3 Year Old Waking up Early

Unfortunately, that seems to be the norm. My son will be three at the end of August and has always gotten up between 6:10 and 6:30. I think part of it is bacause he gets woken up for daycare three days a week at 6:10. It doesn't matter when he goes down, that's when he gets up. He also naps from 12:00 - 3:00 everyday. He's just a morning person : ) I get up with him and make him some healthy snacks. Fruit, granola, smoothie and he'll watch a show or two until I'm ready to get up for good. He knows where I'm at and is pretty comfortable watching his show by himself. Most of the time she shhh's me anyway : ) His room does have darnkening blinds, he's missed a nap or two in his day, but none of that matters. That's just when his body tells him to get up.

I am dealing with a similar issue.. My son goes down about 8ish and gets up at 6am now, ughhhh.... It DOESN'T matter (in our case anyway) if I put him down later or earlier, he still gets up at 6am.... It also doesn't matter if I cut out his nap or not because he'll STILL get up at 6 am.. All children are different.. My son will be 4 in October and I'm SO thankful that he still naps (and needs too) or he's a grouch... I don't have suggestions for you other than: no matter what time I put my son down, he still gets up at 6... If I put him down for a nap or NOT,he still gets up at 6.... So I would try NOT putting him down for a nap BUT if he still gets up early like my son does, then I would do the naps again ( I understand needing that break during the day).. Good luck~

Maybe try room darkening blinds or black out curtains. Could be the sun shining in that is waking him earlier than you want him to. Also, have you tried putting him to bed a little later. This always works for me. My kids sleep the same number of hours each night, doens't really matter what time they go to bed. If I want them to sleep a little later the next morning I put them to bed a little later.

Maybe you could put a clock in his room. I took a digital clock and put a piece a paper over the minutes so that he only saw the hour. I told him he cannot get up until it says 7. That worked. Or you could make sure he has a couple of quiet toys (puzzles or crayons or a favorite car or 2) and ask that when he wakes up he stays in his room to play until you come and get him. Chances are that it is just a phase.

Get him a sleep trainer clock (google it). He's not allowed to come out until it says it's time.

My son started doing the same thing and I couldn't stand being up that early.
What I did...
When my son would wake up too early. I'd go in his room and explain to him that it may be "morning" but it is not time to wake up yet. That he can either go back to sleep, or play with his toys in his bed, but it's not time to get up.

Then I'd leave the room & go back to bed. It took a few times of doing it but eventually he got the point.

My son goes to bed between 8:30-9pm, has a 1-2hr nap and wakes up around 9-10am :)

a 3 year old only needs 10-12 hrs of sleep including naps and your son seems to be getting it. I hate to tell you but if you want him to sleep in you really need to consider cutting back on the nap replace it with quiet time that way you still will get some you time during the day the only other thing you could do is set an alarm clock in his room and tell him that he cannot come out of his room in the morning until the clock goes off but I don't consider between 6 & 7 early.

I'd say you are just going to have to suck it up and get up with him if you aren't willing to cut down (or cut out) his nap. My daughter gets up between 530/6 every day (sometimes will sleep until 7) but there was a time where for a few weeks she was getting up between 430/5am!!! Her brother was asleep but if I fought with her to keep her in her room, she would end up crying/getting upset and waking him (he sleeps in the same room as her). Some kids just start to realize that that if they wake up earlier, they can play longer before daycare or that they just get more out of their day. If he's in his own room, maybe tell him that if he wakes up, he can play but he has to do it quietly in his room or else you will not turn his lights on. Have some toys down (or close) and tell him until mommy says he can come out of his room, he has to play in there. Maybe have some dry cereal in a bowl and water in a cup in the kitchen so he can go get it (or you can) and go back to his room.

What I do is just pop a movie on, give my daughter a snack or breakfast and rest on the couch until our younger son wakes up. My parents said that around age 5 they would let my brother go out and watch cartoons alone (with dry cereal and a drink) but that they would stay in bed (door open) and not really be asleep but not really be awake. Of course the house was safe and they were not worried he would do/get into something, but they said often times when they would come out, the house was a disaster!