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Original poster

3.5 year old up at 4.30am cranky as f@#%

23 replies

BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 06:01

Help!

3.5 year old wakes and is up at 4.30am
Tried:
Earlier bed time
Later bed time
More food before bed
No heating coming on
Blackout blinds coming out of our ears
Gro clock
Baby gate

I go to bed between 8 and 9 as also have a 5 mo so I have to get some sleep! The problem is, he is MISERABLE!! he waes up cranky and barely gets tgrough the day without being an absolute devil child so I know he needs the sleep!

Also he doesn't and will not nap.

Please help!! Anyone managed to get more sleep out of their similar child??

OP posts:
WutheringFrights · 05/06/2017 06:05

What do you do with him when he wakes up?

Elllicam · 05/06/2017 06:06

I have the same issue with my almost 3 year old, watching with interest.

WutheringFrights · 05/06/2017 06:12

The reason I ask is because I always let our DS come in for a cuddle but he never ever ever settled back down to sleep.
DH just started putting him back to bed and explaining it wasn't time to get up until he heard our radio (at 7)
Now he comes out of his room, listens for the radio and goes back to bed if he can't hear it.
It wasn't an overnight success and it doesn't always work but we are definitely getting more sleep!

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 06:17

Currently if he wakes up during the night i go in and lie him down and he goes back to sleep. When he wakes at 4.30 I have tried putting him back im bed, getting into bwd with him (whixh works but not ideal so trying to break that habit) have tried letting him play (has to have light on)

Today he climbed over the gate and came into my room so he got in bwd with me but was a pain so I sent him back to his room to play. In order to stop calling me I put a stoey book om his cd player AND gave him an ipad to watch cbeebies.

I realise none of these are ideal but I try to kwep him quiet so as not to wake the baby. I don't want him up and awake at that time so I don't want to get into lwtting him have an ipad as then he'll just get used to getting up and staying awake at that time

OP posts:
Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 06:19

Thank you Wuthering

Maybe just perseverence for a few nights then? If I put him back to bed and keep telling him to stay there?

OP posts:
InsaneDame · 05/06/2017 12:22

4.30am is still night. I would put him back to bed and tell him it's still night time and he needs to be quiet.

WheresTheEvidence · 05/06/2017 12:25

Totally agree with insane and what a good name for it.

4.30am is still night. I would put him back to bed and tell him it's still night time and he needs to be quiet.

Sleep train him why on earth are you letting a 4 year old make such large household decisions as these.

mikado1 · 05/06/2017 14:22

I am having the same with my 22mo. So painful. I think he's waking with the birds, no windows open so dont know what I can do.

LorLorr2 · 05/06/2017 14:27

Ah dear, how long has it been happening for?
Is it still the same even if he has a very active, stimulating day beforehand?

bitteroldhag · 05/06/2017 14:30

is he potty training ./ potty trained, as he might be waking up when he wees.
If this is the case put a potty in his room or train him to pee in his nappy

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 14:56

😂 I remember now "wherestheevidence" why I rarely ask for advice on mumsnet #rude

OP posts:
Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 15:00

Thanks all... he is potty trained but wears pull ups for night just in case - isn't a case of needing a wee. Doesn't seem to make a diff if he's stimulated as we usually have busy days but maybe I'll try extra hard to let him run around in a field or something?! Worth a try!

Just a side note...this morning he said that he could see the light on the side of the blackout blind so thought it was daytime! Not sure what i can do about that....

Will just try putting him back and back and back amd hope it stops!

Thanks all x

OP posts:
DearMrDilkington · 05/06/2017 15:01

Don't give him the tablet again, he'll think it's a reward!

Would he go back to sleep in bed with you? Not ideal but I couldn't cope with a half 4 wake up everyday..

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 15:20

That's what I thought too! It wad out of desperation but you're right - that's def giving him the wrong impression...

If he comes in to me he wakes up the baby who is asleep in her side cot next to me...(not sure this is helpful for the jealousy situation but will have to deal with that separately)!

OP posts:
Believeitornot · 05/06/2017 21:11

The birds are noisy fuckers.

What we did was have white noise on to block the sound out. All night.

ashamed1986 · 05/06/2017 21:21

Do not let him play ,watch TV or have cds or ipad. Place him back to bed and say it's still nighttime and not time to get up. Giving him ipad or putting light on yonplay is telling him it's time to get up and it's daytime. It may take a few nights but persevere with not much eye contact , a serious voice teling him it's still bedtime ,place him back in bed and leave room . If he gets back up then repeat . It's the only way he will learn to stay in bed . If you allow him to play or use ipads etc he will always wake at this early hour. I think you know this though and I can undestand the doing these things for desperation. Good luck op

HumpHumpWhale · 05/06/2017 21:25

We finally succeeded in this issue with a combination of one of those clocks that shows when it's morning and bribery. So, "in summer it gets light while it's still night time. You can't come out of your room until the awake bunny is lit up instead of the sleeping bunny, because that's when it's morning. If you stay in your room all night for 5 nights in a row you can have X thing you really want", then increased it to 10 nights, then 15, and now he seems to have forgotten he needs bribing. The clock is this one: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000VVIHPS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1496694225&sr=8-1&keywords=awake+bunny+clock&tag=mumsnetforum-21

HumpHumpWhale · 05/06/2017 21:27

Oh yes, we were also really consistent about putting him back.

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 05/06/2017 21:44

He went to sleep slightly later today at 7.30 so I'll see if he still wakes up at 4.30 and if so will put him back and be persistent... will let you know how it goes! I'm feeling poaitive 😀

OP posts:
ashamed1986 · 06/06/2017 08:00

How did it go op ??

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 06/06/2017 08:21

Well.... he went to sleep at 7.30 (after lights off at 6.30! And slept until 5.15 - called me so i went in and told him it was still night time to go to sleep. I stayed for a minute and then left him to go for a wee and he was asleep when I went back.... this happened again within an hour but he finally got up at about 6.40! I didn't know what to do with myself!!

Definitely going to keep this up as it seems to be working (although it was particularly dark and dreary this morning so hopefully that isn't what made the difference)

OP posts:
ashamed1986 · 06/06/2017 11:07

Brilliant. Keep doing this and hopefully he will soon be sleeping right through without the early morming waking . Welldone.x

Original poster
BigDogLittleDog · 06/06/2017 12:08

Lets hope so! Thanks all for the help and support xx

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