Early waking toddler..what can I do?

[HensMum]

DS is 18 months old and for the past week or so has been waking up at 6am. He used to wake up between 6.30-7am and this seemed about right, he'd be rested and cheerful.

When he wakes at 6am, he gets tired very quickly, then grumpy and stroppy. If he has a nap in the morning, he won't have his afternoon nap (DP is at home and tried today - had to drive round with him for 40mins to get him to sleep)

Is there anything I can do?! We already have black out blinds plus curtains so it's as dark as we can make it. He always has something to eat at 5pm ish, either full tea or a snack on days he's been at nursery, then a bottle before bed at 7pm so I don't think he's waking because he's hungry.

He tends to wake up happily enough but like I say, is looking really tired by breakfast. We do leave him for as long as we can in the morning, let him chat to himself for as long as possible but try and go in when the chatter turns to grizzles...

I've been waking at 5am too for no apparent reason - I'm bloody knackered!

Could it be birds or a particular bird eg a crow? Or someone in a neighbouring garden watering the planets early? These caused some early morning waking for our LO until she got used to it and slept through it (took a week)... Any other noises? You could wake up yourself before 6 adnd try and listen out (eeek, I know!)...

I meant plants not planets :-)

Don't worry, it will change again before you know it and he'll sleep past 8 for a while and then back to 6:30 / 7....

Please don't agonise over it, IME nothing beyond what you have done will help. It will soon change though. Can he nap, say, 10-12?

I was going to suggest that you leave him for as long as you can then realised you're already doing that. Could be that he's having too much sleep during the day? Around 18 mths my ds2 would have one late morning nap - I used to give him a pre-nap banana around 11.15 and he'd go to sleep at 11.30 for 1.5 - 2 hrs then be OK for the rest of the day. But in my experience it's difficult to do much about early morning waking other than wait for it to get better.

We're very naughty and keep a small drink just outside ds2's room (in a freezer bag) and if he wakes too early, one of us pops it into his cot.

We also leave in some cardboard books which seem to keep himoccupied for a while.

Other than that- sometimes he wakes at 6, sometimes 6.30. Within the last week though, he hasn't woken till 7.45!!(Twice) So there's hope yet.

PlumpRump - it's a good idea, we did that too. Youngest ds now 21mths but also went through a phase of early waking so we would pop something interesting in his room for him to study and it bought us a bit of extra time. Previously he also went through a stage of sleeping in like a teenager and I'd have to wake him to get the others to school because on weekends he'd sleep in til 9.30am! We were delighted...but, as with all these things, it was a phase and didn't last...
Hang onto that, OP - it's a phase and won't last forever!! And have a store of books and items for DS to investigate while you snooze more!

Well, he slept until 6.30am today! Actually could have left him longer I think but it's a nursery day so it's fine for us all to get up at 6.30.

His mood was great this morning - total little angel. It's amazing the difference an extra half hour makes!

I don't think he's getting too much sleep in the day - on nursery days he only has about an hour, when he's at home he'll have longer but it doesn't seem to make a difference. Will bear it in mind though.

Good tip about the books, will try that one.

That's good to hear!

He probably needs just one nap, after lunch.
If it's only been a week or so, it's prob. just a short phase and he'll be back to normal soon.