My 3 year old has begun waking up at 4am and tells me she slept well and is ready to get up and play. It takes me about 10-20 minutes to get her to stop crying and go back to sleep. Sometimes it happens again at 5:30 or 6am (she usually sleeps until 7am). Any suggestions?
I feel your pain...my son is 2.5 and just started doing the same thing. It doesn't seem to matter what time we put him down either. So I'll be checking your post to get some answers too. Sorry I can't help though.
My two year old did this too, it was beyond frustrating and very tiring. I found an idea in a magaine that really helped. We call it the matching game. I put a digital clock in her room. I covered the minutes with a piece of paper that has a big 7 on it. I tell her that she is not allowed to come out of her room until it is seven and the numbers match. It has taken quite a bit of training (and sometimes she forgets still). The only bad thing is that now I have my very own human alarm clock that wakes me up EVERY morning at 7 am even the weekends. But it is much better than her roaming the house at all hours of the night. Hope this helps. Good luck!
What I do with situations like that is I put books beside the bed or in the bed and turn a night light on or small bedside light on. I would suggest telling your child it is quiet time and everyone is still sleeping. See if that will work for awhile, if your child isn't in to books, maybe the TV (if there is a TV in the room) with cartoons. Maybe some quiet toys or some stickers with a sticker book. Tell your child you can play quietly in your room and I'll let you play or read books if you can be quiet. Use the books, TV or toys as a reward. If it gets to be too loud then you can always take away a toy/book.
What time is she going to bed? Is she getting a nap? Maybe she is ready to not take a nap anymore? You might want to also check any juices or any type of food that she is eating or drinking right before bed. I would also ask her if something is bothering her. Maybe it is something that is upsetting her.
Hope this helps and Good Luck, C.
I would eliminate any nap and try the 7-7 night. She might need a little help winding down that early, so try rocking, reading a book, and making sure you've got that bedtime routine the same each night and started thirty minutes before you want her asleep.
Also, she might need a snack with a glass of milk before she goes to bed, like a protien bar or a quarter of a sandwhich. Sometimes that little extra bit on the tummy helps them to stay asleep.
Don't forget to take her potty really late at night so that doesn't wake her up. She might be going potty and feeling pretty good and deciding she's ready to go for the day!
Let her know that if the sun is not up, then she shouldn't be either.
If none of those things work, just tell her that everyone is asleep, (put up a gate, to make sure that she stays safe) and do not wake mommy or daddy or anyone else up. "If you stay still and rest quietly in your bed and then fall back asleep, then you will get a reward" (begin a reward chart)...whatever floats her boat (one sticker per night and five sitckers gets her a new toy). Establishing a new habit and a new routine as quickly as possibly is the best route to go.
Be sure and let her know that even though her brain may say "Let's play!", her body is not done resting and it needs at least (so many) hours to rest until 7 o'clock so it won't get sick. Let us know the results!
