Early risers

Maia and Tal are getting up 4.30 - 5 am every morning. Currently I go in to their room, breastfeed them and then try to put them back in their cots to nap until 6 but this rarely works and instead we cuddle on a mattress on the floor until 6. I'm exhausted and so are they. Not forgetting cranky (all of us :blush: ).

We did CIO several months back which worked wonders on their night time wakings. But we never worked out how to solve the early rising problem. It just seems to get worse and worse.

Currently they're napping 1.30 - 3.30 with another 1/2 hour in the morning if they're exhausted. Bed time is around 8 pm. Our guys don't have to be up until 7 am, but in my wildest dreams I can't imagine sleeping that late!

Any suggestions? Did anyone ever discover something that worked for their children?
Many thanks
lisa

 

I just stopped going in just because they woke up to be honest.
They fussed for a while but it didn't last long. I don't go in before 7am now and I hear them singing and stuff in their rooms

 

I would probably do CIO too. I know I could not deal with a 4:30 am wake up at this point either! Good luck.

 

Are they even really hungry at 4:30 or are they just used to waking up then? Mine have been sleeping through the night since 3 months and I know that a lot of others have been, too. Most babies don't really need to eat at night, especially by a year old. How long are you letting them cry at this time before going in? I agree with pp about trying CIO.

Something else that has helped us is darkening their windows. We couldn't get the shades because their beds are under the windows and they'd just pull them down. Instead, I bought dark-colored contact paper and put that on the windows. Now, they don't wake up with the sun. I normally get to sleep in until 8:30 or 9 since mine don't go to bed until 8 or 8:30. They wake up a little earlier than that, but I let them talk and play in their cribs for a while to grab some extra sleep.

 

QUOTE(Snittens @ Nov 17 2007, 03:52 PM) [snapback]500273[/snapback]
I would probably do CIO too. I know I could not deal with a 4:30 am wake up at this point either! Good luck.

I would probably do this too. That is way too early for me. I count anything before 6am(and even that is too early for me) as a night wake up.

 

I agree with the PP... try CIO or quit going in all together.

Good luck!

 

I agree ... don't go in ... they get what they want ... attention. I would also try to put them down a little earlier (I mean how much earlier can they wake up?). My children sleep better when I put them down a little earlier after a rough day (sleep begets sleep). I don't think 8 to 4.30 am is a long night at this age. It's too short, IMO, just 8 1/2 hours ... I mean I love to sleep at least 8 hours to be refreshed, so for a 1 1/2 year old 8 1/2 hours cannot be sufficient.

My twins are going down 6.30 pm, my oldest at 7 pm. She went down at 6 pm from 4-24 months and slept 13 hours non stop, she's still an excellent sleeper.

 

Many thanks for your responses. We can certainly try CIO, but in the past we've had the problem of them basically crying until it's time to get up and we're never really sure what to do then. Any suggestions?

Also we'll try to put them to bed earlier - it seems they wake at more or less the same time no matter how early or late their bed time is.

 

Set your wake up time and if they cry until then, so be it. I said in another post...they will eventually realize you aren't coming in and learn to live with it. I would also consider napping them a bit earlier with no morning nap no matter how early they were awake and putting to bed no later than 7. Maybe even 6:30 for a few days until they are getting used to the later wake up time.

 

QUOTE(li li @ Nov 18 2007, 04:43 AM) [snapback]500761[/snapback]
Also we'll try to put them to bed earlier - it seems they wake at more or less the same time no matter how early or late their bed time is.


But when you put them down earlier, they'll at least get more sleep. And once they get more sleep, they may be better rested overall, and ideally sleep better overall. It does take some time, so don't expect miracles within a couple of nights.

And I know what you mean ... my twins tend to wake around 5.30 am average (I've tried everything), but they still go back down until 7 am in 95% of the cases. My boy will not CIO ... He holds 1-2 hour records, he won't stop ... and if he does ... his sister will start a few minutes later (can't blame her) and then he starts again. I can't wait to seperate them (and then I'll definitely try CIO again)! So after talking to the ped, we usually leave them til 5.30 am (if necessary at all) and then feed them. It's just too stressful and they'll only end up missing more sleep.

 

The only thing that worked for us was CIO until set wake up time. For us, that is 6am at the earilest. They (well, mostly Matthew) tend to wake up at 5:30 but he's in there until 6 no matter what. I consider 4:30 to be in the middle of the night. They are probaby just used to you coming at that time and it may take you a while to get over it (took weeks for Will) but eventually it works out. LIke another poster mentioned, my guys can cry forever, but it was absolutely the only thing that worked. GL. I know how hard it is.

