Should I put toddler to bed earlier or later to combat early wake ups?

[greywoollyjumper]

DD has been waking up at 4.30/5 every day for 3 or 4 weeks now. Been reading up on how to combat it but the advice is totally contradictory.

One sleep consultant says it's a sign of overtiredness - so you should put LO to bed earlier (eg 6pm rather than 7pm) and encourage longer daytime naps to combat this.

Another sleep consultant says the complete opposite: that you should make sure LO naps for no longer than 1h during the day and put LO to bed later (eg 8pm rather than 7pm).

Has anyone been in this situation who can give me a clue which is more likely to work?! Or is it, as my DH thinks, just a phase we need to wait out 🤔

No idea, but watching with interest. Or should I say, propping my eyes open with matchsticks, to see ides.

I can say speaking from experience my LO was just a phase it did pass. I mean he's 3 now and still wakes up 3/4 times a night for a pee etc but sleeps until at least 7.30

I don't think there is a clear answer,I had 2 early risers. If we put them to bed early we were guaranteed an 5am wake up, if we put them to bed later, they woke at 5am and were grumpy whiney allday.

They outgrew it with age it, but will still occasionally wake at this time, but they now know not to wake us.

Best advice is if they don't settle back to sleep, take them downstairs and out on cbeebies, get a drink and rest in the sofa