erm, some advice needed please!

[DelGirl]

tis my own fault I know but here's my problem.

DD has been a good sleeper in the past. She's 2.10. She has a gate across her bedroom door and it's closed when she goes to bed and she hass no problem with this.

Just before Christmas she was poorly and I was in plaster as i;d broken my foot. So, I decided to open the gate when I went to bed so that in the morning she could come into me and I wouldn't have to get up.

Well, the last couple of weeks she's been waking at 5am, sometimes earlier. She's been into me at midnight and 3am some nights. She was always a 6.30 to 7.30 sleeper (usually).

What do I do. I don't mind her coming into my bed but when she's awake it's non stop chatter and she fidgets all the time. I feel mean closing the gate again as it's not her fault but I can't carry on with the early mornings either. If I went to bed earlier it would be ok but tbhg, I don't want to get up at 5 every day.

Suggestions on how I tackle it please would be very welcome. tia

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Shut the gate!!!

Our DS (3 next week) has always been an early riser. what has helped has been to get an electronic light timer switch which is set to go on at about 6.30. We have drilled into him that when the light comes on it is day time so he can get up. The light's in the hallway just outside his room so hopefully doesn't wake him up if he happens to be sleeping longer. He gets a sticker to put on his sticker chart each time he stays in bed and doesn't shout out (that has been his thing, shouting out mummy/daddy at the top of his voice in the middle of the night...) until the light comes on. Then when he has 5 stickers on his chart he gets a treat. I wouldn't say it has been foolproof but it has helped a bit. Of course he's also now decided that he wants the light on all night so he has a nightlight by his bed, but that's pretty dim so he still knows the difference when the other light comes on. Apparently the thing to do is set the timer to come on just after their normal waking up time, and then gradually have it come on later till you are back to where you want to be.
hope that makes sense!

thanks rgpargy, hadn't thought of that . Well, of course I had! It's just that she'll still wake at the same time presumably and will shout/cry/rant until I go to her so I'm no better off. I'd like her to stay in bed until a reaonsbale hour but of course she has no idea what the time is, does she?

I had thought about the timer/light/clock thing but thought she may be too young. I know what I need to do I think but not thinking too celarly due to the lack of sleep and thought experienced mnetters may have some useful tips. thanks

any other fool proof tips out there?

Well i know you've thought of it lol. But you say "presumably" she'll wake which means you've not tried it? Just tell her that you have to shut the gate again now and she has to stay in bed until you get her, like you did before. How do you know she didn't wake up before you opened the gate but just went back to sleep because she knew she had no option?

Good luck!

I'll try it again. I tried this morning but couldn't bear the crys . I need to be consistent I know but with lack of sleep it's difficult. I did have a 'chat' with her yesterday and will try again tonight as we're both knackered! thanks

how's it going so far?

I kept the gate closed last night and i did give her some medised at about 10.30pm as she does have a terrible cold and she slet until 6am . She did call for me but no crying and I just kept asking her to read her books/play which she did (noisily) sp for about 15 minutes then decided it would be a good idea to try and climb over the gate and fall over the other side .

So, not too bad so will try again tonight/tomorrow. Have to work tomorrow but I guss I would be awake whatever but at least I don't have her chattering in my ear before i'm barely awake. Just hope she doesn't decide the climbing trick again but she is a climber so I suspect she will. ho hum. thanks for asking

excuse the spelling errors. We have been toilet training as well for the past couple of weeks so this may have had an impact? Still, 6am yay! feel better for that at least at the mo.

That's no so bad then, eh?! Good luck for tonight too.