solutions for early riser?

[rain 1234]

My 3 year old son has ALWAYS been an early riser, it's not a temporary thing. He wakes between 5-5:30am. He's asleep at 8:30pm so he only  gets 9 hours of sleep a night. I have tried everything so basically i just want to know what sleep remedies you guys use---herbs, teas, alarm clock tricks etc.  Please, we are desperate for any help.

Thank you!

[jessica and emilys mummy]

I know this might sound stupid,but have you tried putting him to bed before 7.30pm
My 4 year old has always been an early riser,come to think of it,so is Emily.
The later they go to bed,the earlier they get up.

I would suggest between 7-7.30pm

Also if you give him a bath before bed,then try doing it in the morning,it really wakes my two up.

Hope that helps.If not,post your routine and we'll have a look to see what else I can come up with.

[sacmommy]

I agree. Both my kids are early risers. However, my 4-yr-old is finally sleeping til 6:30 or 7:30 am (if my dd doesn't wake him ~ I've been at Starbucks many mornings before 6 this last week to get her out of the house!) Both my kids go to sleep by 7:30, so at least I know they're getting enough hours at night. I've read several times that earlier bed times actually help them sleep longer into the morning.

Also, I got my son a digital clock for Christmas. That way he can read the numbers and know he can't get up before a certain time. Once yours is good at numbers, you might try that as well.

[mattandcindy]

I have a friend who does the same alarm clock trick.
She covers up the minutes with a post it note and told her son he was not allowed to get out of bed until the hour number read 7. It has worked like a charm for her. He comes in her room EVERY morning at 7:01am 

[rain 1234]

Thanks everyone. We have already tired all these things and they don't work longer than a day or two.  I'm eager to hear from people who have always had an early riser and what became of it.  I feel like it is hopeless and nothing will ever be able to change this. WEe did go to a sleep speicalists a year ago and the doctor said it's just his internal clcock and we can;t change it but i refuse to belive this, there must be a solution.  Please, any ideas will help, we habve a newborn so it just got a 100 times harder!

[sacmommy]

Have you tried putting him down earlier, like closer to 7? With my 4-yr-old son, who was ALWAYS an early riser, we always put him to bed at 8 when he was a baby through til he stopped naps. Well, when he stopped napping (totally by 3), we started putting him down at 7 for the night, and once he got used to the new schedule he started sleeping a bit later in the morning. Still always an early riser, but now, like I said before, is most likely to sleep to somewhere between 6:30 and 7:30 (usually up before 7). I really think the earlier bedtime is key. With my younger child, we always put her to bed much ealier, as I realized we were putting my first child to bed too late when he was a baby.