Still Dealing with Time Change. Toddler Waking Exactly One Hour Too Early.

Updated on November 18, 2010
A.N. asks from Stamford, CT
6 answers

Hopefully this will work itself out, but since the time change, my 19 month old is ready to get up at 6am. Previously she was a 7-730am riser. Her room is dark with a great white noise machine. I tried putting her down a little later, which made her get up earlier. The "experts" say to put her down earlier. We did that and it hasn't worked so far. We generally put her down at 730pm. And for the most part she's not making up the hours during her naptime so she really needs to resume her previous schedule. I don't go in there immediately to get her because she's not crying at all, just shouting about choo-choos and doggies, etc. But at some point before 7am I go in there because I have a sleeping 5 month old in the next room. Any additional advice that I haven't mentioned??

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So What Happened?

Well wouldn't you know that of course right after I posted this question, she woke up at her old regular time, 730am, the next morning. I am not naïve enough to think that she's back to normal... and I can't figure out what I possibly did differently, but I hope that tomorrow morning she proves me wrong and sleeps in! Thx for your input. At least I'm not the only one still dealing with this!

More Answers

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Well, my kids, have always woken up at about 6-6:30am. Since they were babies.
No matter what. No matter what time they went to bed, no matter if they nap or not. It is just their inner clock.

Don't know what you can do... sorry.

But if your 5 month old is not bothered by it, nor wakes up because of it... then, that is good?

1 mom found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Boise on

Whenever my son would get off his routine around that age, I would just really screw it up to "reset it". So if he was doing this, we would maybe go out to dinner on night and keep him up and totally put him off his routine. The next night, he was back to normal. It somehow worked for us, but I don't know if it will work for you.

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P.O.

answers from Harrisburg on

The new time changes messes our body system all the time. Our body is like an internal clock and it is not so easy to "switch" overnight. I would let your baby get up as normal, because quite likely she is going to bed the old time which is earlier too. Just try to find something to occupy her during that extra hour. Mine wakes me up the old time too and as much as I wish for that extra hour sleep, I just accept it rather try to enforce it in my toddler. I know come spring, I am going to have to push to get them to bed 1 hr ahead of time...

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J.P.

answers from Chicago on

No advice here, just to tell you you aren't alone. For the week after the change, my almost 3 yo was up at 4 every morning. This week, he's been getting gradually later on his own. Nothing we have tried has changed anything, but he's getting about 10 minutes later each day. It's a slow process, but I have hope that in a month or so, we'll be back to our usual 5 or 5:30 wake-up! I would LOVE to see 6 on the clock when we wake up, but that's probably asking too much....

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M.I.

answers from New York on

Hey A. - also here just to say you're not alone. My 2weeks shy of his 2 year bday has been off the mark as well. He was normally 7:15pmish to anywhere in the 6am range. We got him down "early" on the night of the change and he slept decently...things were ok kind of last week - but then this week he's been bizarre and slept Monday morning until 6:40am (couldn't believe it), Tuesday it was 5:30am, Wed it was 4:40am and last night we put him down at 6:45am and he slept until 5:25...he's all over the place. I'm hoping he works his way back up and will continue to put him down around 7pm in hopes that he gets back to normal. He also screams MOMMY MOMMY where are you? and cries or if i go in after a few minutes of him singing and talking then crying, and pat the bed, say nite nite or nothing at all - he looks at me, gives me a big cheesy I'm AWAKE mom smile and says "Done nap." So i know it's all over.
Anyway - just here to say, I hear you...the body will hopefully rejigger itself...hang in there.
:-)

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T.F.

answers from New York on

I would keep putting her down at the original bedtime, and I guess with a 5 month old around I see 2 choices, both of which might make some noise! About 5 minutes after your 19 month old wakes up, keep the lights off, rub her back and tell her it's still nighttime, and go out of the room. She might cry if you go in there, so the other option is just to let her babble until 7. Does the 5 month old actually wake up, or are you just worried she/he will? I'm sorry it's taking so long, but just keep giving her the message. I also find that my daughter wakes up more during the week before the full moon (which is Sunday) so maybe that's interfering! I hope you get some more sleep soon!

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