Support and Chat thread for moms of early waking toddlers

[rinajack]

I agree Stacy!

Just wanted to add though, deb you said he had a fever at that wakeup? Does it come and go or does he still have it?  Any chance he has an ear infection? Zara ALWAYS does early wakes on an ear infection, and usually has a fever...

[Miche]

Am marking my place ~ will come back later - I have an early riser too!  

[knackered]

Can I join? My 22 mth old DS has been a 5.30 waker for at least a year now. What's so frustrating is that for about 3 months in the summer he was sleeping till 7 sometimes even later - sleeping sometimes for 12+ hours - something he's never in his life done before. We were in a really good routine, then I spent a week at my mum's during which he went to waking at 6.15 and we've not been able to get back to 7 again. The daylight saving royally screwed us up and we're all over the place now. The last few mornings he's woken at 5.15 - yesterday and the day before he went back to sleep for an hour but this morning he was up and ready for the day saying over and over 'mummy, mummy, pick Luca, big hug'.

He went down for his nap just after 11 today with some grumbling but not too bad and these days he wakes himself up around 1.75 hours. Yesterday he woke at the dreaded hour and 15 mins but I persuaded him to go back to sleep. I wouldn't let him sleep longer than 2 hours.

I never have any probs getting him to go to sleep in the evening - he's been in bed at 7pm the last few nights and this seems to be his favourite time for sleeping. But 5.15 is just too early for me - I'm nearly 7 months pregnant and I'm at home with him all day so I'm knackered - even if I'm in bed at 9.30pm which I usually am these days.

The fact that it's always 5.15 - almost to the second - makes me think he's got in to a habit he can't break. Has anyone tried w2s with success for early waking toddlers?

Here's to more sleep!
Anna x

[debo620]

Hi Stacy, thanks so much for your thoughts, Noah is miserable and getting worse!

last night he was OT, woke at 2am and stayed awake til 4am, with lots of crying and resettling needed. then slept til 6:15/6:30. Mike tried for a nap at 11:30---but he woke after 1hr15min., so up at 12:45 blah!

I'm just trying for a catnap at 5pm but so far no go, and he'll have to be back there before 6pm again.

I think I am just going to try to have to ride this out and pray that he sleeps tonight as needed, even if he's up at 5:30---then atleast he's had 11hrs which would really help at this point.

hes tired all day so its so hard to know what is the "right" thing to do.
have to go rescue my now crying toddler!

[debo620]

so he was in bed just before 6pm, but really cried when I left. I'm not sure if this hes mad to be put to bed because we have been fighting sleep so much lately (keeping him in his crib til 6:30, trying for catnaps etc.).

anyway, I'm really doing the best I can and I have to just take each day as it comes and go to bed early. luckily I'm not working anymore this week.

[rinajack]

if it were me deb I would get the once over from the doc.  When Zara has ear infections she is tired and cranky, cries alot at bedtimes etc (they hurt more when they lay down) and has bad NW.  I have only been wrong with Zara once, but I always like Dr to check, just to be sure that I am fighting a healthy kid for enough sleep iykwim, not a sick one.  That is just me.....

[debo620]

well asleep by 6:30pm and again awake at 4am!
9.5hrs---just isn't enough after a 2 hr NW previous night and a crap short nap yesterday. I think that most of this is just OT getting worse and worse.

I mostly jut tried to talk to him from his door and then went in and layed on his floor at 5:30 when he was becoming hysterical. I think he went back to sleep for 10min---he was snoring-at 6:30, but then woke crying and that was it, I gave up at that point.

I am wondering if this am 4am thing is like a habitual waking that I could try w2sleep for?
I am going to try for a 10min nap at 9:30--just so that he will take a good nap without being oT for it at 11:30/12. don't know what else to do.

I should go to my DR. but I don't like her, she is 30mins away and to be honest she is not very understanding and I know would be a b**** when I tried to explain what was happening. mmaybe she is on holidays and there would be a different DR covering her, that would be good.

Stacy, I think that routine you layed out looks like a good one, but we are so far from a 10.5hr night or a 6am wake--and I don't now how to get there...

[debo620]

yah I'll consider the DR if I really thought he was truelly sick---something to consider I guess.

4am does seem to be a bit of a habitual time, its been that every day except the night he woke at 2am and stayed awake until 4am, just seems like maybe its the old OT 5am to him.

see I think Kaleb maybe did cry out from teeth but difference is he is probably well rested enough overall to not fully wakeup and/or struggle to get back to sleep, Noah is NOT well rested overall and sruggling with all sleep.

its 9:30 and he's not too grumpy-so I'm not sure if he'll sleep this am anyhow.

[debo620]

well he refused to nap at 9:30am
but was getting tired and crying by 10:20, so I tried then--a litle late in the day for a catnap and a little early for a main nap.aaargh! 10:35 and I think he is asleep after some fussing and crying!
now I don't know if I should just let him sleep for however long he wants or should I wake him in 10min and lay him down again at 12:30???
I think I'll wake him and then long nap at 12:30/12:45--for however long---maybe 1.5hrs?
bed at 7
 I don't think we can be much more messed up anyhow,

[debo620]

couldn't wake him, I tried---usually just the door opening wakes him, I walked through his room, rubbed his back but he is fast asleep, so thats that, 

[debo620]

awake after 1hr15min, so up at 11:50---now I am in a real pickle, guess I'll try for another catnap at 5pm.

[rinajack]

Hey knackered, of course you can join in LOL.

I have never had a habitual wakeup time here, so am not sure about doing W2S - maybe one of the others will know.

Deb - sorry that it is getting worse.

Zara is going great.  Most days waking at approx 5:30am.  Sometimes sleeping through, sometimes not, but the wakes are very short, and at totally random times.  I think they are currently mostly about wanting to see if daddy is still here, occasionally about a lost dummy or the like.  And once she woke SCREAMING and when we went in she was half on half off her bed - she knows how to get both on and off with no hassle, so my guess is she fell asleep in that position and freaked out when she woke there roflmao!  

For her naps we have given up control completely, and just offer quiet time in front of the TV.  She is starting to ask for it too.  The nap times and lengths are at her discretion, and we are not fighting her for sleep anymore either morning or night, so all in all, so far still a success!

[rinajack]

Good point Stacey, we had a bout of really early wakings in our winter (which is very mild).  Put an extra layer on Zara for nights and it stopped (had to be clohting won't keep bedcovers on)

[debo620]

well we went shopping and then I went driving! drove for 1/2hr and he fell asleep 4:20 til I woke him 20/25mins later. so we will see how he does on that and put him down at 7pm

[debo620]

lol on the cup Stacy, Noah is forever chewing on everything. he also seems to cry sometimes right in the middle of eating anything with a little harder texture, so his gums must be sore.

shopping wasn't too bad really fo me, I bought Noah some Christmas gifts while he played with the THomas Train set-up ,and then he actually sat in his stroller at the mall!  he must have been tired. plus I went shopping with my mom which helped.

so he played and laughed and fell asleep at 7:30
and then I was awoken at 3:45 to some more playing and laughing! he started crying about 4:15, gave him water and advil and then I was back in there once more after that and he was asleep again by 5am
woke this morning just before 7
10hrs, not great but better.

at least we can do one nap today at a normal time and bed at a normal time.

have a good day!