Almost 4yo waking early

[lolsyb1982]

DD1 has always been on the lower end of sleep needs. Bedtime is 7.30 and has been for ages now.
What I struggle with is that her ONS needs seem to vary constantly. She will wake for a few weeks at 6-6.30 like she was doing last week and then in a blink of an eye she's waking between 5-5.30.

Should I just remain constant with 7.30 bedtime or push it later? She never falls back to sleep and even though she has a gro clock unless I was to sit in her room on the floor she would keep getting up. If I turned on her light she wouldn't just sit and look at books and would end up wandering around waking her little sister up (who I've only just got past the EW phase).

I am sure my kids conspire against me and take it in turns to wake early. I can't remember when they last both slept until 6 on the same day.

[Scottishmummy]

Big hugs, Lauren.  EWs are exhausting, especially when 2 LOs are tag teaming them! Do they wake each other? I know mine do.

As you know, my DS is very close in age to your DD and we recently gave up with the Gro-clock. Same as you, he ignored it and got up anyway if he woke before the sun, then on days he might have slept later, the light coming on woke him up and he would be grumpy. So we know don't use it and his wus range from 6-7.

I have kept BT consistent regardless at 7.15 to be asleep by 7.30, but if we were getting 5am wus I might go tempted to try later.  I recently (in the summer) moved BT from 7 as DS started messing around loads at BT and taking ages to fall asleep. If your DD's BT has been the same for ages, maybe she is ready for a change too?

You could experiment for a week or 2 and see what happens? You could always move it back if you feel she's getting OT.  Is your DD at pre-school yet? I find that has made a big difference in tiring DS out.

[lolsyb1982]

If I don't intervene with one of them as soon as I hear them wake they will disturb the other one which often means I'm out of bed way before I'd like to be.

She goes to pre school 2 full days a week. I will give a later BT a shot although I'm reluctant to give up more of my evening but at least it would give DH a bit more time with her when he gets home.

[Scottishmummy]

I feel the same about my precious evening time.

How long has she been EW? Could it be a phase you could ride out? Does it link to you going back to work/change in childcare? I.e. Possible OT?

[lolsyb1982]

It feels like every few weeks the EW come back and then after a few days/week she goes back to sleeping later. Seems like she regulates her own sleep needs but just a pain for me!

[creations]

I hate 5am.
If it was me I'd move BT later so that when she regulates and gets the earlier wake up time it's more like 6-6.30 rather than 5-5.30. I'm assuming it's okay for her to wake later on the days/weeks she does the longer night.
I think it's just one of those things where you have to choose which is more important, the evening Y time or the morning sleep time. For me it would be the morning sleep.
I've moved DS's BT a few times. He is very good with his timer lights but if he starts waking too early I can hear him tossing and turning, huffing and puffing with frustration and waiting for his light to come on so I've moved BT 30 mins later so he doesn't have to wait so long. After a while he starts looks tired so I suggest an earlier BT and he generally says yes and we move it a bit earlier again.  I think for mine there are reasons for the changes such as in summer the light breaks through his black out until I get around to tin foiling the windows (which really does block it out which his black out curtains and blinds fail to do), then there's his birthday and half birthday, school terms etc.  I also make extra effort to offer more physical activity if/when he is waking earlier and that seems to help.

[lolsyb1982]

Yep you're right. Went a bit later tonight to 7.45 as wu was 5.10 this morning. Not what was needed after a long NW with the baby.