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3 year old going to bed at 9pm and waking at 5am

4 replies

Ionlion · 05/04/2022 06:51

My 3 year old has suddenly started going to bed at 9pm and waking at 5am. It’s driving me mad.

He’s always been an early riser but before we could usually get him to sleep at 7pm. He doesn’t nap anymore unless we are driving somewhere but this is only ever once a week.

Gro clocks don’t work. He doesn’t listen to instructions. He doesn’t care about sticker charts. I have tried to motivate him by telling him if he stays in bed until the sun comes up on the gro clock he will get a toy he wants but that hasn’t worked either.

I went in his bedroom this morning and told him to stay quiet and in bed until the sun came up but he just didn’t listen so I left and now he is screaming his head off so my partner has come in with him but he is still throwing a tantrum. He has a gate on his door so do we just leave him to cry?

3 years of broken sleep, plus a 8 month old baby who wakes twice a night and I’m just not a functioning human anymore. Plus I’m really starting to resent the 3 year old. At least before I had a semblance of an evening but now one of us has to lie in bed with him until he falls asleep.

OP posts:
Hell0G00dbye · 05/04/2022 06:55

Is he overtired? 8 hours sleep isn’t a lot at 3.
If you know he’s fed, watered, had a nice bath, cuddles and story id be tempted to leave him at a more reasonable bed time (7-8) with a story tape or low music. One of mine was an early riser and while awful I found accepting it easier. When we had a baby I did the night wake ups and DH got up early with DC1. We both were in bed by 9 and the eldest now sleeps til 6+ which is heavenly. It’s hard OP especially as they wake the youngest so you have my sympathies!

iknowthismuchis · 05/04/2022 07:16

It is at all connected to the baby? Does the baby sleep in your room? I'm wondering if the 3 year old is fighting sleep fo get more time with you?

Ionlion · 05/04/2022 19:24

@Hell0G00dbye thank you! I think he is over tired but he just doesn’t want to admit defeat. We have done the bedtime routine and left him in his bedroom without lying down next to him. We’ve told him we love him and it’s time for him to sleep and we will see him in the morning but he’s shouting and crying for us to go lie next to him and I just feel awful. Fingers crossed he drops off soon as he’s been up since 5am with no nap. We have a yoto player which plays audio books and music but he doesn’t seem to get on with it so will try it again when he is older.

@iknowthismuchis thank you for the reply. I don’t think it is connected to the baby as she sleeps in her own room now and the 3 yo loves her so much. I think he just likes to play for ages, have someone with him all the time and wake up at an ungodly hour Confused

OP posts:
bassackwards · 05/04/2022 19:39

I have no advice unfortunately but if it's any comfort my DC did the same thing around that age and my husband and I were nearly broken by the 4.30/5am starts. But thankfully it only lasted a month or two (I forget now!) and gradually it went back to normal. Everyone told me it was just a phase and yep, it was Smile

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