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Original poster

2yo waking up early 4:30-5:30

36 replies

Bathmatt · 14/04/2021 08:25

Our DS was 2 in January and he has always been an early riser but it’s just getting earlier and earlier.

He is in his own bed and at anytime from between 4:30-5:30am he just pops out of bed, runs to and opens his bedroom room door and stands at the stair gate. Sometimes he cries, sometimes he just plays silently with his trucks but he’ll start getting annoyed at around 5:50 and will yell to come out.

His room is pitch black so I am not sure what wakes him. Over the past 3 months we have:

Pushed back bedtime (it was 6:30pm now 7:30pm)
Cut down nap time (from 1.5hrs to 1-1.15hrs)
Tried leaving him in his room until 6am.

This started to work and he once slept until 6:40am for three days in a row but then he reverted back to form.

We have started using a gro clock these past two weeks (I put this on the landing so he can see it when he opens the door otherwise he just fiddles with it and chucks it about in his room). He doesn’t seem to get it. Or maybe he does and just doesn’t care??

He goes to bed at 7:30pm and is really good at falling asleep on his own as he is absolutely shattered by then. He naps for around 1-1.15hrs. We cut the nap time down from 1.30 and have been doing this for 2 months but it hasn’t helped.

This morning was the worst morning in a while as he got up at 4:30am. I left him in his room but at around 5:50am he climbed over his extra tall gate and I found him on his way downstairs to get more trucks (he already has some in his room). I told him it was too early and took him back to his room and sat with him until the sun came up on the gro clock (it’s set for 6am at the moment).

I go to bed early but these early mornings are killing me (currently 30 weeks pregnant) and also having a detrimental impact on DS as he is usually shattered by about 10/10:30am and doesn’t enjoy anything during the day and wakes crying from his nap.

We recently started an outdoor toddler group which starts at 10am on Sunday and he’s so overtired and emotional that he wants to go home. His eyes are red with dark circles. He is also so much smaller than other kids his age and I’m convinced it’s due to lack of sleep.

I’m worried about how DH and I will cope once baby arrives. We take turns with wake ups but we are in a small house and cant get any rest when he wakes up crying as he is so loud. If DH takes DS downstairs, DS just runs back up to find me.

If anyone has any tips/magic tricks on how I can persuade DS just to sleep in a bit longer I would be most grateful.

OP posts:
Aria2015 · 14/04/2021 08:33

Do you use white noise? It could be early morning noises stirring him like birds etc? Both my 5 year old and baby sleep with white noise and wake earlier if they don't have it. Might be worth a shot?

altlife · 14/04/2021 08:46

If he's absolutely shattered by bedtime, could you try making it slightly earlier?

Whenever my DS went to bed shattered, he would sleep less / wake earlier. He still does. Now we know that for him to have a good long 11-12 hours he needs to be in bed before he gets to 'shattered'.

This still works for us, and he's now 6yo

Original poster
Bathmatt · 14/04/2021 12:55

@Aria2015 we tried using white noise for a bit last year but it didn’t seem to make a difference. I might try using it again! We used an old phone with an app on it and he would go hunting for the noise before bedtime! Any particular sound you think works best?

OP posts:
Original poster
Bathmatt · 14/04/2021 12:56

@altlife I think you might be right, it would certainly make my life easier if he went to bed earlier. I might try putting him to bed at 7pm today to see if it makes a difference 🙏🙏🙏

OP posts:
Aria2015 · 14/04/2021 16:33

@Bathmatt both mine like quite low pitch white noise. I have it fairly loud, definitely loud enough to drown out things like the birds chirping in the morning, worth a bash! Good luck!

altlife · 15/04/2021 14:22

[quote Bathmatt]@altlife I think you might be right, it would certainly make my life easier if he went to bed earlier. I might try putting him to bed at 7pm today to see if it makes a difference 🙏🙏🙏[/quote]
Good luck! Keep going if it doesn't work as it might take a few goes.

I also use white noise but rather than a phone, I run a fan heater (on cold) just outside his room. I can hear it too and find it helps me sleep better

Ugzbugz · 15/04/2021 16:31

My DS was exactly the same anythujg from 4.20 to 5.30 every day for years. I totally sympathise as its an absolute killer but nothing I did helped sadly. I just slept as much as I could when he did.

dancemom · 15/04/2021 16:40

Try wake to sleep method

Original poster
Bathmatt · 15/04/2021 16:51

@Ugzbugz when you say years, how long are we talking??

OP posts:
Original poster
Bathmatt · 15/04/2021 16:51

@dancemom will this work on a toddler?

OP posts:
Original poster
Bathmatt · 15/04/2021 16:53

@altlife I got a wake up of 5:30am today with a 7:10pm bed time. Much better than 4:30am!!

I meant to set up the white noise last night but forgot so will try tonight!

OP posts:
Ugzbugz · 15/04/2021 18:29

I guess when he started school it shifted to around 6 and then slowly to 6.30. Even if he went to bed at 2am he would get up at 6, that's more manageable but not ideal when it's cold and dark, he's nearly a teen and is still up by 7.30 when alot of friends sleep for hours. I really feel your pain and your child may sleep but it can go on for a long time, he also used to wake in the night to and I currently need a face lift.

FATEdestiny · 15/04/2021 20:09

If it was my child I would extend the lunchtime nap, not limit it. Then use the longer lunch time nap to enable him to go to bed later, nearer the 8.30pm mark.

