2 year old waking 4am

[Winetime38]

My LO is nearly 2 and for the last year has been waking in between 4 and 4.30am. For the last month he’s been waking in the night and takes upto 2 hours to settle. I’m exhausted, any tips on what I should do? Daily routine is:
4am wakes up and cries
4-5am I go in a pick up put down try to settle but 99% of the time it doesn’t work
5am breastfed in my bed
5.20 up for the day
6am breakfast
8-9 walk/play outside
9.30-11 nap
12 lunch
1-3 play inside/outside
5 tea time
5.45 bath
6.20 breastfed in my bed
6.45/7 in cot

just to add he’s still breastfeeding and very clingy, wanting to stop feeding soon but can’t find the right time and would like to get him to sleep better before I do this so it’s not too much going on at once. Hope someone has a magic routine/idea :) Thank you

All 3 of my boys have done the early wake up at around 2, it was crap. Tired everything and then twigged it was because mine where growing out of morning naps, I stretch the nap time to as late as possible to as short as possible and then after about a month the nap was dropped and sleeping in till gone 6:30 now. Stretching nap/shorting then is UTTER HELL they grumpy before n after nap (took about 40 mins post nap to perk up) but after a month of hell it gets better

Oh I feel you. My 3 year old does this too.

I am SO tired.

Following for some tips, or any sort of hope.

(I just cling on to "it won't be forever")

Thanks @novacaneforthepain @pinkpantsrock for your replies. It’s good to hear @pinkpantsrock your boys sleep until 6.30 now, 2am must have been horrendous! I have tried shorter naps and he’s also tried getting him to nap later in the morning/lunch time but it takes a lot as he’s so tired. I will try and do a shorter nap today and see how I get on thank you. @novacaneforthepain how long has your LO been waking up this early for? I keep thinking next month he will sleep longer, is your child tired in the morning? When my LO wakes at 4 he’s yawning and you can see he’s tried but he’s too awake to go back to sleep. Hope you get a lie in soon!

I would honestly bring them into your bed the minute they wake up and feed them, then stick kids programs on a tablet while you doze.

If you feed him straight away then he might nod back off in your bed.

Thanks for the message @LaughandGiggle I’ve tried feeding when he wakes and after his feed he has energy and wants to be up for the day. My husband works long hours so doesn’t want to put the tv on at that time but I would do that if I could. If I put him in bed with us he just wants feeding, he would never lay there or go back to sleep. I try and lay in his bedroom next to the cot but that just makes him upset I either have to be holding him/stroking or if he’s really tired very close to the cot.

I don't have anything magic. They don't listen, they want that milk! It's literally addictive just as cows' milk is because lactation is necessary and therefore addictive to babies. (and adults who choose to drink it)

If you're breastfeeding then co-sleeping is the natural accompaniment, just makes it easier. But at 2 I put mine in their own bed precisely because I could no longer take the on/off feeding she was doing all night long.

But unfortunately you won't be able to stop her grabbing for that milk as long as you put her in bed. Can your partner do it? That was my "magic" answer.

He has always been like this. It used to be 3.30 every morning. I would have to take him downstairs so he didn't wake my DD.

I also breastfed til 2, and when I stopped I thought it would help/ be horrendous. But nothing really changed.

He is so tired all the time!! Right now he is laying on the sofa saying "I'm a bit tired" but he won't sleep.

I tried shortening the nap, changing the time of the nap, getting rid of the nap. Tried it all. He just seems to be an early riser.

He also doesn't sleep through which is killing me slowly.

Hi @gotelltheoldmandowntheroad thank you for the reply I don’t want to co sleep as I’ve managed to stop him feeding in the night he will sleep from 7-12 at the moment then I will be up for about and hour settling him, last night was 2 hours then he’s up at 4. He used to wake every 1-2 hours for a feed and stopped that so feel like if we co sleep he will be on the boob all night and all day but understand why people do it just think it’s not right for us anymore. A few months ago he was only having a feed morning and night and now he’s wanting it all the time so maybe his sleep has something to do with this.

@novacaneforthepain Sorry your little one is waking in the night, as if that early risings aren’t bad enough. I don’t have any answers but really hope we find an answer soon. It’s so hard when you’ve tried everything and nothing works. 5am is a lie in though, never thought I would say that! My husband thinks it’s my breastfeeding that’s keeping him awake but it’s interesting when you stopped it didn’t alter your LOs sleep.