]

I'm guessing this is a common problem but my 18 month old won't sleep past 5 am. He's got linned curtains and it doesn't matter when I put him down for the night he wakes up about the same time! Any one got any advice?

I should mention that some nights he will sleep through & some nights he's up for hours before I can get him back to sleep. No pattern to it!

Watching with interest desperation

Ds 12 months wakes between 4+5. Bf in bed with me for as long as possible but up for the day 5-5.30

I should probably stop feeding him but am just so exhausted

I'm always saying this but the black out blinds that Velcro to the window so that no light gets in at all.

Also cut back the daytime nap.

We went through this. V v hard and soul destroying. Nothing worked, but the phase passed.

Went through it too and it is torture, I really sympathise. I found nothing obvious worked - eg cutting back nap times, moving bed time forward etc so I just fed him in a dark, quiet room at 5 and then put him straight back down to bed each and every time . The first few times he kicked off and wouldn't have it but then seemed to adjust to it and is now much better at going back down after a 5am feed.

That said, he mostly wakes up at 6ish now which is better so I'd say hang in there and it will pass, hopefully sooner rather than later.

DD (now 2.5) had a phase of this at around the same age. We used to go in to her and explain calmly that it wasn't morning yet and she should go back to sleep. Then we left and there was some crying, so we'd go back in and repeat as necessary (right up to 7am if needed). We also got a groclock to back us up (look- it's still night time because Mr Star's out). Took a week or two of this and then she started sleeping through again (or if she did wake, she'd sing a verse or two of Wheels on the Bus and nod off again). Good luck OP- early mornings are tough!

When DS1 went through this phase I went to bed with him at 7pm No evening but I need sleep. It was just a phase. DS2 is 11 months and he prefers a late night and a later start so still no evening relax as he's normally up till 830/9ish.

Echo that a gro clock might help

Thank you, I might try a grow clock when he's a bit older as he probably won't understand it yet, I think I'll get him some quite toys to play with so it might give me an extra half hour in bed!