I need some tips and advice about breaking the early morning wakeup habit. My kids are waking up about 4:30 every morning and it is doing my head in. We have tried keeping them up later, feeding them more, feeding them later etc. The biggest problem is that because they are so tired in the evenings, they are falling asleep any time between 6 and 7pm and the cycle starts again.

I am a big believer in sleep promoting sleep and and very aware that they are not getting enough- on average about 9 hours a night for my 4 yo and 2 1/2 yo, which I really believe is not enough, especially as both of them generally don't sleep in the day.
I am finding that their behaviour is just disgraceful and getting worse as their sleep debt get bigger, we are all frazzled and snappy.

DH and I have decided that we are going to have to have a big crack down on this, as we are both exhausted, we have another baby due in Oct, and it is all getting just a bit overwhelming. We are going to try having some really late nights (well late for them eg. 8:30) and then being tough on them in the mornings about staying in bed to 6am.

So any tips of things you have tried that have worked? Or things that you have tried that have not? I really need to believe that you can actualley change sleeping habits.