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Original poster

DS wakes at 6am every day regardless of bedtime!

17 replies

jamandjerusalem · 04/10/2009 10:22

My DS is 2 and I think we might have to resign ourselves to early mornings ad infinitum

Bedtime could be 7pm, 8.30pm or midnight (new year's eve last year!) and he'll still wake at 6.

Is there anything I can do? Or just be in bed and asleep by 10pm myself??

OP posts:
BoysAreLikeDogs · 04/10/2009 10:25

Is there anything that is disturbing him at that time - eg does your hot water click on then/does the milk float trundle past?

Some children are early risers, teach him to turn on the telly so that he can go down and watch children's telly for an hour before you need to get up.

VFemme · 04/10/2009 10:27

hello jamandjerusalem. My 2 yo ds is exactly the same - up with the lark no matter when bedtime is. I find he is a clumsy tired wee thing when he's been late to bed the previous night but he REFUSES to nap any more the next day lol.

If you find a way to get your ds to sleep longer in the morning I'd love to hear it!

Original poster
jamandjerusalem · 05/10/2009 11:50

Nothing disturbs him - he's at the back of the house, no heating on yet, I've been in his room before he wakes to investigate this but there really isn't anything.

He's still in a cot so sometimes we chuck in a few books so that buys us a bit more shut-eye

OP posts:
MrsJamin · 05/10/2009 11:59

21MO DS has been waking between 5 and 5.30 since January - I would just resign yourself to it if it's been going on for some time, sorry! Try to teach him to stay where he is and play, and hope that you can sleep through his waking so you don't wake at 6 every day. I'm a naturally early riser and so are my family, so I think it's an inbuilt thing in some children that you can't change. Some people swear by the wake to sleep method though - rouse them slightly 30-60 mins before 6am and he might sleep for longer as you've disturbed the sleep pattern. It might be worth trying a few things before you think the situation is helpless like myself!

andgodcreatedwoman · 05/10/2009 12:02

No words of wisdom for you, but just to let you know I'd cut my arms off for a 6am start.

Ours is anywhere between 3 and 5 and nothing helps.

I'm not dismissing what you're going through at all, we just talk wistfully of 6am like it's the holy grail!

MrsJamin · 05/10/2009 12:04

yes I too would gladly settle for 6am! It doesn't help when other people have it worse though, when I asked help from my HV, she said I should be glad that DS sleeps through from 7 til 5 - I should jolly hope so, he's nearly 2! It was deeply unhelpful just to be told "you should think yourself lucky!"

andgodcreatedwoman · 05/10/2009 12:06

I'm not saying the op should think herself lucky though, 6am is rubbish too.

Dh and I are just amazed that we'd be ecstatic with that.

I'd rather it was 8 or 9 obviously.

tobago04 · 05/10/2009 12:15

My dd still wakes up at 6am and shes 4,you all have my sympthy,i'm dreading when the clocks change
Sorry have'nt got any advice

MrsBadger · 05/10/2009 12:33

dd (2) is the same, but I have to be up at 6.30am for work anyway so it's not that much of a bind

take it in turns with dh? I get the Saturday lie-in and DH gets one on Sunday. DH's method is to leave her in her pyjamas, stick on CBeebies and go back to sleep on the sofa under her duvet...

have been thinking books etc in her bed but her room is so dark (in effort to get her to sleep longer ) that I don;t think she'd be able to see them...

hattyyellow · 05/10/2009 12:43

Is the room dark? Blackout blinds work wonders - we have baa baa black out drapes pinned around the window so light can't get in and it works well. Otherwise ours wake up with the light.

Original poster
jamandjerusalem · 05/10/2009 12:43

Golly, sorry. DS went through a 5.30am phase and I remember then thinking that 6am would be ok as it's the right side of the clock. So I know it could be worse. Thing is, he did also go through a phase of 7-7.30am so it does feel like it could also be better! Maybe that was a phase and 5.30-6 is the norm.

Poor you, andgod..., that sounds wretched. Sorry, this thread wasn't very sensitive of me

OP posts:
starwhores · 05/10/2009 12:45

Lucky you! All mine wake at 5.15 until they're at least four!!!

TBH I don't think 6am is too early to start your day. Perhaps accept this is what time you're getting up and go to bed earlier!!

andgodcreatedwoman · 06/10/2009 07:16

It wasn't insensitive at all jamandjerusalem!

Early starts are horrific.

MaMight · 06/10/2009 07:21

Most children I know start at 6 don't they? Mine do. I think 6 is just normal children getting up time.

olivo · 06/10/2009 14:22

hello jamandjerusalem. does your DS still nap in the day? We didnt conquer DD's early rising until we dropped her nap. it was a struggle and some days she was not pleasant until she got used to it, but now, she generally sleeps until after 6.30.

olivo · 06/10/2009 14:24

sorry, just realised he is up at 6 not 5. may still work for you though.

jelliebelly · 06/10/2009 14:28

I think you may just have to resign yourself to the early starts and make sure that you go to bed early too - my ds has just turned 4 and he is always up and ready to start the day sometime between 6 and 6.30 (6.30 is a good day). We have always had a rule though that nobody goes downstairs until 7am so with varying degrees of success he is encouraged to play in his room until we deem it time to get up! Having said that, he is usually in bed asleep for 7pm in the evening so we get the evenings to ourselves instead of the mornings I guess. Not so bad during the week but dh and I take it in turns to have a lie in at the weekend.

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