what do you actually do when your child wakes up early?

[Alison_3]

I have received wonderful advice from many of you about what do differently at night to get my 14.5 month old to sleep later than 4:15 a.m.   Until we actually see a change, what do you do in the morning?

This morning he woke up at 4:15 so I grabbed the pillow and blanket that I have under his crib :oops:  and pretended to be asleep.  He just kept crying and saying down (downstairs).  Then around 4:45, he needed a clean diaper.  So I quickly changed him without saying anything and put him back in his crib.  He still cried and around 5:05 we went downstairs and started the day.  Should I keep him in his room longer?  I just don't know what to do anymore...

I think he's working on his bottom molars so I did give him Motrin before bed last night and I put orajel on his gums this morning at 4:15. 

Thanks!!

[elfin]

We have also struggled with some very early mornings off and on.  When he wakes early I go to him and pick him up if he wants, and tell him it is still night time and time to go to sleep.  He will continue to ask to go downstairs, or for milk, or daddy, etc..  I continue to tell him no, and that it is time to go to sleep, until he eventually goes back into his crib.  Some days he does go back to sleep, and others I have to go back in again, but we do not leave his room until 6 at the earliest.

I think you are doing the right thing in not leaving the room.  I think if you leave their room with them that early it just reinforces it.

[Luisasmum]

DD sometimes wakes up pretty early and most times she'll go back to sleep after a big bottle of milk but if I forgot to close the curtains before she went to bed she's awake and wants to play. My fault! I just play quietly with her in her room if I can't convince her to go back to sleep and she usually rubs her eyes after about an hour and goes back to sleep without a peep - and so do I!

It's probably not the right thing to do but it works for me. I'l probably pay for it later though!

[Johno & Aurelias Mum]

I do what Carrie does.  The day doesn't start til 6 at the earliest.  So until then, its the middle of the night, I tell him that and leave. 

A later nap solved most of our early waking problems.  Because of the early wake time, naps were getting earlier and earlier and just feeding the problem.  So we just worked on extending awake time in the morning and over a few days that sorted it.

However, it is DS's 'weakness' if you like, when there's a problem with something, he wakes early.

[Alison_3]

Okay so I should pick a time in my mind and not let ds out of the room until that time?  What if he is crying hard like he did this morning?  Will letting him play quietly in his room work?  I'm sure he'll just stand at the door saying, well probably shouting down (downstairs). 

I just can't keep starting my day at 4:15!!  He doesn't drink a lot of milk...another issue, but should I offer him a little drink of water?  will that start a bad habit?  I thought maybe he was hungry, but when we went downstairs, he wasn't interested in eating.  Who wants to eat breakfast at 5:00?!

thanks for your replies!

[elfin]

I always offer water as well, as sometimes he is thirsty, and he often wakes once through the night for a drink of water.  Does he still scream even if you are holding him?  Myles has screamed as well even when I am holding him, but once he realizes that his screams are falling on deaf ears, he gives up pretty quickly.  You may just have to deal with a couple of rough mornings until he gets it.  If you think he waking out of hunger, maybe try giving him a snack before bed.  We give Myles a cereal biscuit before bed, just so we know that he is going to bed full.

[Alison_3]

I don't know if he'll ever go back to bed in the morning!  This morning he woke up at 5:15 and I was all happy.  How ridiculous is that?  The problem we've had earlier this week is that he would wake up and have a messy diaper.  I tried to quickly and quietly change him, but he was more than ready to get out of his room. 

This is so exhausting!!!  For those of you with early risers, what time is your son's/daughter's nap?

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

I try to follow the schedule they do in daycare with her during the week and it seems to work ok.  Morning nap is around 9 (often closer to 8:30) and lasts from 30 min to an hour most days.  Second naps is around 12:30 or 1 pm, depending on how long her first nap was and how fussy she is.  It usually lasts 1.25 to 2 hrs (daycare gets the 2 hrs, we get the shorter naps on the weekend! :roll: ).  I try to get her to bed around 7.

[jessica and emilys mummy]

Emily gets tired around 9.30am,sometimes she'll sleep for an hour in the pushchair thaking Jess to school.Other times she'll fight it until about 1ish.
If she really fights it the I take her out in the car :oops: about 2ish and she sleep for 1.5hrs.

I did a little experiment yesterday and put her to bed at 6.35pm (she normally goes at 6.15pm) she was up during the night and again at 5.30am and was ratty all day.
Won't be trying that again in a hurry :?

[Lici's Mum]

What we did is bring her into our bed and we all went back to sleep. This is something that continues today. So on our holidays we were all sleeping to around 9.30am.
Though we did start it with some rules. No fidgeting or talking or it was straight back into her room. To the point where you pick them up and take them out - they get the message then. Worked wonders for us and even though poor dh was up and off early back to work this morning, dd and I were out of bed ooooooh about 8.45. 

[Alison_3]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions and advice.  I know this is terrible to say, but I wish Ben would snuggle in bed with us on the mornings he wakes up sooo early.  I know, be careful what you wish for!  I think  you get to a point where you are so desperate not to get up at 4:30 that anything sounds good!!

I do have good news, but I don't want to jinx it...Ben woke up at 6:05 this morning.  DH and I almost had a party!  I really didn't do a whole lot differently.  He is working on his bottom molars so I gave him Benadryl for three nights straight.  Each morning he woke a little later.  I heard to try it so I figured what do I have to lose?  (I was a little nervous about the Benadryl having the opposite effect!) 

Well just reflux meds and orajel tonight so we'll see how it goes.  Thanks again.  I truly appreciate all of the advice!

[Jess-J&E]

I just wanted to join in the discussion here.  We are in the EXACT same boat.  5am or earlier wake ups, naps getting too early, and a cranky pants by 6pm.  It is so so so frustrating, we have been at this for a year now,  and I just cannot get a later morning.

Last week I thought I had it fixed by extending the wake time in the morning to 12pm for a nap...no matter when he woke up.  Alot of days that meant 7 hours + before that nap.  In three days he started sleeping until 6am or even a few times 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it, but the past 2 days we are back to 5.  I feel like throwing in the towel!

Just wanted to whine really, I wish that I had a solution.

Ben's Mom I really hope that the late sleep continues for you!!

Please keep us updated!

[Alison_3]

I've noticed something the past three nights...whatever time I put Ben to sleep, he will get up 10 hours later.  Three nights ago he fell asleep at 7:50, woke up at 6:00, two night ago he fell asleep at 7:40, woke up at 5:40, and last night he fell asleep earlier at 7:30 and woke up at 5:30.  This may just be a coincidence, but I'll take 10 hours of straight sleep!  Especially after a few weeks of less than 8.5! 

Normally bedtime didn't matter for us.  He could go to bed at 7:00 or midnight and still wake at 4:30 a.m.!!  Maybe we've turned the corner.  I sure hope!  I actually feel sort of like a normal person again.  (at least for this week...)

I can't thank you all enough for your support and advice.   I guess it's just one day at a time for my little guy...between the teeth and reflux, I guess in comparison to other posts I've read, he's not that bad of a sleeper!      (until we start very early wakings AGAIN!) 
Thanks again.