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Sleep

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Original poster

4.5year old regularly waking at 5.30am

14 replies

bettybyebye · 25/03/2017 07:53

Does anyone have any tips as to how we can get him to sleep later? He has always been an early riser but a few months ago we had managed to get him to go to around 6.30am (which was great for him) - recent weeks he has reverted back to 5.30 every morning and I am at my wits end with it.
We have tried:

earlier bedtime (in case he was overtired)
later bedtime
gro clock
sleep chart
new big boy bed

And nothing has helped so far (except he new bed, which worked for a few weeks). He has also started coming through to our room in the middle of the night. DH away this weekend so last night I let him stay in with me from 3am, and he was awake from 5.10 😓 He isn't bouncing around awake though, tossing and turning and obviously tired, but unable to nod back off.

The lack of sleep is really starting to affect his behaviour in the day too, making him quite grumpy, antisocial and not wanting to do anything (just wants to watch tv, obviously don't let him do that all the time).

Would love any suggestions of anything that may help, thanks

OP posts:

InsaneDame · 25/03/2017 08:46

Well if you are in the UK the clocks go forward tonight so he will be getting up at 6.30 am - job done!

FATEdestiny · 25/03/2017 09:56

I wouldn't change anything until the clocks have changed

sherazade · 25/03/2017 09:59

Is his room bright at that time ? Blackout blinds might be the solution .

Original poster

bettybyebye · 25/03/2017 19:29

No his room is dark at that time as he has blackout curtains, although I am naively hoping that the darker mornings from tomorrow may help a bit.
Fate - what would you try changing after the clocks change? Today we have been outside all afternoon, and I made him go out and run around the garden for 10 minutes after tea to see if that helps. I have been wondering if he needs to do a by more physical activity (he's naturally quite lazy)

OP posts:

NapQueen · 25/03/2017 19:32

Could he be hungry? Does he have supper? Since about 1yo both if ours have had a nice warm bowl of porridge or scrambked eggs on toast after their bath.

Scrumptiouscrumpets · 25/03/2017 19:38

Is he warm enough? Does he need an extra layer of clothes?

FATEdestiny · 25/03/2017 20:16

Fate - what would you try changing after the clocks change?

Well tomorrow morning, 5.30am will be 6.30am. Then bedtime tomorrow at the correct time (which will be an hour later than his body clock is expecting). Just doing that may well alter his morning to 6-something, rather than 5-something.

Original poster

bettybyebye · 25/03/2017 20:17

He has a peanut butter sandwich (one slice of bread) and a glass of milk with his bedtime stories so don't think he's hungry. He is very tall for his age (115cm and weighs 3st 4lbs) so has a good appetite! He's usually quite warm at night but I will check that tonight - although this morning his temp was definitely fine as he was in with me. One thing I have been wondering is that he still wears a pull up at night as he's not reliably dry overnight - do you think it's possible needing a wee could be waking him? He often goes not long after waking and we don't lift him to the toilet in the night at all

OP posts:

Original poster

bettybyebye · 25/03/2017 20:19

X-post fate! Ok so usual bedtime is 7pm, so 7pm bedtime as normal tomorrow, which would have been 8pm before clock change? Will do that, thanks

OP posts:

NapQueen · 25/03/2017 20:29

Could you wake him for a pee before you go to bed? Or if he comes into your room in the night before you let him in send him for a wee?

Original poster

bettybyebye · 25/03/2017 20:39

will try that tonight nap, thanks

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Marmitepasta · 25/03/2017 20:50

Well if he is asleep at 7pm then he's getting a reasonable amount of sleep. Could get more but many kids his age go to bed at 8 and wake at 7 which is only half an hour more than he is getting.
Personally I would try to put him to bed an hour later. For the first couple of weeks he will prob still wake at 530, be tired and you'll think it's not working but in the end he body clock will adjust to the new time. V convenient that the clock change is tonight so hopefully will just happen naturally!

ilovetosleep · 25/03/2017 20:55

op you have got the clock change the wrong way round (I think!) we spring forward so 7pm will actually be what his body thinks is 6pm. I would do the opposite and put him to bed st the current 7 which will be 8 pm tomorrow. Then he'll wake st the new 639 which feels much better for you and no difference for him!

Original poster

bettybyebye · 26/03/2017 21:31

Ok so he went to bed at 8pm tonight so will see how that goes. Last night he came through to me at 5.17 (so really 4.17) and for a while I thought that was us for the day. He nodded back off at 6am until 7.22. I took him for a wee when he first came through but he needed another one before he went back to sleep, which is unusual.

One thing I did notice is that whilst he was trying to get back to sleep, he was tossing and turning loads and coughing and scratching his skin a lot. So tonight have slathered him in eczema cream and given cough mixture before bed too

OP posts:

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