When our 21 month old wakes in the morning, she usually cries for one of us to come and get her. I can count on one hand the times she has babbled in her crib cheerfully...typically, it's the whine/cry scenario. This is fine with me, as I understand that the feeling of waking up can be unpleasant and she naturally calls for us and, in fact, perhaps she's still sleepy and isn't truly awake yet. My husband gets up (not immediately...he waits about 5 to 10 minutes) and if it's too early, he doesn't pick her up out of the crib but instead he'll try to encourage her to go back to sleep. Sometimes this works and she'll sleep another 15 minutes to an hour, but more likely, when the whining has continued, he brings her in to our bed...and that's what concerns me. Once she's in our bed, depending on her mood, she either screams and cries on and off, or talks to us about various things...only rarely will she curl up next to me and go back to sleep...usually only if she's had less than 11 hours. My husband is a night owl and he is definitely not ready to get up when she gets up. I go to bed much earlier than he does but have been sleeping poorly since first trimester (I'm now in my 3rd trimester)---and so it's hard for me to just jump out of bed, too. With the new baby arriving (who will likely be in a bassinet in our room for the first few months), I'm not sure this habit of bringing her in to our bed is a good one. The baby is due in 14 weeks and she might be a totally different toddler by then...or not. I thought about transitioning her to a toddler bed now, in the hopes she'll play independently when she wakes in the morning, but my husband thinks it might backfire. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Maybe giving her some kind of signal as to when it was time to get up would help. Be sure to leave her in her crib until then.
What we did with our son is, we put his nightlight on a timer. When the nightlight turned on, it was bedtime. When the light turned off, it was morning and he was allowed to get up. It took several days for him to get used to it, but he eventually did.
Your husband needs to adjust and become a morning person. I never brought kids into my bed -- ever.
Try the toddler bed. Put a clock in there - digital -- cover the minute numbers with tape. Put a 7 above the clock. Tell her that the rule for big girls who sleep in big girl beds is: When the clock says 7 you can come and get mommy out of bed. If the clock doesn't say 7, you need to stay in your room and play quietly.
You can add that if she screams and whines, you'll put her back in the baby crib and treat her like a baby.
She is smart, she'll figure it out.
YMMV
LBC
you know...with kids....being a night owl - just doesn't work! Time for Dad to change his ways.
That said, anytime you can get 8 hours or more out of a child, in her own bed....then you can truly say that you have achieved success! Many families fight for this accomplishment....be very thankful that your daughter is an excellent sleeper!
Since she's 21 months, she's fully into toddler-ville. All that activity needs sustenance. I have no doubt that she's hungry...which is why she's whining! Anybody who's slept a full night (whether it's 8 hours or 12) is usually hungry when they wake up. Get up, go feed her & she'll be a happy camper!
The early morning light might be waking he up. Buy and install a window shade, the thicker the better to block the light. I would not transition her to a toddler bed now, I would wait. If she's not climbing out of her bed that's great. She is safer in her crib and trust me, if you put her in a toddler bed she will begin to wander, she will not play quietly in her room. You might just have to start getting up with her if the shade does not work or tell your hubby to get his butt to bed sooner so he can be helpful.
You don't mention how early your daughter is getting up in the morning...maybe you can give her a later bedtime?
We're in a similar situation (my husband routinely has insomnia and will be awake until 4am or 5am and our 22 month old daughter usually wakes up somewhere between 6am and 7am). However, our daughter REFUSES to come into our bed...once she's up, she's ready to go play or whatever.
I'm just entering my 3rd trimester and have a hard time lifting her out of her crib so I make my husband go get her. :) However, I'll usually take her to the living room and let her play while I rest on the couch and daddy goes back to bed (with the knowledge that I expect him to help in an hour or two). Of course, this only works on the weekends. On weekdays when we have to get ready for work, all bets are off. If she wakes up anytime after 6am, we just get up and get ready for the day.
Is there a chair in her room where you or your husband can rest while she plays? Maybe that way she can get used to playing in her room for a while in the mornings.
Oh, and our daughter won't eat right when she wakes up, but she does usually want something to drink....
