Support and Chat thread for parents of Early Waking Toddlers #2

[marlowsmom]

Since he had a 30 min nap at 1030 then try for another longer nap about 3.5 hours later. 

[First Time Mom]

Wow, all this time I had no idea there was a club for us moms of early risers!

So, my name's Marian and I'm mom to Milena (almost 5, wakes at 7am sharp, which I love) and Graydon (13 months, wakes at 6am on a good day).

I never really minded Gray's early wake since I don't need much sleep myself and I take advantage of the time to get things done but now that we're in October and it's dark outside, I want to sleep in until 7. He goes to bed 7:15pm sharp and takes a 2 hour nap. Sometimes he is now napping 2.5 hours and I don't want to wake him because it's my time to get stuff done in my office, but could this be the cause of early waking?

[marlowsmom]

Hi Marian,
Wendy went through this and she had to cap Finn's nap at 2 hours.   I say give it a go for 3 or 4 days and see what happens.

[dkitto]

Ok think I might just explode, I am done with these 5.30am starts now so have come and join you all.

We tend to have 2 different routines according to if I am at work or not ( my lo comes to work with me so has a later nap)

Routine 1
5.30 to 6am start
9 to 10 nap for about 2 hours
bed time 7 to7.30

Routine 2
5.30 to 6am start
12.30 nap for about 2.5 hours
bed time 7 to 7.30

She is a good sleeper at night its just these early starts 

[marlowsmom]

I know how you feel.   I've been dealing with these EWs for 2 months now.   Do you have a thread going?

[Tweakster]

I feel for all of you.  dkitto, why the early nap on routine 1?  How old is your LO?

[dkitto]

Think I will start a thread going feel this is going to be hard going. We have the early nap time just because it not so easy keeping her awake when we are home, she would sleep at that time every day is she could. She is 17months x x

[marlowsmom]

Is there a quiet place she could possibly sleep at your work?   Maybe an a pack-n-play with a white noise machine in the room?

[dkitto]

She can sleep at work in her pushchair, but I work at the pre school so its very loud and she only has about 40mins that way so I try and last her out to get her bed. Thanks x

[Brock~Tahlia~Mummy]

Hi Girls,  I also didn't realise this thread existed!
My DS was sleeping until 6.50-7.15am and now wakes anywhere from 5.15 to 5.45!!!! I've had the occasional 6-6.20am wake up but it never lasts. I'm yet to figure out WHY?
 This started when his first molars cut through and B started taking steps (walking) on his own. This was at 13 mos he is now 15mos and still EW...
He doesn't cry in his cot, infact he happily chats and plays for up to 30 mins. So I keep his day the same give or take 30 minutes. Lately he's been kind of whinging and mantra crying like he may go back to sleep and there is 5 mins or so of silence?
Example routine~
Awake 5.30 I get him up at 6am for the day
sleep 11.30/12 - 1.45/2.15 (i wake him at 2 hours) sometimes he wakes after 1 1/2 hour nap
Bed time 6.45/7pm usually asleep by 7pm

it makes no difference what I do to his routine, even if Im consistant with it for 1 week at a time, I've tried earlier BT, I've tried later BT, I've tried 1 1/2 hour day nap to 2 1/2 hour day nap and no results.

Hugs to all! I hope this goes away sooner rather than later!
 

[marlowsmom]

Brocks Mommy - Welcome to the club.  I hope it gets sorted out soon enough.  Marlow woke me at 450am.   We have DST coming up soon and I'm not looking forward to it. 

[Brock~Tahlia~Mummy]

Hey Sharon, thankyou 

We had our first "sleep in" today... I woke him at 6.45- crazy I know! I was just worried if he slept much longer it would wreck his lunchtime nap plus he had swim class on and he needs to have an early breakfast.
I think EWs send u a bit crackers after a while!

Now yesterday we had an early family roast dinner. Dinner was served at 4.30pm an hour before DSs normal dinner time so he refused it. We got home at 6.45pm I made him a healthy toasted S/W he ate all of it and ended up actually a sleep by 7.35pm by the time he finished his food and had a bath. Now I don't get that one? I think he would have slept much longer as when I went to get him up he was OUT! Bum in the air hugging his blankets, I turned on the light, open the windows and curtains put on his music, said 'it's time to wake up' gentley nudged him and nothing! Straaaaaange by then it was nearly 7am and I just persisted and he woke. Obviously he was in the middle of a sleep cycle but why the sleep in? No sounds, no nothing at 5 or 5.30 at all! Was he really worn out from the family' do' or was it the later dinner? Or the later BT? I've tried a 7.30pm BT a few weeks ago and nada?
Any way I'm tempted to give him a later dinner again tonight!  lol

[marlowsmom]

Do it!!   I always feed dinner as close to bedtime as possible.   I keep baths to a minimum.    Marlow has her dinner 1.5 hours before bedtime.   I give her one hour to eat (slooooow eater), she gets in her bath 30 min before bed but only stays in the bath for all of 5 min, then pajamas, books, milk and bed on time.     She loves her bath and, if I have time, I start the entire process about 15 min earlier so she can have additional time in the bath.   I just had this conversation with my SIL yesterday.   

[essexlemon]

Anyone else worried about what will happen when the clocks change?  I really don't want our 5am wake up to turn into a 4am!!

Hubby is keen to try to push him forward an hour ready for the change (and then another hour after the time change so he can play with him in the evening after work) but this seems to throw naps and poo schedule right out of the window and his sleep is all over the place (we've been trying to edge forward about 10 to 15 minutes at a time to make it gentle).

I'm thinking that I will just keep him as he is and hope that he adjusts himself.  I'm certain that he must have his own 'markers' for morning time that don't include light as when the clocks changed last time and it was darker in the morning he STILL kept waking at 5

[Tweakster]

Yeah we have never had luck doing anything about it, moving things out for us just mean shorter nights.  Even with lights on a timer now he still wakes early - was up before 5:45 this morning, not sure what time he woke but that's when I heard him.  We have given up hope really.  And the clocks change, well that is just par for the course.  He's kind of on his own with it really.  We really have to let him take more of the responsibility because he has all the skills now for independent sleeping and although we maximize his sleep as much as possible and plan life around it, we have stopped driving ourselves crazy over it.  For this week anyway lol