At 2yo my youngest child was having a minimum of 3h lunchtime nap, then bed at 8.00-8.30pm and around 11h sleep at night.

marmitepasta · 15/04/2021 20:32

Agree with FATE although may not be what you want to hear. If you don't want the early morning wake ups, you should let him have a long daytime nap and then a late bedtime. He will then most probably sleep in later. I'm in France and that's what most people do here but I know that it's culturally different and people tend to do short nap and early bed in the uk.
I suppose it depends if you want your evenings or early mornings...

AllTheCakes · 15/04/2021 20:55

I would say the opposite to FATE, in that you need to start to drop the nap. He is getting the sleep in the day so doesn’t need as much overnight.

I follow the Little Ones sleep guides and their advice here would be to cut the nap back to 30 minutes and an earlier bed time. It will be a hard few weeks as you gradually cut back but he seems very overtired already.

Hohofortherobbers · 15/04/2021 21:11

Have you heard of wake to sleep? Apparently you disturb them before they'd normally wake then settle them straight back to sleep, because you've interrupted the sleep cycle they then break the routine. You'd have to be brave to try it though, I can't say I'd be able to get myself up at 4am ish to lightly dusturb my toddler Shock

PinkCookie11 · 15/04/2021 21:28

Another lover of white noise! I got the AVANTEK square one from Amazon and it’s been my best purchase!
I flick it on if he wakes early and he’s back asleep in seconds.
Also agree with not capping his nap.
What I do for my two year old is;
Nap at 12. Normally sleeps till 13:30 sometimes 14:00.
If wakes at 13:30 bed at 19:30 if wakes at 14:00 bed at 20:00.
Works well for us!
Good luck you’ll be wrecked being sick far in pregnancy I hope he sleeps for you!

PinkCookie11 · 15/04/2021 21:28

@PinkCookie11

Another lover of white noise! I got the AVANTEK square one from Amazon and it’s been my best purchase! I flick it on if he wakes early and he’s back asleep in seconds. Also agree with not capping his nap. What I do for my two year old is; Nap at 12. Normally sleeps till 13:30 sometimes 14:00. If wakes at 13:30 bed at 19:30 if wakes at 14:00 bed at 20:00. Works well for us! Good luck you’ll be wrecked being sick far in pregnancy I hope he sleeps for you!
so not sick 🙈🙈
Stacii · 17/04/2021 09:29

Also agree with fATE and marmite, I would let him sleep as long as he wants for his nap so he wakes happy and ready for the rest of the day. Lots of children nap until 3 or 4, purposely dropping the last nap is not something I would do.

I also have a toddler who rises early but we are managing much better now at 5.45-6am. We have tried pretty much everything, capping naps made it worse. I have accepted he only wants 9.5-10 hours sleep overnight but as long as he naps well he is always happy and well rested. If however, we have a bad nap day he is awfully tired and grumpy and does not make up for it at night time.

Original poster
Bathmatt · 17/04/2021 20:24

Thanks all!

He woke up at 5am today and we went for a drive and he fell asleep for about 20 mins at 9am. We then let him have a 2.5hr nap at 1pm. I might pay for this tomorrow morning but we were all just so knackered and he woke up so happy. We put him to bed at 7:30pm. Let’s see what happens tomorrow Confused

OP posts:
altlife · 18/04/2021 21:48

[quote Bathmatt]@altlife I got a wake up of 5:30am today with a 7:10pm bed time. Much better than 4:30am!!

I meant to set up the white noise last night but forgot so will try tonight![/quote]

Good for you!

Keep things consistent, you'll get there xx

Cindersrellie · 24/04/2021 22:18

@Bathmatt

Thanks all!

He woke up at 5am today and we went for a drive and he fell asleep for about 20 mins at 9am. We then let him have a 2.5hr nap at 1pm. I might pay for this tomorrow morning but we were all just so knackered and he woke up so happy. We put him to bed at 7:30pm. Let’s see what happens tomorrow Confused

How are things now? Just reading through in search of solutions to my own problems..
Maggiesfarm · 25/04/2021 00:18

Why can't he come into bed with you, he'd probably go back to sleep if he was cuddled up.

Original poster
Bathmatt · 25/04/2021 20:30

@Cindersrellie sadly we are getting no where and wake times vary between 5-5:45am. I’m slowly coming to accept that I have an early riser.

@Maggiesfarm oh how I wish he would do this!! I have desperately tried cuddling up to him when he wakes in the morning but he just jumps up and down the bed yelling wake up mummy and downstairs now and he just runs off. Being around us seems to stimulate him. I really do wish he would fall back asleep cuddled up to us. He hasn’t done that since he was 9 months old 😭

OP posts:
Orangeinmybluelightcup · 25/04/2021 20:41

This is a hard one to crack so be prepared that you might not be able to. I would focus on ensuring your little one has enough sleep, an age appropriate amount. I would say night needs to be 12hrs. You are putting them to bed waaaaaaay too late. Being over tired can really perpetuate early wake ups, the body will produce stress hormones cortisol. This is a bit of a sleep consultants 'classic'. I would suggest trying a much earlier bedtime, if your little one is sometimes up at 5:30 then bedtime should be 5:30pm. I'm not joking! At least then they'll get enough sleep. After a couple of weeks of catching up, try just nudging bedtime towards 6pm gradually.

Sympathy from me op my ds is very much like this, he's 4 next week and still often wakes at 5:30, his gro clock is set to 6:05 and he will stay in bed until then now. Although he often wakes me by humming!!! I've tried everything, as you can imagine.

I'm on a run of almost a week of putting to bed at 7 and waking at 6. I'm trying not to hope! We were on 7:30 bed over Easter hols and early wake ups, he was getting over tired so I brought bedtime forward. I'm sure it's a temporary reprieve...

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