calling all fellow parents of early risers - i hardly dare say i, but i THINK this wake-to-sleep thing MAY work...! <<crosses fingers>>

[Tutter]

ds2 (1yo next week!) has always been an early riser - just as his brother was

generally it's between 4:50 and 5:10

we tried everything - blackouts, white noise, cc, milk, later bedtime, earlier bedtime, shorter naps in day, earlier naps in day

etc etc

the last two nights we have set the alarm for 4am and have gone in and gently roused him

he's gone straight back off each time

yday morning he woke at 5:25

this morning 5:45

so, not exactly miraculous, but a huge improvement

(but how sad that i should view 5:45 as a good time to start the day )

[Tutter]

ah - dh confessed that the morning that ds2 woke at 5:10 he hadn't actually woken him when he went in at 4am - he tried but gave up quickly as ds2 had had a rough night

so - each time we have woken him he has gone on to sleep around an hour more (at least) than he normally would

crunch time will be when we decide to wait and see if we have broken his habit - i.e. not going in to him

we may try this tonight

i am convinced he will wake at 4:58

[deaconblue]

isn't it weird when they wake at exactly the same time for days - we had 5.12am for ages (yawn)
my theory is that when he was tiny and finally went from 10pm to 5am I then worked on getting him to bed earlier (by feeding a few minutes earlier every day til we got a 7pm bedtime) instead of trying to extend the morning. With dd I plan to try to get her to wake at 6am before beginning to move her last feed at night.

[Midge25]

Reading with interest - my little one is also keen on the 5am start....hadn't heard of wake to sleep before...

[TheRealPhartiphukborlz]

i read of it some years ago, though not in so much depth, sounded bizarre, but if it works might be good

[solo]

Well! I tried for three nights and it worked for those three nights. I decided to test it out and see if she'd go through - she didn't! She now has a cold so it's probably not worth trying again until it's gone, but I might give it a go tonight.
Anyone else had a success yet?

[VictorianSqualor]

Hmm, DS1&DD always wake up about 6am.
They don't need to get up until 7-7:30ish (I know 6am probably seems late to early risers but I have a 3 month old so could do with that extra hour!)

DS2 wakes around 4am, for either a cuddle or a feed, so maybe I should try stirring the other two at the same time?

[solo]

Makes sense VS. Nothing to lose by trying.

[hunkermunker]

Good luck, Tutter.

Wonder if it works with 2.6yos [sigh]

[VictorianSqualor]

I shall be trying it on a 7 & a 3yr old hunker, nothing ventured.....

[hunkermunker]

How about I just send you DS2 for a bit? You might as well have three to try it on

[blueshoes]

orangina, my dcs are not particularly early risers but are poor sleepers, as in would equally wake at 4 am as 5 am or 1 am or 3:30 am, whenever suits their fancy and don't self-settle as babies.

To answer your question, both dcs sleep better during winter than summer, both in terms of the total amount of sleep needed during a 24 hour period, as in the time they woke (later in winter). There is hope!

[VictorianSqualor]

Sure, babyhunker is perfectly welcome, we have a spare bed

[HensMum]

Oooh, I'm going to try this! My little monster rarely sleeps later than 6am. 5.30am starts are common.
So, I should be going in at 4.30ish, poking him for a bit and then leaving? How awake should he be? The bit that scares me is what if he wakes up properly and is then awake from 4.30am?!

[hunkermunker]

See him in a week or so, OK?

Enjoy!

[VictorianSqualor]

You do realise he'll sleep perfectly with me don't you?
Then come home and sleep worse

[hunkermunker]

S'OK, just think of all the sleep I'll have in the next week.

I'm serious, you know.

[books courier]

[DorotheaPlenticlew]

So glad I stumbled upon this thread - never heard of wake-to-sleep but it sounds like exactly what we need.

DS is 11 months and has been waking just before 5 for, well, forever, basically. Blackout fabric etc helps not a jot. Did wonder if it might be the squawking gulls outside his window, but nothing we can do about those - would sometimes dearly love to blow 'em away with a shotgun, but I suppose that would also tend to wake a sleeping baby.

Will report back if it works.

[VictorianSqualor]

A courier
Just put him on the bus, he'll be fine.
In fact dump on on the Oxford Tube I'll meet him before the picnic tomorrow.
I could take in an extra ten and not notice, really.
Once you get to three you head count going out the door.

[beansprout]

Can I send ds1 over too?

Seriously though, is it worth trying on older kids (ds1 is 3.9)?

[hunkermunker]

Oh, cool - you can tandem feed at the picnic then He'll like that.

(I asked him which his favourte side was the other night - he spread his hand across my chest, patted me and said, "I like 'em ALL!" )

[solo]

Did anyone try this last night? I went to bed at about 1am(far too late for me)and decided to joggle Dd about a bit then instead of waking at 2am. Took quite a bit of joggling to rouse her, then tucked her back in and went to bed...it worked this time...onwards and upwards for tonight then.

[hunkermunker]

I didn't try it last night and DS2 slept till 7.50. He has never done that! That's a good two hours longer than usual.

[solo]

No luck last night I joggled her about at 01:30 and she woke again at 3...I think it is because she is so snotty though. I took a soft option and breast fed her...

[solo]

This has worked with Dd since Tuesday night, so 4 nights running. I'm going to keep going for a full week I think, then give it a go with not waking her to see if it's worked! My mum and dad are having her over night next weekend(first night away from me), so I'm really aiming for her sleeping through for them...

[solo]

Ok! I had the 5th night where DD threw up at 2am, but apart from that she's been sleeping successfully after the wake to sleep process...Tonight, I'm going to see if she'll sleep without being woken. Wish me luck
Anyone else had any success?