16month old waking 5am

[Thesamguy7]

Hi All,

Hope everyone is doing well?

So our son was a good sleeper for a long time, from around 12-15 months he slept 7pm-7am most nights, now for the past around 6 weeks he’s been waking up at around 5am and basically wants to get up out the cot and/or he will scream and cry non stop.

If we hug him whilst he is in the cot it sooths and calms him for a bit and we ask him nicely to go back to sleep/sleepy time and he sometimes lies back down but then the second we say goodnight or we walk out and close the door he goes back to the non stop screaming/crying.

He had been napping once in morning around 9.30/10am and once in early afternoon around 3pm, we also always give him a snack before he goes to bed around 6.15pm and a little bottle of milk as part of his routine just before bed at 6.50pm, he goes to bed like a dream every night luckily but this 5am wake up thing the last 5 weeks or so is really taking its toll on us :(

We recently tried to move him to just one longer lunchtime nap but so far he’s still waking up around 5am. We also tried a slightly later bedtime 7.30pm but if anything that made him get up more like 4.30am.

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this with their little one around this age and is it just a sleep regression type thing or are there any good tips anyone has to either get him to sleep until at least 6am and/or so he can settle himself better upon waking at around 5am.

Also tried giving him his favourite teddy to cuddle in the morning at 5am but that doesn’t seem to make much difference either, he just wants his mummy and to get up.

We are also considering a sleep consultant but they’re so expensive and complicated and we feel like someone with experience should hopefully be able to guide us.

Lots of love to all and look forward to hopefully getting some good tips/advice from anyone else who experienced this and managed to resolve it?

Many thanks :)

Yes. Happened with both of mine. You just have to ride it out. Once they were older we got them a gro clock and gradually increased the time the sun came up and they were allowed to get up. I think you’ve just been lucky he’s slept so well up until now.

Happened with both of my daughters at about the same age. They both grew out of it after a few months and started sleeping until 6:30/7.

Thank you that is good to know, sounds like one to ride out for a while then and likely just sleep regression.

Out of interest did you stick to 2 naps until a certain age or switch to 1 when this started happening?

Thank you that’s good to know, roughly what age do you think the Gro clock could work from or is I more to do with how much they can talk and understand as every child develops differently?

I would definitely think one nap now, over lunchtime if you can for a couple of hours, and then, I know it sounds counterproductive, but bring bedtime forward by 30 mins

My son got up at 5 from 6 months and still does. He's middle aged now.

Thank you yea we will try keep up with the one nap from now on and see if that has much effect.

Interesting about bringing the bedtime forwards a bit to what say 6.30pm How does that work then, you think it can actually make them sleep a bit longer/later?

Early waking can sometimes be from being overtired, and if they're used to having that afternoon nap, being awake longer before bedtime could cause that, so may just help. Potentially why the later bedtime led to early wake up

I think mine understood it about 2-2.5. They both still wake up pretty early now around 6-6.30 but they know they can’t come out of their rooms until 7

My eldest did this at about 12m, which coincided with me going back to work after maternity leave. He’d just want to be with me in his room, having cuddles or little chats, and he’d cry if I left. Every night I’d just hope that else would wake up with something with a 5 in front of it, ie from 5am, and not something with a 4 in front of it, even 4:59.

It lasted months, and I just trained my body clock to cope. I’d go to bed at about 9/9:30. And I offered more milk at bedtime - he would drink more than one bottle at bedtime, so I’d take two up with me. Sometimes he’d drink one and a little bit, other times closer to two full ones. This really helped.

I also agree with a previous poster who said that her son is still an early riser. Mine is too, and he’s now 16. Awake at 6ish every single morning, come what may.

My DD kept waking up 5am/5.30am until she grew out of it. Nothing I did changed that so I just had to live through it.

Yes, mine did the same at around the same age. During lockdown, it made for some very long days! I think you just have to ride it out, it won't last forever.

My little one is 20mo and has been a 5am waker from the get go😭 though he's now only on 1 nap and does sleep through so it's better than it was when he was up eleventy million times a night🤣

Makes sense thank you :)

Brill thanks, will look to introduce that around 2-2.5, 6am onwards and them knowing to stay in their room and not scream non stop is the dream, 5am-6am is a bit too early even for a possible early rising toddler.

Thanks for you advice really appreciate it :)

Interesting yea I suppose some are just early risers although our son was sleeping 7-7 for about 5 months so I feel this is hopefully more sleep regression rather than him being an early riser but hard to say.

Anyone know roughly what age they grow out of the constant screaming / crying first thing in the morning until you get them up as once they grow out of that I feel it’ll all get way easier to deal with hopefully otherwise it’s a lot of cortisol to start everyday at 5am with

Thanks all super helpful comments :) #allinittogether

Both of mine naturally switched to 1 nap a day shortly after starting nursery at 12 months old.

hi lovely one , sorry to hear little one is going through this, have you tried making room darker ? this happened with my little girl this time of year, and she loves her sleep…. but the light mornings would wake her and make her very AGGY where she wanted to sleep more but as it was morning she felt she should be playing and her little mind couldn’t cope, so i put a blanket up at curtains with clothes pegs left window open as it can make room warmer … and worked a treat she slept through as normal, may help your little one ? hope it all settles for you soon x