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Sleep

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Original poster

Clocks going back

31 replies

ellasmum · 21/10/2002 20:04

Hi..

I am sure this topic is covered every time the clocks go back, but I did a search for old threads and couldn't find anything.

Anyway, I was wondering how you sort out what will inevitably be earlier wakenings?? Do you just try and increase awake times a bit until they are back to normal sleep times again??

I do not fancy going from 6.45am to 5.45 wakeups on a regular basis!!

Any tips greatly received.

Ellasmum

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 21/10/2002 20:46

From memory, we just kept them up a later the night before and then kept to the normal routine with the "new" time the next day. I really don't recall it being a problem.

futurity · 21/10/2002 20:48

My DS (9 months) is ready to drop at 7...not sure how I can delay bed until 8...any ideas?

SoupDragon · 21/10/2002 20:55

There was meant to be a "bit" after the "a" in my last post. ie "keep them a bit later". Not necessarily the whole hour. It's that or wake up a whole hour earlier the next day!

My 2 were both about 8 months when the clocks went back for their first time.

futurity · 21/10/2002 20:59

oh...i see! i think I could manage putting him to bed by 7.30 although he does tend to wake up at the same time in the morning whatever time he goes to bed! Going to be interesting..!

Caroline5 · 21/10/2002 22:27

I find that when the clocks go forward in the summer is really difficult. It's usually possible to keep a child up later, but much more difficult to get them to go to bed earlier. It seemed to take ages this summer to get dd1 (3) to go to bed at a reasonable hour. The key with the summer seems to be to make sure you wake them up at the right time, so they are tired for bed at the right time.

Sorry, your question had nothing to do with the summer, so not very useful!!

Clarinet60 · 21/10/2002 23:12

I have no memory of what happened with this last year. Isn't that strange? Sorry to have been no help - he couldn't have woken up too eary otherwise it would be seared on my memory! (I like my kip.)

Azzie · 22/10/2002 06:29

Futurity, I've always found with both mine that although at first putting them to bed a bit later doesn't make any difference to waking up time, it does start to after a few days. It's always been really annoying - if they stay up later on Fri and Sat night, we never get a lie-in on Sat or Sun morn, but they sleep late Mon morning when we have to get up for nursery/school/work. (Hmm, reading this, maybe we just need to plan ahead a bit more...).

And just remember - one day your ds will be a hulking great teenager who you won't be able to shift from his bed in the mornings for love nor money .

Original poster

ellasmum · 22/10/2002 09:56

Azzie - this is what I keep telling DP - that in 15 years we will be able to have a lie-in. Funnily enough he is not that impressed!!!

OP posts:

Azzie · 22/10/2002 10:01

Take heart - my ds was a 6 a.m. riser as a baby and toddler, but now at 5 y.o. will sleep until 7/7.30 sometimes if left undisturbed. Still not a late lie-in, but it's amazing how your standards are reduced when you're a parent and thankful for small mercies!

Now I've just got to persuade dd (nearly 3) to do the same...

GillW · 29/10/2002 10:29

I think I quite like this clocks changing business - we actually got my "powered by duracel" DS in bed AND asleep by 8 pm, for the first time in his life, and then repeated the feat on Monday

Harrysmum · 29/10/2002 15:58

I HATE it with a passion this time round. Smugly assumed there would be no problems as we coped with the 2 hour time difference going to and from Greece in September with no problems but ds (who normally sleeps to 7.30am) was up at 6am on Sunday and 5am today. He got hysterical as I wouldn't let him get up, I was ready to really hit him very hard (not a believer in smacking, just at the end of my tether) and resisted for 1 1/2 hours (but doing the controlled crying bit, going in, lying him down (if needed, most of the time he was curled up in bed anyway, covering him up) and at 6.30am he dropped off and had to be woken at 8.45am so that we could go to work/nursery. It didn't help that dh had been at work since 8am Monday, got home at 1.15am Tuesday and I woke up, chatted for a bit. At nearly 30wks I am too sensitive to sleep loss to manage this another night. And PILs arrive tomorrow for 5 days... He is usually such a star sleeper - I want that boy back!

SofiaAmes · 30/10/2002 10:17

Duh....couldn't figure out why ds was actually yawning at 8pm last night when his normal bedtime is 9pm. Forgot about the the clocks changing. I normally hate it as it just seems too dark all the time, but we've been trying to get ds to bed a little earlier, so I think this will help...

Bumblelion · 30/10/2002 11:26

Clocks have had no effect on elder children (aged nearly 10 and 5) but have had a bit of problem with baby (just turned 1). Last year when the clocks turned back, she was new-born so it made no difference.

DD2 used to go to bed at 7:15 and wake up at 7:15 (earliest). I didn't want her going to bed at 6:15 and waking at 6:15 so have kept her bed time the same (although by 7:15 she is now totally whacked). Sunday and Monday she woke at 6:30 (which would really be 7:30 if the clocks hadn't turned back) but this morning she woke at 7:30 which would be her normal waking time.

