3 And 5 Year Old Getting up Too Early in Am

yeah they are getting enough sleep but just going to bed too early. It will take a few weeks for them to adjust but if you moved their bedtimes to 7:30 or 8. They will sleep in better. My kids go to bed at 8 and wake around 7 or 7:30. Remember it won't be an overnight change. They will probably be cranky for a few days because they will go to bed later and probably still wake at 5 or 6. So be ready for that! LOL but after a week or so they will adjust.

Since you say they are getting enough exercise, definitely have them go to bed later. Sounds like their bedtime is way too early.

Later bedtime, later to rise. Especially since it sounds like they are getting enough sleep.

Make their bedtime later. Shoot for 8pm.
It may take a few days to get here & adjust but you should see a change
in their rising time.

They only need 11 hours total, so if you are putting them to bed at 6:30, they should be getting up around 5:30.

You need to gradually move their bedtime later if you want them to sleep later.

My 4 and 2.5 year old go to bed at 8-8:15. They usually sleep till 7-8, with the occasional to 9.

My kids get cranky in the eve too. If I give them a nap they are restless in bed till 11:00, because they can't fall asleep. So, I just deal with it. They go to bed at 8:00. The early riser gets up at 7:30 the others sleep till 8:30.

I would give them a nap / quiet time meaning they lay down and don't move not a do a puzzle type quiet time but an actual close your eyes and rest time each day about noon. for a nap after lunch. and make sure you have them back up by 2. is your 5 year old going to school this year? they are getting plenty of sleep you just need to adjust the hours they are getting it lol

Sounds like they really do need a afternoon nap if you can manage it. They are also going to bed way too early. They are sleeping about 11 hours straight, so plenty at one stretch. I understand the 5:30 crankies...which is why they need the nap. That way they can stay up until 8 or 8:30 before going down for the night. Hopefully they would sleep a little later then...

If they go to be that early, they may be getting too much night sleep. Put the little on down between 7:30 and 8 PM and the older at 8:30 PM.

You can also put a clock radio in their room and let them know when the music starts that's when it is time to get up. If they wake up and come into your room, take them back to their bed. Put some books on thier bed and tell them If they can't get back to sleep, they can look at the books and you will be in to get them up for breakfast and/or ready for day care etc., when it is time. (I would not put a tv in their room) Also make sure they have a drink of water and a trip to the bathroom.

As long as their room is close enough to yours that you would know if they are sick, there is no harm in installing a baby gate at their open door.

Try and explain to them that mom and dad need their rest too.

If they are going to sleep at 6:30 and waking up at 5:00, that's 10 1/2 hours of sleep. It's recommended that kids at that age get between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each day, so they are right in the range.

It's very normal for kids to get cranky towards the end of the day. Do either or them still take naps? When my kids were phasing out their naps, they really went through a cranky phase. It took a couple of weeks before they learned how to deal with being a little tired at the end of the day.

If you want them to sleep later in the morning, you might want to try a later bedtime. If they get cranky, you could try giving them a snack. It's amazing how much easier my kids are to deal with after the've had a snack.

My 3 and 5-year-old do not take naps, but they go to bed around 8, usually easily, since they are tired. They sleep until 7 or 8am. Evenings can be wild or cranky (more wild, I guess). I go to bed at 10pm and get up when they do, so that's 9 or even 10 hours of sleep for me. It's wonderful! Maybe you can adjust bedtime. I hope you can make it work.

Kids at that age don't need to be going to bed that early - my daughter just turned 5 and her bedtime is usually between 8 and 9. She's up around 7 - some days she has a nap, sometimes not. If they are getting crabby, I would see what you can do about a real nap in the middle of the day, or maybe have another period of "quiet time" around 5:30/6:00, then baths at 7, and bed at 8. My daughter will still nap for me, but we can't call them naps, and they can't be in her bedroom any longer - she will fight me tooth and nail over it. But if I have her lay down on the couch with her teddy bear and blanket, no TV, and just tell her she needs to rest on the couch, she's often sacked out within 10 minutes if she is tired enough. And she will nap a good 2 to 3 hours, not be such a crabby pants, and still in bed by 9. So I know she sometimes still needs that nap!

Maybe try staggering their bedtimes, especially if they sleep in the same room. My 4 1/2 year old still takes a nap (about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours) a day, so he doesn't go to bed till around 8:30 p.m. He will wake up anywhere from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. My 3 year old is already stopping his naps and usually won't take one. I decided to just let him stay up but put him to bed earlier at night. So he goes to bed at 7:30 p.m., and will get up bright and early between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. :) But he's just so happy when he wakes up, it usually makes up for any loss of sleep.

The great thing about it is now the 3 year old is usually asleep in a few minutes, no more tantrums about bedtime and a million requests - he's tired by then! By the time my older child comes in the room, there's no one to talk to or play with. And it also gives me one-on-one time with each child at bedtime. Each one can have their own story, prayer, and back rubs.

I think some kids are early birds, and some are not, just like us adults. No matter what I've done, DD has always been an early bird.

In my experience, making the bedtime later has actually backfired (and I've heard this a lot from several parents of early risers), and DD still wakes up early AND is extra tired, to boot. I think it's just one of those things you have to accept & deal with.

What is your bedtime? Can you go to bed earlier, so you're more rested when they get up?

Every kid is different so to read a bunch of posts below saying kids that age dont' need to go to bed that early kind of ruffles my feathers. My 6ry old goes to bed at 7pm during the week. From birth she has been an early riser. It's just who she is. When she was younger I tried pushing back her bedtime so she would sleep later. I did it in 10 min increments pushed out over a few days for every 10 min. She got up earlier! Even now when I let her stay up a little later on the weekends, she is up earlier. Keeping her up later only managed to make her wake up earlier.

For about the last 2 yrs I have told her if it's before 6am, she needs to stay in bed. After 6am, she can get up in HER room and play quietly with her toys. After 7am she can get a snack and watch tv. At 5, yours should be able to look at the clock and see what the first number is. Tell him the rules. It will take a little to get them to abide, but afterawhile it will work and you will get to at least doze while they play, if not still sleep if they play really quiet. :)