Getting them to get more sleep

My boys have just turned five (YAY!). They have ALWAYS been early risers. Even as infants. 5:45 and BOOM: wide awake ready to start the day. Problem is, come 3 in the afternoon (or earlier) they are DONE. They are exhausted. Their behavior goes from bad to worse. I've tried everything to get them more sleep and nothing works. I know they "need" more sleep based on their behavior and the ease at which they will fall asleep in the car and sometimes while watching a show while I'm making dinner (at 5 o'clock on the days I don't work). I work part time, so the schedule is only so flexible, but in general all the kids are in bed around 7:30 and almost always go right to sleep. I can't see how I could get them to bed any earlier since we don't get home from work/daycare until 5:45 and I'm by myself getting the four of them fed, cleaned, pjs, etc until DH gets home around 6:30/45. Getting them to nap is nearly impossible. I try to coax them into watching a movie and hope they will fall asleep, but it's rare.

We are curretly using the Good Nite Lite to keep them in bed. It's like an alarm clock and it turns from the moon to the sun when it's time to wake up. I've tried to push it later to encourage them to fall asleep if they see the moon is still shining, but they grow incredibly restless. 6:20 has been the magic number. I have white noise running and room darkening shades to keep the sun out and the birds down to a dull roar.

I'm thinking this is just the way they are but I thought I'd just see what others think. I just want my boys to be happy. I'm so tired of the grumpiness and whining and meltdowns. It's been five years. I kind of was hoping they would be past it by now. I mean, even my 2 year old is past it.

 

Are they in the same room? We moved when our twins were 4. Once they got settled into their own rooms, all of a sudden they slept longer, deeper, better. Mine weren't getting up near as early as yours, but what we realized is that the kids had different sleeping patterns and being in the same room brought out the worst of it. Sarah likes to stay up later and play with her babies in her bed till she falls asleep, and she was keeping Timothy up doing it. Timothy wakes up earlier no matter what, and he was waking her up early. When we separated, he crashed straight into bed and got up at his time. She went to sleep slightly later and gets up at her own later time.

I hope that made sense. If kids have to share rooms, you might see if switching up who is sharing what rooms helps. I didn't know we weren't getting the best sleep we could until they got their own rooms and I could see their own sleep patterns.

Marissa

 

I know you said naps are hard, but this sounds just like my kids (early risers, too) when they don't get a nap. But, as long as they get their nap every day, they are good to go until about 9:00. Mine nap around 1:00 every day. Many days I have to wake them up at 3:00 so I can take them to my mom's so I can go to work.

I know a lot of kids their age no longer nap, but mine need it. When they don't have one for whatever reason, they react just like what you are describing - crash around 3:00 and extremely cranky and/or slap-happy.

Maybe try separating them for nap times. They can take turns with one in your bed and one in their room. I think the big thing is consistency. If they don't want to nap at first, make this a "quiet time." They can read or do something else quiet, but they must stay in their bed. Maybe put on some soft lullaby music. Make it as quiet and soothing as possible. Eventually, if they realize they they don't have any other "fun" options, they may start falling asleep. If not, at least they are getting some rest. It probably won't be easy at first and may involve some tears. But, obviously it is something they need.

Hopefully, they will start sleeping more so they can be happier during their waking hours. :lazy:

 

I have heard a lot of people talk about 5 yr olds still needing naps, that may be the secret for you like Stacy said if that works in your schedule. Have you tried keeping them up later one or two nights in a row and see if that works? I know a couple of my friends with kids that are 5-6 put their kids to bed early and they too are early risers, but one of them started keeping them up just an hour later and got them to sleep in till 7am which she said was like heaven.
Also, I remember reading somewhere that if you interrupt their normal sleep pattern it can change things. Something about waking them up at like 11-12 to pee or something and see if that helps? I haven't personally tried this but I remember reading about it.

Good luck I hope you find something that works. I have one that is my early riser but not as early as yours. It runs in his dads family though....all the men wake up early, drives me crazy!! But now he is 7 and doesn't wake anyone else up, just goes downstairs and turns on the tv and waits for me to wake up!

 

Are they both waking up or is one waking up the other? I have one that is just a morning person--NO idea where he comes from-and the other is so cranky in the morning if woken up. So, two thing happen at my house. The first person up gets up, comes into my room. If it is "I" he falls right back asleep. If it is "V" he usually ready or plays quitely-or just talks non stop at, I mean to me Did I mention I am not an am person! But this way his brother can sleep in. But he sleeps earlier at night than his brother so, the whole different sleep schedule.

However, if you could get them to nap you would be my hero. LOL. Try to split them up if you can and have them "read" sometimes they will fall asleep (or mine would) but if not sometimes the down time, alone helps with the afternoon.

 

I think you're right that nap is key. this is doable during the summer, not so doable during the school year as they are in school until 3pm. I'll give it a shot.

As for the wake ups, as far as I know they do not wake each other. we have them pretty well trained to stay very quiet so they don't wake anyone else up (including the 2 year old they share a room with and the baby who sleeps next door). Very rarely they sleep to 6:30 (even 7 once!). I've tried a later bedtime before and it's resulted in the same thing only they are more overtired.

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I'll try to get them to nap during the summer and we'll just see what happens when the school year starts again!

 

T&T wake when they wake (~6:15 this time of year). It doesn't matter one iota what time they go to bed or how active/busy their day was. If they nap, they will fight sleep at bedtime. So, the only way to get them to sleep more is to put them to bed earlier.

I wish I had a better suggestion for you but it really sounds like getting in a nap or getting them in bed earlier is the only thing that will help. And yeah, my kids' behavior is strongly linked to how much sleep they get so I know that mid-day meltdown well.

Oh, and being overtired makes them fight bedtime too so it's a nasty, vicious cycle I have to fight to get out of with them if we let them stay up late. We've just recovered from the 4th today.