4:30am wake up for the day

Ladies I really need some ideas. My little one that gave up his pacifier about 6 months ago wakes up at least once a night and is ready to get up at 4:30am. ( I can't get him attached to a stuff animal or anything to help him self sooth) He has always been an early riser but this is crazy.

I have always used the Weissbluth Method when we had any sleep transistions and they have always worked... but I'm at a loss this time. They go to bed around 7:30 asleep by 8. They nap about 1-2 hours per day. They need the nap- but that could be because they get up so early. (the earlier riser always wakes up his brother)


I tried using a stop clock alarm light and telling him he can't get up until he sees the green light (5:30a) and he would get a surprise- that worked for 1 day...any ideas?

Signed ,

 

How long have they been doing this for? Do you have black out curtains on their windows? When do they get cranky after waking? Near nap time or about an hour or two later? Do you have white noise in there?

I don't think 8-430 plus a 2 hour nap is enough sleep but that's based on what I see for my kids who sleep 7-7 and then nap 2 hours.

If it hasn't been long, I would leave them until a more decent hour (6?) and even though you are going to be awake, stop going to get them until you want to get them. If that doesn't work after 2 weeks, I would start to cut down nap. I would also try to make their room as dark as possible and use white noise.

Good luck.

 

To get my early riser's clock re-set, I have to keep her up until 9:30-ish and shock her system for a good three nights before she goes back to sleeping until 6:00am. I gradually back down the bedtime until she starts waking up a little earlier than 6:00am. I also found through doing this that there is a magic window for her bedtime. If she goes to bed at 7:45, she sleeps until 6:00. If it's 7:30 or 8:00, it's 5:30am or earlier. It's crazy-weird, but reality for her. She would sleep three hours for her nap, but again, if it's one minute past a two-hour nap, she's up at 5:00am.

I've been "at war" with the early wake-up time every day of her existence, so I've tried everything. The super-late bedtime for a few days and then gradually backing it down is the only thing that has worked for her. It might be worth a try!

She's never taken a pacifier, and I'm convinced that's why she's not as good of a sleeper as the other two. She also wakes up once every night.

 

Mom2CA

I'm desperate- I think we will try this for the next few nights. It just get earlier and earlier and then he wants to nap earlier and earlier. Thanks!!

 

Oh, I know! I went through a phase where I said, well, I'll just get up with her at 5:30am and enjoy the one-on-one snuggle time. She thought that was great so she moved it up to 5:20, 5:05, 4:50, etc. I hate to leave her in her bed fussing, so I've just gone with a later bed time than my twins had at her age. They would sleep from 6:30 - 6:30 with a two hour nap at 24 months old, but she's 7:45 - 6:00. I know how crazy it is when they want to take a nap at 10:30, then go to sleep very early, then wake up at 4am. As an infant she tried to go to bed at 5pm every night. She's a true "early to bed, early to rise" person, but that program turns me into a seriously grouchy mom.

I was seriously depressed when I read the sleep bible, Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child, and it said in one tiny paragraph that some kids just wake up early and that's just how they are. That's when I took matters into my own hands and "baby abused" her with the crazy-late bed time. She would be leaning on the door to her bedroom saying, "nite nite" and I'd say, "no, come back here and watch some more Dora!". She'd start to doze off on the sofa and I'd sit her back up and wake her up. I felt terrible keeping her up, but it worked. It took three straight nights, not two. I stopped one time after two nights and we were right back to 5:00am.

I also tell her every single night after prayers how important it is for her to sleep until 6:00 and if she wakes up early, to play quietly and I will get her out at 6:15. She will lay there pretty quietly for about 15-20 minutes, so that has been somewhat successful too. When I go in and get her I lavish her with praise for laying quietly and staying in bed until 6:15. I'm trying for an extra 15 minutes every six months or so!