Gro-clock/lights on timer: success stories and support here! #2

[creations]

I'd really like morning WU to be 7am, I just couldn't set the lights for 7 though because he was waking at 5am sometimes 4.30am and I just couldn't see a way to get us through such a long time.  I've done holding him and sitting by his cot from 4.30/5.00 to 6am several days, and when WU was a bit later I even managed to keep him in his room until 7am (he started sleeping until almost 7 each day but then he was ill and it all went so off again).  But I know if I try that again I have to be prepared to sit with him and pick him up to comfort him and keep him company until the lights come on and atm I cannot do it because of this problem with my wrists.

I hope DS starts to fall back to sleep too.

[anna*]

Creations, with Stan I first set the clock to a time that was still insanely early but only about 10-15 mins after a usual wake up. Once he had stayed quiet until the 'sunshine' just 2-3 times in a row, I pretty quickly started moving it later, 10 mins every 3 nights, until it was at 7am. I didn't let it 'sit' at 6 am for a while before moving it.

[creations]

Thanks anna.
OK, I'm going to see how the next couple of mornings go then and maybe move it on much sooner than I thought...ooh I dare not get my hopes up too much!

[cath~]

Hi all,
Haven't posted in this thread before but we've been using the Gro-clock for a couple of months or so now and we're really pleased with the results.
I was just wondering if anyone has tried a later WU time (e.g. 15 mins) on weekends and, if so, whether it's worked?
I was thinking of doing 15 mins later on weekends. Any thoughts?

[*Becky*]

yes we have done this and it worked
I have stopped now as the baby wakes us anyway but def worth a shot.

[cath~]

Great.  Thanks Becky.  Will give it a go on Saturday.  I am looking forward to my "lie-in" til 6.35 am already

[creations]

I am looking forward to my "lie-in" til 6.35 am

lol If I were you I'd set my own alarm for 15 mins earlier so that I would be conscious and AWARE of the lie in so I could fully appreciate and enjoy it

We are having some success here.
I have to leave books in his bed every night though.  I hear him (adjoining room with no door so almost one room) at 4 or 5am reading.  He says the words of the pictures he recognizes and I hear the pages being turned.  At some point I think he gives up reading in the dark and goes back to sleep.  He wakes at 6.10 or 6.25 and lights are coming on at 6.30am.  A vast improvement from the 5am WUs.

[*Ali*]

Yes we do 7am in the week and 7.45 at the weekend but I think we can get away with it because during the week he only wakes so early because DH disturbs him getting up for work and I don't have help to insist he goes back to sleep. At the weekend DH can stand at his door if he wakes at 5.50 (like this morning, Grr) until he relaxes enough to go back to sleep. This morning and more often than not during the week he wakes up and then sings or calls from the gate at his door which wakes Colby and then I have to try to settle both of them if DH is already gone or in the shower and cadan doesn't allow me to leave him if he can hear Colby crying because cadan has woken him. This morning cadan stood at the door (with intermittent visits from DH and then me) whining "sun not coming up" so that pretty much ruined everyone's chances of getting back to sleep.
The most annoying thing though is when the sun went on and I let him get up he insisted he wanted to stay in his room drawing which he could have done while he waited for the sun to come up and then Colby and I could have gone back to sleep

[barbaraz78]

We have 8 during the week and 8.30 in the weekends, and it usually works. F wakes up at 7.30-8 most of the times anyway, but he can wait for the sun for 1 h. The problem is that I often hear him and I wake up and can't go back to sleep most of the times, but this is my problem

[cath~]

Yes, if DH and I are still in bed then L often wakes up after her sun during the week.  Pretty much as soon as one of us goes to shower though (or even creeps downstairs - we have creaky stairs), L wakes up.  Or sometimes DH's alarm (set to same time as her sun) wakes her up.  So I think she should be ok to have a lie-in on the weekend occasionally  

The most annoying thing though is when the sun went on and I let him get up he insisted he wanted to stay in his room drawing which he could have done while he waited for the sun to come up and then Colby and I could have gone back to sleep

Argh!  That would drive me nuts!

[creations]

I'm moving the timer the wrong direction!

So, this morning he woke up at about 5.50 and moaned SO much.  I thought we weren't going to get through to the 6.30 lights, I kept telling him to have a relax or read his books (I know he had already read them once, I heard him) and he quieted briefly a few times but in the end I had to go and sit in his room telling him it is still night time.  He really wanted to get up. Then when the lights came on, sudden interest in the books!!
I've taken the timer back to 6.15 as sitting by his cot for any length of time just drains me, I was willing the lights to come on early today!

[cath~]

That's tough creations.
I don't know what your days look like, but have you been changing his BT/nap time/length at all to compensate as his WU moves later?
Do you think he's just not tired enough to go back to sleep? Or do you think he just needs the extra sleep in the morning on top of what he was getting before?
With L, as I moved her WU later with the gro-clock I had to cap her nap a bit to keep same BT and the new longer nights. It was a bit trial and error but we seem to have stabilised a bit now (for the last week or so anyway).

[creations]

Thanks for your thoughts Catherine. Really appreciated.
Yes, I do believe he needs the extra sleep on top of what he was getting before because he was OT, nights were down to 9hrs some nights and regularly 10hrs or under.
Prior to getting off track due to illness, teething and an unsuccessful reflux meds reduction his WU was 7am.  All the illness/pain caused EW but then I think eventually the EWs became due to OT and he could just never catch up on short nights.

I have moved his nap 15 min later and capped it at 1hr 45 recently and BT has stayed the same.  The nap moved on a day he went back to sleep and got more than he had had in a while.  The nap appears to be working ok.  BT has stayed the same and he is certainly ready for it, 7pm.
I know many at this age don't do more than 11hr nights, if we could get a regular WU time and he looked well rested I'd accept that he only needs 11hrs but so far he's showing that if he can get back to sleep he would like a longer night.

[kimmbba]

I have a 2.5 year old who was "obeying" the clock and not getting out of his bed between 6-6:30 (clock was set to 7, I moved it back to 6:45 to see if I could get him to stay in a while longer)
His day looks like this:
6:45 "wake up"
2 nap
8pm BT
We've been on this schedule for about 9 months.  When he gets up early in the morning he seems very awake.  We've had him in bed at 9 one night recently as we were caught out late for dinner and he still wakes up at 6-6:30.  He WAS tired that day however.
Any ideas?  He's in a BBB so he can get out as many times as I'm willing to put him back!  I've tried to stick to the motto that he needs to stay in bed until the clock turns yellow for a couple of weeks, but I'm not really getting anywhere it seems.
I haven't tried capping his nap because I need to sleep too   But have started to realize that might be my only option.

[cath~]

Kimmbba - sounds like capping nap might be worth a try. Just 15 mins less might do the trick. You might have to stick with it for few days though before WU moves as he might wake at usual time out of habit for a bit.