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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.

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Original poster

Any tips on trying to get toddler to sleep a bit longer in morning?

42 replies

GreyPanther · 16/10/2020 08:32

Hello

Our 21 month old DS wakes up anytime between 4:50am-5:50am. The past week he’s been waking around 5:30am like clockwork. We had one blessed week when we where on holiday when he woke up at 7:45am every day but otherwise it’s been 5am wake ups for about 9 months now.

He is always really tired and grumpy in the morning so I need to try and do something about this and wanted some practical advice.

Room is a good temp, we have blackout blinds and we have a good bedtime routine (he’s in bed between 6:30pm-7:00pm with no problems) and naps for about 1.5-2hrs a day (unless he’s at the childminder and it’s usually an hour).

Because he wakes up screaming for me, I always go to him and feed him (still breast feeding). He gets upset if I’m in the room with him and he’s still in the cot.

What can I do to help him sleep?

Should I stay in with him and just keep him in the cot no matter how much he screams?

Should I keep him in the cot and rub him back while he’s standing? If I tried to lie him down he would just pop up again and I think it would agitate him further if I kept on trying to get him to lie down.

He falls asleep on his own for nap time and bed time so I’m not sure how good it will be for me to be in the room with him but I don’t feel able to leave him screaming for an hour.

Any tips appreciated! I’m so worried about the clocks going back as well as I don’t fancy 3/4am wake ups for weeks on end.

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Original poster

GreyPanther · 17/10/2020 08:40

Bumping this as we’ve had another awful morning and another grumpy toddler.

This morning it was 5:10. We cried for about 10 mins then lay down again but with his eyes open. He giggled while he was lying down but then got up after 3 mins yelling his head off.

I went in to tell him it was still sleepy time but he just said “hugs” as soon as he saw me so I got him out the cot for a cuddle and feed 💔

I kept him in his room until 6:30. He was demanding to go downstairs and having a tantrum when I told him it wasn’t time yet

OP posts:

ivftake1 · 17/10/2020 08:46

You'll have to play around with nap length and bedtime.

My son at that age did this:
7am roughly wake up
1.5 hours max for nap
Bath 7
Bed 7.30

Now at 2.5 he naps 2/3 times a week and wakes up around 7:30. Goes to sleep around 19:00 on non nap days, 19:30 on nap days

dancemom · 17/10/2020 08:47

Sounds like he's getting the right amount of sleep between his nap and nighttime for an almost 2 year old. Lots of them will have dropped their nap by now.

However if you feel he is actually still tired on waking rather than it just being early for you you could try the wake to sleep method.

ivftake1 · 17/10/2020 10:00

Many many toddlers need their naps until at least 2.5 but play around with the length.

Disappointedkoala · 17/10/2020 18:01

I'd try a shorter nap and a slightly later bedtime. I did spend a lot of time lying on DD's floor at one time telling her that 5am was still nighttime.

Willow146 · 17/10/2020 18:43

@GreyPanther I feel like I’m reading my own life! This is us as well. My son is nearly 22 months and on same routine as your little one, it’s so hard, 5am is not nice and you’re right they are so tired and grumpy by 7am! Dropping nap is out the question for us as he deffo needs that sleep. I have no solution but you’re not alone ♥️

June628 · 17/10/2020 19:14

OP I have no advice my DD is younger but I just had to saw how adorable your DS sounds with the “hugs” comment! So cute!!

TooMinty · 17/10/2020 19:23

If you bring him into bed with you for a cuddly lying down feed will he go back to sleep for an hour or so?

TooMinty · 17/10/2020 19:24

Another option is to send Daddy in to turn an audiobook on...

RandomMess · 17/10/2020 19:27

Wake him up at 3am feed then put back to bed...

NameChange30 · 17/10/2020 19:35

GRO CLOCK. We had a a similar problem and I introduced one when DS was 18 months old, it was October time and the clock going back was what gave me the push to try it. Worked an absolute treat. Best £20 I ever spent, I have been evangelical about them ever since

You might need to tweak your routine though. At 21 months, my DS was going to bed at about 7.30-7.45pm and I think we had the gro clock set for about 6.45am. So he was sleeping 11 hours a night. He also had an afternoon nap of about 1-1.5hours. He only started going to bed earlier (7pm) when he dropped the nap.

grey12 · 17/10/2020 19:36

My kids just come to our bed if they wake up too early our kingsize could do with an upgrade

GreenLeafTurnip · 17/10/2020 19:55

If my 21 month old went to bed at 6.30 he'd be up at 5 as well. Currently he's asleep by 8.30 and wakes around 7. Perhaps you just need to push his bedtime a bit?

Avebury · 17/10/2020 19:59

Definitely cut the nap shorter and/or put him
To bed later. His total sleep is fine.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 17/10/2020 20:08

Mine is 20 months old and we have recently had success with gro clock. You have to be super consistent- never let him up before the clock goes to sun. This means you start with it set just before his current wake up time and after a few days start moving it back. Ours now sleeps til 7 rather than 6. I think you could put his bedtime back a bit too.

TooMinty · 17/10/2020 20:10

GroClock is hit and miss. Some people swear by it. My kids ignored it (until much older!) and my friend's kid threw his down the stairs...

firstimemamma · 17/10/2020 20:13

My 2 year old is in bed by 8, not 6:30-7 and wakes up at a sensible time. Might be worth a go.

StrawScarecrow · 17/10/2020 20:22

I was advised to ensure nap didn't start before 12pm - this worked like a dream and wake-up went from 5.30 one day to 7.30 the next.

I agree with pp though 6.30 bedtime is pretty early. It's 8pm here, which admittedly is on the late side, and up at 7.30.

Lazypuppy · 17/10/2020 22:01

We use a groclock. My dd is 2.5 and she knows not to call for us until the sun comes out at 8:30. If she wakes ewrlier she can play in her room, or go back to sleep, but we won't go in till the sun is out on the clock. We started using it just before her 2nd birthday

Lazypuppy · 17/10/2020 22:02

Oh and bedtime of 8pm, 6:30 is very early

NameChange30 · 17/10/2020 22:02

8.30 is pretty late to start the day. What time does she go to bed?

furrycat1978 · 17/10/2020 22:05

Another Groclock user here. Works a charm!

Hollywhiskey · 17/10/2020 22:08

I don't care if my kids want to wake up early, they go to bed when they're tired and nap when they're tired so they get enough sleep. The only bit I mind is if I have to get up early. Feeding them back to sleep, cuddles in my bed, ipad with beebies in my bed or husband can get up with them.

Waterdropsdown · 17/10/2020 22:08

BedTime needs to be later
Not one night and expect it to work. Like 2/3/4 weeks keep doing it, you either get early bed and early wake ups or later bed and later wake ups
I think it’s fake news that any toddler sleeps 12 hours a night

TokenGinger · 17/10/2020 22:12

My DS is a poor sleeper anyway, but if we put him down for the night at 7, he'd be up at about 4-5am for the day. We start bedtime at 8pm. Bath, milk, cuddles and asleep by about 8.45am. Doing this, we get until about 7am out of him. If he wakes up earlier, he'll fall asleep in bed with us again.

We decided sleep is more important to us than him sleeping independently.

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