Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Original poster

19 month old up for the day at 3.30am

40 replies

TwittleBee · 13/03/2019 04:11

So DS has always been an early riser, usually between 4.30 and 5.30 but past 2 weeks Its changed to 3.30 and I'm really not okay with this early!

Only a few months ago we attempted to put him to bed later to see if that would make him lay in, it didn't, it just gave him a disturbed night.

To start with we were trying to get him back to sleep by telling him it's bed time still and giving him some pats but gave up after half hour of doing so. And past 3 nights we've been trying CC at 3.30 to see if he will go back off, he doesn't and instead we are doing CC until 4.30 and then just get up for the day.

Anything else we can try?

OP posts:
WinterHeatWave · 13/03/2019 04:46

My early riser spent a patch of time getting up for 2 hours in the middle of the night, before dropping back off to sleep. Admittedly he was usually awake 1-3, so a bit earlier than yours. I used to camp out on his bedroom floor (2 spare duvets, a pillow and a blanket, which got stuffed under the cot during the day), and doze with one hand through the cot bars.

What time is his first (only?) nap?

5 was the earliest I would ever get up - and its 7.45 here right now, not the middle of the night.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 13/03/2019 05:26

Thank you for your reply! We used to camp put in his room too actually when he used to wake in middle of the night.

His nap is usually 11.30 till 12.30 and then he wants to go to bed at around 7pm.

OP posts:
WinterHeatWave · 13/03/2019 05:46

So he's sleeping 10-11 hours out of every 24? That sounds low, but might be right for him if he isn't shattered by bed time.

How would you feel about moving everything later? Nap 12.30-1.30, bed at 8, and a hopeful rise an hour later. The only way we managed this was to make all meals an hour later.

My only blessing is we now live in a place where school starts early - the kids leave the house at 6.45. This isnt an issue at Chez Wave Hmm

Original poster
TwittleBee · 13/03/2019 06:00

Yeah I know it sounds low doesn't it! We mentioned it to his HV last week when she came for the health review and she said he should be getting between 12-14 in 24 hours but it isn't unheard of toddlers having less. He doesn't seem shattered by bed time but he is certainly wanting his bed, sometimes he might go up at 6.30.

I'll shift the meals later today and see if that helps him!

If not, HV did suggest dropping his nap! Not sure how he'd cope, surely he's just want his bed even earlier?

OP posts:
avocuddl · 13/03/2019 06:13

I was just coming on to post the same about my DD (15m)

Does yours wake up happy? Mines waking up upset and clearly absolutely knackered but WILL NOT go back to sleep. Tried bringing her into my bed and I lasted an hour of crying and then gave up.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 13/03/2019 06:16

Yup that sounds like DS avocuddl ! I'd assume it was a nightmare but he doesn't seem scared, just tired but wanting to leave his bedroom! They look so sleepy still don't they?

OP posts:
SwanRonson · 13/03/2019 06:29

We had the same problem with DD. It's was so difficult, everything is so much harder when you've had so little sleep. We started giving her a weetabix followed by a bottle after her bath and that seems to have cracked it. She doesn't always eat it all but as long as she takes about half it keeps her full though the night. She sleeps from 7.30 - 7 now.

avocuddl · 13/03/2019 06:38

The other day we were travelling so she ended up sleeping 10-11am. That night she slept in till 7 😱😱

Do you think cause they get up so early they're overtired by lunch nap?

Only problem is, an early nap means no sleep the rest of the day and knackered by bedtime

YepImafraidImgivingmyopinion · 13/03/2019 07:03

I used to put my youngest downstairs in a travel cot in front of CBeebies and go back to bed.

I tried getting up at 3am for a week or so but I realised that if I wanted to be a normal human and be able to look after my other children all day too, I needed to switch the tv on.

I would bring the others down at 7.30 and the baby would be fast asleep in the travel cot....snug as a bug in a rug. I think he just quickly realised that I wasn't going to sit and entertain him and gave up.

Only took a month or so and the habit broke, he started to sleep through in his own bed.

IVEgottheDECAF · 13/03/2019 07:07

My dc4 was like this! He finally stopped around his second birthday and now gets up around 6am. Nothing i tried worked he eventually did it on his own but it was SO hard Brew

avocuddl · 13/03/2019 22:16

@SwanRonson managed about 4 mouthfuls of weetabix after her bath tonight. So if I don't get a mega lie in now I'm coming for you!

