5.30am groundhog day. Please fix my early riser!

[mrsflux]

Ds is waking up at 5.30 or earlier every day!

we have tried limiting day time sleep, going from 3 naps to 2, trying to put him back to sleep. I am tired and stuck!

what can I do or try next?

Ps he's 10mo. Ff. Not teething or poorly. Not hungry as he'll wait till 6.30 or later for bottle.
He doesn't cry when he wakes, he's just ready for the day!!!!

What time does he go to bed? Is he waking during the night?

Bed time is 7.30.
He doesn't wake exactly but will moan a bit. I'm quite a light sleeper so hear and usually check. It's often because he's wriggled out of blankets or lost monkey.

Sorry should have made it clearer that his moaning is at night but at 5.30ish he is wide awake and ready to play.

Could try leaving him in cot for 15 mins longer each day, so when he wakes at 5:30 not going to get him up until 5:45, then next day get up at 6:00, and keep going like that until you get to a reasonable time. So he adjusts gradually over several days.

singsong - unfortunately when he's decreed it's morning that's it. he must have an audience!
even if we leave him he just clambers around in his bed till he falls and bumps his head, or throws monkey out and then wants him back.

Is his room properly dark? Black out blinds/curtains may help block out street light etc.
My son went through phases of being a very early riser. I tried various things, none of which really worked. In the end I just went to bed earlier! Dont worry, its probably just a phase that wont last forever. It is depressing though getting up so early, especially at this time of year when its so dark and dismal. You have my sympathy.

What are his naps like during the day?

rosy - his room is pretty dark, no black out blinds but thick lined curtains. trust me its no lighter in there at 5 than it is at midnight!

juney - we're tweaking his naps - going from 3 to 2. he's having about 1.5h at 9.30ish (after waking at 5.30) and again at 3.30ish. we've only been messing with naps for a little while and he has been having a cheeky 10 mins at lunch if we're in the car.

I'd give him an hour at 2.30 to be fair, but I heard somewhere that sometimes a good sleep during the day does help them sleep at night, weird I know lol

Well yesterday he had 2h in the morning and 40mins in the afternoon at 3.30. I woke him so he didn't get too much day time sleep.
He woke up at 5.05!!!!!!!

he did sleep again in our bed for nearly 1h till 6.40

He was asleep in the trolley at sainsburys by 9.30 but woke in the car park after 15 mins and wouldn't go back to sleep!

I'm hoping he will last till after lunch and then I think I'll give him as long as he likes.

Am I doing the right thing???

Of course you are, you know what your baby needs

Also it might just be a phase, next week he might start sleeping later.

This phase is too long!

He fell asleep at 2 and I woke him after 2h. He's had 2h 15 in naps today. Fingers crossed!!!

My youngest one woke up between 5 and half five for over a year!!! Nothing we did seemed to have any effect whatsoever! It was exhausting. He's two and a half now and he's starting to wake up between six and half six, (thank Goodness).

Try a short morning nap around half an hour, then a longer one in the afternoon about an hour and a half and up by 3

I could have written this when DS was the same age. It was torture. The only thing which sorted it was moving his bedtime later. We waited till daylight savings and just left him on the old time zone, bed an hour later led to sleep 2 hours longer. For ages he was 9-7 with a nap. Now we're cautiously moving back to 8.30 (he's nearly 4) so far so good. Good luck, you have my sympathy, it nearly broke me.

Agree with MummyTumble. This is what sorted it for us. Seems around this age if they get too much sleep in the AM, it leads to earlier waking the next day? We do max 30 mins in the AM (sometimes 20 mins) and then a second nap around 1 or 1:30. Wake by 3 or 3:30.

Hmmm thanks for advice!

Last night he slept from 7.30 till 6.22!! He did night moans at 2, 3 and 4 and at 4 I might have accidentally done wake to sleep- I had to move him to put monkey back as he'd lost him.

So he fell asleep at 9.40 this morning and I'm thinking of giving him max an hour. Then same or bit longer in pm.

Do I do wake to sleep tonight or see what happens?

Just wanted to say I went through the same with DD (now 3). Can't remember how long it lasted - was too tired - (also have twin DS, who used to wake a few times in the night... gaaaahhhh). BUT she was definitely better once she made it down to one nap (at about 15 months) and we restricted her daytime sleep to a total of no more than 1.5-2hrs a day (and whenever the problem started up again, we'd shave another 15 mins off her daytime sleep).
If it's any consolation, both DTs are now sleeping through to 7.30am (we even have to wake them sometimes to get them to nursery on time!). There IS light at the end of the tunnel... but it's miserable while you're in the middle of it. I remember your pain! But yes, gradually restricting daytime sleep did help - just do it slowly, so you don't run the risk of overtiredness, which can make the early rising problem even worse.

I used to play DD the tunes remotely through her baby monitor as I refused to get up to her that early! That way she still had "outside" contact but no physical presence (she was in her own room). She is 5 now so I can't remember exactly how long it took for her to stop waking but it did work.

The evil mother continues to this day - her night light is on a timer and she is not allowed to come and wake us until it has gone out - 0830 hrs on weekends and during holidays!

I'm having a similar problem. My daughter is 16 months and has been a really good sleeper for the past year. For the last 2 weeks she has started to wake up really early - it can be 4.30am and generally no later than 5am. She has one nap in the day of about 1 hour - it used to be longer but she wakes up after 40mins to 1 hour.

We've tried soothing her and putting her back in her cot but it doesn't seem to be working.

Last night we tried putting her to bed 30 mins later and she woke up at 4.50am!

I'm not sure what to do, I have a horrible feeling that I'm just going to have to ride out the phase.

And today at lunch time she refused to go into her cot!

6.09 today.

I think I messed up a but yesterday as he didn't have his afternoon sleep till nearly 4 as we'd been out for a play date. Will try harder today to get him diwn at 10 and 2.
He only did one moan in the night as he'd lost monkey and his blanket. I put them back and he settled in 10 mins!

light at the end of the tunnel!

Glad to hear things are getting better! Its a killer when there's a 5 on the clock