Hi ladies,
I have a 2yo son who is steadily waking up earlier and earlier each day. We're up to 5am, these days, which is too early for him. He's wiped by 10am.
He's a willfull little thing. We used to be able to walk him back to bed, pre-6am and he'd go back to sleep. Now, he's up and screaming hysterically or fighting us if we try that. In times past, I'd let him just CIO to make him understand that we don't get up that early. Unfortunately, now I have a 13 week old in the next room that is just starting to sleep better. So I can't have him screaming to wake her up.
So, how do you keep your kids in their room if they wake up? Having the "talk" about how mommy and daddy don't get up until the sun comes up doesn't fly. He doens't respond to reasoning like that. We need to put cues in place that he'll understand for what to do if he wakes up early. I'm just stumped for what that might be. He has a night light that he can turn on, but he could care less.
Thoughts?
I saw people mention this type thing below, but have you seen this? I bet it would help. Doesn't require reasoning or time telling. Just...when the rabbit is still in bed, it's time for sleep, when he gets up, then you can get up.
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
All I can tell you is to hang in there. I remember going through that same thing. And being up and thinking "This is nuts. I can't believe I'm UP this early!" But it DOES kind of regulate itself over time so hang tough. If he's wiped out by 10:00 a.m. put him down for a nap--even if that means he doesn't get lunch til 1 or 1:30.
You could try getting him a digital clock radio and tell him/show him what "6:00" or "7:00" looks like. Then he can have a stack of books or some quiet toys to play with til that time.
Love the clock that tells kids if it's time to get up. You may also want to slip a snack into his room before you go to bed. A sippy of juice and some breakfast-type snack kept my son quiet for 45 minutes in the early mornings. It usually takes kids at least a week to adjust to the time change, so it should get better soon. I wouldn't worry about the baby--- they soon learn to sleep through just about anything.
Try keeping him up later in the evening, and/or shortening his day-time nap. Also, try giving some good physical activity a couple of hours before the bedtime routine starts (but not right before it starts); cut out TV/radio/loud or very stimulating toys for the hour or two before bed.
Start keeping a journal of his activities, his wake-up & going-to-sleep times, and even his food to see if you can start to find a pattern.
The sleep cycle in the morning (or close to when you will be waking up naturally) is lighter, and it's easier to wake from this sleep state. With our 2yo, if he wakes up after 5 or 5:30 am, he might dose if I rock him in a dark room, but never go back to sleep fully again, because of where he is in the sleep cycle, I think. With him, he has been crying a lot when he wakes, especially if it is early like that (he'll usually sleep till 6 or 6:30 am), and I think that he is dreaming and his dreams, which he doesn't understand, are scaring him. He just started doing this, once or twice per week, sometimes at night (between 11:30 pm and 1:30 am) and sometimes at 5 or 5:30 am. It's not every day, or even every other day...
If all this fails, try putting down a sleepbag right next to your bed, and telling him that if he wakes up scared, he can come and lay there--but he is to be quiet because nighttime is for sleeping and if he isn't quiet and doesn't lay down and be still, he'll have to go back in his room. My mom used to hold my brother's hand when he was 3 and 4.... Dad let him watch part of The Shining (hello?? Dad what where you thinking??) and my brother had nightmares for a year (no kidding) and every night, he'd go to sleep in his room but would wake up and come into my parents room and lay on the sleeping bag and hold my mom's hand (over the side of the bed) until he fell back asleep....
We just bought the My Tot Clock which changes colors when it is time to get up. We also have a baby gate on his room. We have done the cry it out at night (he sleeps through the night, this was just his delaying tactic), even though he may wake up his sister because he was learning that if he yelled loud enough we would come in, even if it was to yell at him. Sister may have had a few rough nights, but now it is all good.