SwanRonson · 13/03/2019 23:41

I've got my fingers crossed for you @avocuddl!

Original poster
TwittleBee · 14/03/2019 06:21

We've only just woken up! I'm in shock! I moved his dinner later by half hour and gave him an apple before bed.

OP posts:
avocuddl · 14/03/2019 06:28

Wow that's so good! Didn't work for us!

So what time did you do things?

furryelephant · 14/03/2019 06:33

I'd treat it as a night wake up! My DD (2) very often woke somewhere between 1-4am and can take up to 2.5-3hours to go back to sleep but I do not let it be the start of our day. Really frustrating sitting there for hours in the middle of the night but if I couldn't sleep during the night I wouldn't start my day, I'd lie there until I went back to sleep Smile sometimes she needs a drink/snack/cuddle/medicine for teeth but she's always gone back to sleep eventually. She does it much less now than she did before now (touch wood!)

Original poster
TwittleBee · 14/03/2019 06:34

Ah that bloomin sucks. Is your DD hungry when she wakes up at silly o'clock? We still don't give DS breakfast till 6.30 even if he wakes at 3.30 And he doesn't ask for it, just his milk. So I'm not sure moving the food worked or if it was a coincidence!

Milk when he wakes
Breakfast 6.30am
Snack 9.30am
Lunch depends on whether he wants to eat before or after a nap
Snack 3pm
Dinner 5.30pm
Milk 6.15pm

OP posts:
Original poster
TwittleBee · 14/03/2019 06:36

Yeah that's what we try furryelephant but when it gets to past 5am and its not getting anywhere we just start the day as I used to have to get up at 5.30am for work anyway (I say used to because I was recently made redundant). He still will only have 1 nap too.

Really hope maybe this is the end of it for us.

OP posts:
LooseSeal2 · 14/03/2019 06:38

My 19mo was 4.10 this morning 😴, he goes to bed at 6pm though and has a 2-3 hour nap so seems to be getting enough sleep. Even when he wakes at 6am though he’s ready for a nap at 10...

He’s usually not long had dinner when he goes up but I’ll try get more food into him if it’s worked for pp’s!

furryelephant · 14/03/2019 06:39

It's so frustrating isn't it! Whether my DD napped or not didn't appear to affect it, i think the wake ups are largely affected by different stages in development and their brain being in overdrive! My DD has just toilet trained and the amount of wake ups is ridiculous now, but luckily (or not Grin) they're short ones. Sorry to hear you got made redundant Sad

Iggly · 14/03/2019 06:41

It could be Greg or cold as in he’s getting cold from about 2am onwards so can’t grt back to sleep. These were the two likely causes when my two woke early!
Molars were a bitch - actually horrific in terms of impact on sleep. So I’d give pain relief.
For the cold, I’d either have the heating come on at about 2am or add an extra blanket when I went to bed.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 14/03/2019 06:42

We've just start too furryelephant on Day 3 today!

OP posts:
Teddyreddy · 14/03/2019 07:00

DS went through a stage of waking up like this at about 18 months. He'd wake up 1-3 and we just woken be able to get him.him back to sleep. We eventually caved and started taking him downstairs for weetabix. Once he'd eaten, he'd go back to sleep. We record height on a wall chat and he grew 9 cm between 18 and 24 months - so in hindsight it probably was hunger caused by a huge growth spurt waking him. As his growth slowed down the night waking stopped, it was no trouble dropping the night weetabix.

IVEgottheDECAF · 14/03/2019 08:49

twittle i have just recognised you from the september thread Smile

CouldBeAnyoneReally · 14/03/2019 08:57

Remember the clocks go forward at the end of the month so that’ll change things anyway. Hopefully for the better. Dd is now 10 but was an early riser (4-5am) for a very long period when she was a toddler and looking back I don’t know how I functioned - I worked lates and didn’t finish until 1030pm at night Shock

Original poster
TwittleBee · 14/03/2019 09:19

Haha I wondered if you realised it was me! IVEgottheDECAF

Ah DS is a short arse atm Teddyreddy and could do with a growth spurt! Can't see him getting anywhere near his dad's height at this rate haha.

It's crazy how we somehow manage isn't it CouldBeAnyoneReally ! Oh hope the clocks work for us all

OP posts: