Night wakings and early wakings for 3 year old!!!!

[J & J's Mum]

Hi,

He was going to bed around 6.30-6.45.

I desperately tried to get him to have a nap yesterday after lunch, but no chance.  He goes to pre-school at 1.15 until 2.45, so we had an earlier lunch and I tried to get him to have a nap after that, but no!! He just didn't seem tired.  He had dinner at the table at 5pm (or just a bit before) and he was nodding off while he was waiting for it.  He was fine when his dinner came to the table, I bathed him and then he went to bed at 6.45.  He woke at 6.15 this morning.....yey!!  But, he did wake 4 times in the night.  Twice, he was calling out in his sleep, so he didn't actually wake, but the other times, I just said to lie down and he rolled over and went to sleep. So, I'm not sure if he's waking up from dreams?

Anyway, he (and me!) have woken up a different child today, he's lovely!!!! 

We're going out with some friends tonight (early) for a curry, so he's going to have a later night tonight.  We'll probably be back for 8.30, so I plan to pick him up from play school and drive until he drops off, so he at least has a nap today!!

I know that you probably still think a 6.45 bedtime is too late, but he was really happy last night before he went to bed, he didn't look tired at all.  He was driving around on his car, when I took him to bed I read him 3 stories and he was still awake (not like the previous night, he didn't manage to stay awake through one!) and then he rolled over and said night night and cuddled up to his lion, but his eyes were still open.  I didn't hear a peep from him until 1.00am.

I'm so confused!!   I soooooo enjoyed being woken at 6am though!!!!!!!  If only he would stick to it!!

Rachel xx

[Layla]

I know with my dd, 6:45 would be too late... but thats my child and with us anything later than 6:15ish pm means early wake ups the next morning.

Hope he takes a nap in the car so that you can enjoy yourselves tonight

Let us know how the night goes...

[Lissybits]

Glad you had a better night Rachel and feel a bit more rested today.
I Hope too that he has a nap today so you can stay out a bit later.
Enjoy your curry! Mmmmmmmmmm can you order something for me?!
Lis
xx

[J & J's Mum]

Morning!!

Well, I picked him up from play school, we went for something to eat and then I drove a little and he fell asleep in the car.  He had about 45 minutes.  We went out for a delicious curry at 6.30 and he was really good.  I was dreading it!! I had a bag of toys just in case.  We were back home at just after 8.30, so we got him in his pyjamas and he went up to bed at 9.15 (I was trying to wind him down a bit).  He's woken quite a few times in the night.  I've been in to him about 5 times.  He's been coughing and it sounds as though he has a sore throat!!!!  So I've now got a cold ahead of me!!  When does it end???!!!!!!  So, I know that means night wakings!  He woke up at 6.10am

We are going out this morning, so he should fall asleep in the car.  I just hope he catches up with his sleep!

What time should I put him to bed tonight?

Rachel xx

[Lissybits]

Early!! To make up for last night's late night and the NWs. I'm a firm believer in early BTs to combat OT!
Let's hope the cough doesn't turn into anything!

Have a nice day!
Lis
xx

[J & J's Mum]

Hi Lis and Stacy,

I'll definately have him in bed early tonight.

I'll have a think about the lights.  I knew that the rabbit clock wouldn't work! But my Mum was adament that it would!! They know best, don't they!!!!

Watch this space!!!

Rachel x

[J & J's Mum]

How does it work then?  I'm really confused.

I would of thought that a later bedtime would mean a later wake.  It does with us doesn't it?!

Rach x

[Layla]

A later bedtime (and adding 10-15mins every couple of days) only leads to later wake up time with us when my dd is well rested. If she's already overtired then later bedtime only means earlier wake up

[J & J's Mum]

Hi,

Well, we went to the shopping centre yesterday morning and he was really good and had a nap in the car of about 15 minutes.  He was outside for a few hours in the afternoon helping his Dad mow the lawn and wash the cars.  We had dinner at 5pm and he went up to bed at 6.15.  He looked wide awake though and not ready for bed, but we took him up anyway.  He had a few stories and his Dad left him at 6.30 and he went off to sleep.

He's woken a few times in the night with his cough and cold, but gone back to sleep easily.  I woke up at 6.10am and couldn't believe that he hadn't woken up.  Then I thought "the rabbit alarm is set!!!!!!"  So I snook in and turned it off, just in case he would sleep past it!!  And he did!!  I really couldn't believe it.  He wandered into our room at 8.05am      He's in a very happy mood as well....so am I!!!!!

What should I do now?  Do I put him to bed a little later?

Rachel x

[Layla]

Wow - that is increddible!!! I love it when that happens to me.... although it doesn't really happen that often here

If it were me, I would probably not push bedtime too much and put him down around 6:30pm again so that he's asleep by around 6:45-7pm the latest.

[J & J's Mum]

Hi,

Jacob didn't have a nap yesterday, so he went to bed between 6.30-6.45 and was asleep by 7.  He's got a cold and a cough, so was coughing a lot in the night, but he always settled.  Anyway, he was realy coughing at 5.35, so I went in to see if he was ok and he saw the daylight from outside coming through from the landing window, so he thought it was time to get up and I couldn't settle him, so maybe if I'd left him, he would of slept a bit more.....I just hate ignoring him when he's coughing.

Apart from his cold and cough though, he seems happy this morning.

What time should he go to bed tonight?  I'm going to try and see if he'll have a nap this afternoon.

I knew an 8am start yesterday was too good to be true!!!

Rachel x

[Layla]

No, I wouldn't have been able to ignore a coughing child either... so you did the right thing!!! Bedtime, I would do to be hopefully asleep by around 6.30pm.

The 8am was probably him catching up on sleep.

Good luck with the nap. I might take a drive myself this weekend with Isabella in the car... hoping she'll fall for it and take a little snooze

[J & J's Mum]

He has blackout blinds in his room and curtains,  it was the light coming through the window on the landing, which unfortunately doesn't have a curtain or curtain rail. 

I'll try and stay out of his room in the morning to see if he actually gets up a bit later.  I think it was me going in to him this morning because he was coughing........fingers and everything crossed!!!!!

[Melsy]

Jacob's mum - Was thinking about you (at 5am this morning when I woken up by my 3.5 year old  ) and was wondering how you are getting on??

Is he over his cold now?? 

Hope your getting more sleep than I am right now!!!   

Melissa

[Layla]

Oh Melissa.... there must be something going on with our toddlers all at once! Isabella woke today at 5am on the dot as well. So strange cause its not been that early for a while. The only thing I can think of is the damn molars. Still not a molar in sight.. so we have all 4 to break through yet