 

We have had periods where they are waking up at 4:30/5am.

When we tried CIO it did NOTHING for us (but did manage to keep us awake and resentful in our beds) since the boys were SCREAMING for 1.5 hours in their beds and then it would be wake up time and we'd go and get them anyway. I felt that wasn't 'teaching them' anything. In their eyes, that just meant they had to scream for 90 minutes to get mommy's attention.

So, I bought a lamp timer, extension cord, and a night light. I set the lamp timer to come on at the time I wanted them to wake up. I talked it up and explained to them that they had to wait for their light to get "BRIGHT! BRIGHT!" and that it wasn't morning until the light came on. I told them they needed to go back to sleep if they woke up and their light wasn't on and that mommy had to sleep too and she couldn't come and get them until their light came on.

I started with the timer at 5:45 and if they actually made it to the light for a couple days in a row I would bump it forward 5 minutes. Currently ours is at 6:30. I make a HUGE deal about the light being on when I go in their room to get them. WOW, you waited for your light to get bright, bright! What a big boy you are....you must be so proud of yourself!

I have to say that I do find the method to work. HOWEVER, you must be consistent about not going in until the light is on. Even if you know the light is going to go off in 30 seconds, WAIT. The kids don't know if it's going off in 30 seconds or 3 hours. If they wake up at 3am and see it's not off that's no different in their mind than 4:30 or 5am. If you go in before the light goes off they'll start expecting you to come anytime they call you before it's on.

We got inconsistent with one of the boys and had to pay the price.

 

I agreee...mine were early risers (5:30ish) and then got better as we let them 'fuss' a bit at wake up and often they will wake at 5 and go back to sleep...I go in at 6:30 am earliest and now it is usually closer to 7. They usually chatter to themselves for 15-20 minutes before we go in. I don't want them to learn to 'scream' until mommy comes.

They NEED the sleep at night, the PP nightlight idea is great and we are planning on trying it come spring when the light wakes them. I love that it is dark until 7 AM!!!

 

Thank you so much for some excellent ideas. When I'm as exhausted as now, I'm unable to think these things through for myself and so we just perpetuate the problematic early waking by rushing in and feeding them. We'll try out your suggestions and hopefully, by the new year, we'll all be sleeping better.

 

Our kiddies are also a early riser between 4:30/5:00/5:30 AM. My son, Justin is usually the one get up and would play around and then would start to scream for attention after 20 minutes. Rianna get up because of his habits. She goes down for a short nap before breakfast at 8:30 to 9:00 AM. I had really hope the older they get they would sleep in unti 6 or 6:30 AM. They're not sleeping enough -- 9 hours with 2 hours nap a day.

My NYR is to get them to sleep better!
Diana w/Rianna and Justin (almost 14 mos)

 

QUOTE(Stacy A. @ Nov 17 2007, 04:08 PM) [snapback]500289[/snapback]
Something else that has helped us is darkening their windows. We couldn't get the shades because their beds are under the windows and they'd just pull them down. Instead, I bought dark-colored contact paper and put that on the windows. Now, they don't wake up with the sun. I normally get to sleep in until 8:30 or 9 since mine don't go to bed until 8 or 8:30. They wake up a little earlier than that, but I let them talk and play in their cribs for a while to grab some extra sleep.


I just tried the contact paper because dd can reach the shade and is now starting to play with it. It really does the trick!

 

I have to agree with CIO until at least 6am. If you put them to bed a little earlier, it might help. My younger ones are going down for the night between 6 and 6:30pm, and they sleep generally until 7am. They still take two naps also and they are pretty good sleepers.

My older two go to bed between 7 and 7:30pm and they are up at 6am regardless of what time they go to sleep. It's been this way since the time change. Before that, I could at least get them to sleep til 7:30am or so. I'm hoping things get back on track soon.

Crystal

 

Wow, Nicole, that is a great idea (about the light)!

We have occasionally had early wakings, but more in the 5-5:30 range. Sometime around 20 months, it started being more likely that they would go back to sleep until 6:30 or even 7. Before that, we would often just get up with them (or at least get ourselves up, and start making breakfast), because it wasn't worth lying in bed listening to crying. So don't lose hope that it will get better.

 

On the weekends I don't go in until about 730am. (the rest of the time we get up earlier because of work) They usually go back to sleep if they wake up early, and rarely cry. If they are crying I check diapers and will give them a sippy cup, that usually does the trick and they "talk" or go back to sleep!