I always think that they take a few days to adapt and, fingers crossed, she has made the adjustment.

bon · 02/11/2002 23:04

Has anyone else's quality of life been affected by this? My two toddlers (2 and 4) are such creatures of habits. Despite trying to put them to bed later, the hour has meant they've woken up at 5.45/6.00 am every morning since. I've tried telling them to stay in their room and play until seven but to be honest the chatting and shouting means I cannot get back to sleep. The morning we sent them down to watch TV, they were positively delighted and I'm sure it encouraged them to wake up even earlier the following morning. Has anyone any suggestions of a) getting them back into sleeping till seven or b) what to do with them if they continue to rise at this ungodly hour. Has anyone had any success with one of the bunny alarm clocks? Any suggestions greatfully receieved.

Wills · 02/11/2002 23:47

Bon - I have no solutions although I understand exactly how you feel - a week on and still she's getting up at 5.00 (old time of 6.00). We tried keeping her up but she's getting very tired and stroppy - come to that so am I.

I'd send her downstairs to watch TV - 2 problems tho' - 1) She wont go down there without one of us and 2) she discovered today that if she moves the kitchen chairs she can clamber up and get into the draws (sharp knives and all). Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow!

batey · 03/11/2002 08:18

My only suggestion Bon would be to wear them out a bit more than normal. My 2 are almost 5 and 2 1/2 and we've had 2 5.30's this week!.But they've slept better on the nights when they've had more activity, party yesterday afternoon and dhs has just taken them swimming! We also have an ELC trampoline in their bedroom! So we have games of who can bounce for the longest!!

pupuce · 03/11/2002 09:20

We have the same probs with our almost 3yo....
Well we are trying every morning with DH putting him back in his bedroom and telling him he has to sleep as it is still the night. Our heating systems turns itself on at 7AM and makes a loud sound which we call "Big Noise"... DS knows we son't get up before Big Noise.

DH is far better at this as DS won't play up with him!
No way - No TV before 7AM... he knows that and doesn't ask for it anymore
It's our 3 rd morning of this... still NO improvement in terms of what time he wakes - between 530 and 600 - but he stays quietly in his room... and since this AM DH has unscrewed his lightbulb so he can't turn his light on an dplay... (DH's idea!)
We are hoping taht this consistent routine will make him realise that he is waking up too early and there is nothing to do then...

SueDonim · 03/11/2002 12:50

I've never had this problem for more than a day or so before it resolved itself but maybe my children are more flexible, adaptable or something? Anyway, that's beside the point, I'm wondering if changing your child's bedtime by 10 or 15 minute increments over a few days would help to settle them back into their usual wakenings?

pupuce · 03/11/2002 19:45

Suedonim... I don't know to be honest.
DS has never had this problem in the past... One thing we are now doing is going to bed at 10 ourselves ! So that mornings are not too bad...
I am fairly convinced that 10 days of DH's routine will get us there. It isn't a hard routine (except on DH) as DS is quite good about it with him (with me he'd start crying, asking for a cuddle,.... he knows how to play me IYKWIM!)

susanmt · 04/11/2002 10:37

We did the changing the bedtime 15 mins for the 2 days before the clocks changed and then for the 2 days afterwards and both dd (2+9months) and ds (9 months) are in the new routine and have been for over a week. But then they are both, like Suedonims, fairly adaptable and sleep anywhere, so it worked. Would putting him to bed a bit later for a few days help?

Sari · 04/11/2002 14:16

Bon, we got a Winnie the Pooh alarm clock which does the same thing as the rabbit one. Our ds aged 2 had never slept beyond 6.30am and normally woke around 6.15. We never imagined the clock would work, particularly as he worked out how to turn it off and change the settings immediately we unpacked it. However it did work and fairly instantly. I think it has something to do with him sub-consciously knowing he doesn't have to wake up until Winnie the Pooh does.

Now he sleeps till at least 7 every day so I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.

Wills · 04/11/2002 14:24

Where did you buy the clock! I'm close to doing anything to get a little more sleep.

Cha · 04/11/2002 14:44

Don't know whether this will work but it was told to me by a friend with older kids and I intend to use it when mine is bigger....
You set an alarm clock in their room and tell the child that it can't come in to your bedroom, play loudly, get up etc until the 'alarm' goes off. (Alarm could be just the radio on v softly if you have smaller ones sharing a bedroom) Aparently it works like a dream - after a day or two of kids coming in to get you to check if the alarm's gone off or not. We have the immersion heater in her room with a red light which goes on when the heating / hot water does - this we intend to use as the cue for getting up time. Probably won't work at all, but I live in hope!

Sari · 04/11/2002 17:43

Wills, we got the clock from Great Little Trading Co. I know they have the rabbit one in other catalogues as well - JoJo Maman Bebe is one, I'm fairly certain.

KMG · 04/11/2002 18:33

Dream on Cha!

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