Is there anyway to get DD to sleep past 5.30am?

[Loucee]

Hi

I was on here a lot when DD was younger but things seemed to improve. Now she typically sleeps from 7pm to 5.30am. I hope I don't sound like I want the world I'm just curious to know if anyone else's child used to sleep until this time but then started waking later?
My friends DC all seem to sleep from 7/7.30-7.30/8. Those 2 hours extra in the morning must be bliss!

DD is still in a cot as she moves all round the place in the night

Any ideas or experiences?

thanks

how old is she?
my children have rarely ever slept more than 10 hours a night, so they have always gone to bed later.

Loucee,

No advice sorry. In same boat as you really with ds 23months. generally sleeps unill 6ish, last week been waking anything from 5am (too early to start the day 4 me). decided to put him in a bed last night, and bingo awake at 5.10am today, jumped in with him no going back to sleep. I think he could be cold, but when i cover him i more disterb him.

dd 6 sleeps 12 hours since 6 weeks old.

I will watch for any tips.

Later bedtime - pure and simple

ds goes to bed between 8.30 and 9. The lack of an evening is worth being able to sleep until 7.30-8.30.

And (except when he is extremely tired) we couldn't get him to bed any earlier if we tried. And he abandoned the daytime nap some months ago.

I would try gradually putting her to bed later, 10minutes later each night. You could also consider a long walk just before bedtime.

In my experience though, my 2dds went through a period of early rising and have grown out of it now. Especially now they are at school, that really tires them out and need more sleep these days.

I rememebr those early mornings well. Was horrid.

A friend of mine has a bunny clock, where you can set it to clearly show when its acceptable to get up. The eyes are shut and ears are down during the night and ears up and eyes open at the time you set it for.

thanks for the replies

Nightynight, DD is 19months

Indamb, sorry you have this as well, what a star your DD 6 is!

Berolina, I've tried putting her to bed later but she still wakes up at 5.30!

Haychee, will try a long walk but to be honest DD is usually really tired by bedtime as on my days off we don't get home from softplay until gone 5pm and when I'm working we have manic playtime from 5-6.

I wondered if DD was too cold etc but when I put a longer PJ top on her she woke up at 1am really hot and wouldn't settle until I took it off. On holiday (a month ago) she slept for around 12 hrs a night

Loucee,
my ds slept like a log on holiday too. must have been the heat. could try heating on all night to knock them out.
Tried putting him to bed later makes not a jot of difference, covered him, long pj"s short pj's. role on school.

Good luck.

my ds 2.5 goes through stages of waking at ungodly hours, recently he was waking at 5ish but this morning it was 6.30, much better. Does your DD sleep during the day? As I used to find that cutting back his daytime sleep or just pushing it a bit later in afternoon meant he would wake later. I think if their nap is too early in the day then they almost get up early in order to take their nap. Good luck

Loucee - my ds did this ridiculously early waking but we went on holiday in July and all his sleep/naps went to crap. Strangely enough he slept later ever since . I put him to bed later now (8pm) and he generally sleeps till 7pm - give or take 30 mins either side. This is perfect for me. I adjusted his nap times to fit in with his new schedule and his last nap is now 3-4pm which makes it easy for him to last unitl 8pm bedtime. hth

my DD, 2 and a half, suddenly on holiday back in July started to wake at the crack of dawn (there is another whole thread about her ).

We have tried earlier naps, later naps, no naps, longer naps, later bedtimes, earlier bedtimes, lighter tea, more bedtime milk, thin sheet, duvet etc etc but all to no avail. We now have to accept that this is just her waking up time for this stage of her life and get on with it. We had a similar change in DS's waking time around the same age but he went the other way and slept until 9am . Oh how lovely was that?
Sorry that I'm not offering you any great advise on how to get that extra hour in bed. I found what made it easier for me to deal with was doing the ironing at that awful early hour. At least then I felt that my lack of sleep hadn't been wasted.

DD (19 months) wakes at 6 every morning without fail, even if she hasn't napped the day before, or had a massive nap, or been swimming, or stayed up later, so I totally sympathise!

No advice how to stop her waking but I load the foot of her cot at night with a couple of books, a play phone and a non spill cup of water so in the morning she can have a drink and a play with her teddies and read through her books without shouting for me, it normally buys me half an hour!

how old is dd? my 3 year old recently went through a spell of waking up when the sun came up and then coming to get me and announcing that it was daytime and time to get up. an hour later she was back to sleep and i was still awake and v tired. i solved this by putting an alarm clock in her room and telling her that she couldnt come and get me untill the alarm the went off! i left toys and books in her room so that she could amuse herself untill then!

Morning, thanks for more replies.

Had a better night in that DD woke up at 4.50am (wanted to get up but I told her it was bedtime), slept until 5.30 then started calling me, then chatted for a bit then slept until 6.15 (well I say slept, I'm not sure if she just chatted all that time as I kept dozing off!)

Micci25 - DD is 19 months old. She has black out blinds in her room so the light doesn't get through. Alarm clock is a good idea just not sure she would understand it yet?

Chirpygirl, oh yes I could put some things in her cot, hadn't done so before as I thought it would distract her before going to sleep at night but worth a try.

Mckenzie - wow your DS was a good boy . That's the thing, when DD gets up all she wants to do is sit on my hip or sit down next to me, therefore when we're up that early all I can do is either sit and read to her or sit with a cup of tea and play.

How old is your DS cruisemum?

Suss - yes I see your point about waking up early to have an early nap. Usually our morning activity tires DD out so much she goes to sleep around 12-1pm for 1-2.5 hours.

Thanks for your help and advice, DD has never been a great sleeper so the fact she goes 7-5.30 is fantastic in our house, however I'm 26wks pregnant and finding I'm really shattered and getting quite heavy so wanted to try avenues now incase they worked in time for when DC 2 comes along!

I would also try putting lavander in her room. If you put a couple of drops on a wet facecloth and then drape it over something near to her cot it can help.

Ds used to wake between 5 and 6 every morning for about a year and then I put a nightlight on a timer and it solved ALL our problems. He was a bit older (about 2.5) but my sister started it with her 18 month old and it's worked for her too. I bought a 24hour timer and then put a plug in night light in set to come on at 6.45am. If he woke before that time I'd just say 'no sorry, the light's not on yet' and put him back to bed. Once the light was on I'd be all excited to see him and get him in for a cuddle making a big deal of the light being on and it being the end of bed time.

It was nicer for him becuase now he wakes, sees the light off and it's easier for him to go back to sleep because he hasn't woken up fully.

quickdrawncgraw, thanks for the tip, I've got a nightlight and timer so will give that a try as well.

Do you think it'd be worth keeping DD in her cot for the time being or moving to toddler bed ? I'm just thinking whether we'll have to help her get a new sleep routine when she moves to the bed?

I think I would leave her in the cot for another little while. 19 months is young for a big bed still. I think it'd be easier to move her to a big bed in another 6 months when she's used to the new routine. You may need a refresher course then though.

Glad you had a better night. I am 36 weeks pregnant so I know what you mean about needing that extra hour in the mornings!
I sneaked stuff into her cot when I went up so it didn't distract her at first but now she chooses her books and toys before she goes to bed and lines them all up, it's very cute.
I daren't put DD in a big bed, I was going to as I need the cot but she would just destroy her bedroom instead of playing nicely so it's safer for me!