17 Month Old Early WU

[FrankiesMom12]

Hi All - my dd is 17 months old, and we're struggling with a very early morning wu.  Like clockwork when it's 5, she wakes up screaming.  She generally only takes 1 nap (for about 2 hours) a day, but due to her older brother's preschool schedule that can be problematic.  Her schedule is as follows:

MON, FRI, SAT, SUN (non-preschool days)
5:00 - WU
12:00 - 2:00 - nap
6:45 - Bed

TUES, WED, THUR
5:00 - WU
12:15 - 5-10 minute nap in car
1:30 - 2:30 - Nap
6:45 - Bed

The problem is on days where my son has preschook it is literally impossible to keep her awake in the car, which messes up her nap.  If I were to go out on non-school days chances are she'd fall asleep in the car then, too.
 

[ginger428]

Hi there,

How long has she been waking at 5? What do you do when she wakes and starts screaming... and until 6ish?

Do you transfer her to her bed when she falls asleep in the car or what happens between 12:30-1:30?

[FrankiesMom12]

Hi!  Thanks for your response.

She's been waking at 5 for probably about a month, although it is something that has gotten progressively worse.  I'm not kidding though when I say it's like clockwork.  The moment my clock turns 5, she wakes up.

If the screaming settles into off and on fussing I try to keep her in her bed until at least 5:30.  If she's screaming I go into her and just get her up.  Her older brother has been ill, and I'm anxious she might wake him up.  She does have books and a few stuffed animals in her crib to play with when she falls asleep/wakes up.

Regarding what happens between 12:30 - 1:30; She wakes up when I get her out of her carseat to drop her brother off at school, and then she manages to stay awake for the car ride home. She traditionally does not do well with a super fast transition to bed after coming in from the car, so I wait until 1:15 to begin her naptime routine.

Thanks,
Jen

[ginger428]

Hi Jen,
Thanks for the details!

Here is my theory... I think that her early nap is keeping her from shifting her morning wake up time, and her early bedtime is keeping her from shifting her whole day. What was her wake up time before the 5am madness?

I'm not sure what made her wake at 5am in the first place, but it may have become a habit, especially if you took her out of bed before 6.  I completely understand why you do that and I would too! Generally speaking, any light exposure with eyes open before 6 can potentially reset wake ups. Other than that, the other reasons toddlers wake that early is due to development (that usually subsides in a few weeks unless it's a big regression) or disruption such as discomfort, loud noise, being cold between the 4-6 o'clock hours.

To rule out development- think about any major behavior changes. Talking. Physical dev't like running better or jumping. Clinginess. Tantrums, etc...
For teething- red gums, rosy cheeks, gnawing, finger biting, etc... I don't think she's truly in discomfort if she's not waking at other times in the night or giving you problems at naptime.

If it is her routine, I would do this for 3-4 days-
WU 5:00
NAP 12:15/1:30 on school days with 10min CN at 12:30
BT 7:00

Then this for another 3 days-
WU ?
NAP 12:30/1:30 school days
BT 7:15

Then this for the next 3 days-
WU?
NAP 12:45/1:30 on school days
BT 7:30

And ultimately this-
WU 6:00-6:30 hopefully!
NAP 12:45 or 1:00 (where she can stay awake in the car until drop off)
BT 7:30

I realize 7:30 might not be your ideal bedtime but this *may* be what she needs for the time being to stretch out that morning wake up.

What do you think?

[FrankiesMom12]

Hi Ginger - thanks for your response.  My notifications aren't working, so I am just seeing this now.  I will start trying this today!  Before the 5 am stuff she was generally waking up at 6 - 6:30, which I'm generally fine with.

[ginger428]

No worries! Let us know how it goes on. =)

[PineapplePrincess]

I'm having similar issues with my daughter who is around the same age. How did shifting her bedtime and nap time work? We had been getting wake ups around 5:30/5:45 and nap was 12:30-2:45. She would fall asleep at 7:30/7:45. I shifted her nap to 12:45/1:00 which helped for a few days but now we are getting mucking at bedtime and she is falling asleep past 7:45 sometimes. She is low sleep needs though, so I think her sleep needs have dropped to 12.25-12.5 total sleep.

How long before targeted bedtime do you put down? 15 or 30 minutes?