Early waking

[Indadhanu]

Ok, so to start I'll say that most of me realises that my girl is just an earlier riser. She always has been - I'd be watching the sunrise with a 2 month old girl! I am a self-confesesd mornig person, and I also am the kind of person that is almsot fully awake once I'm awake. I love waking up early in summer, the coolness and freshness of the air, its the perfect time... its just that ... I enjoy sleeping past 5am in winter!

It's just getting a bit... Ugh!

She sleeps all night, and wakes up at 5am, whether its light or dark. Whether she went to bed at 7pm or 9pm. Whether she had a long nap the day before, or no nap the day before. Her room is warm, not too warm, a very comfortable 20-22 degrees. I just want her to sleep longer, or at least get out of bed herself (single bed) and have a play and let her mummies sleep a little longer.

But no, she wakes up and makes the whingey noise. Not a cry, just a "eeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr uuuuuuuhhhh" which means 'I'm awake come and get me up and maybe even bring me in to bed with you and feed me!!!'. Which I do often because I don't want to be up at 5am in winter!

I could happily leave her in her room making this noise because I know it's not a distressed cry. It really is habit making her do this. She's not even getting herself up any more. It's such a pain!

Can I have some advice? Anyone gotten an early waker to sleep longer, or get themselves up to play for a little bit? No idea how to do this! It seems so simple, just PLAY! But HOW do I get her to realise this!! Or do I just suck it up because she's only little once and I don't get to spend as much time with her now I'm working full-time? Which is what I've been doing, but it makes it so hard to get through a latte day when I'm up at 5am with her and then having to work until 6pm.

[Arimeh]

DD1 sometimes wakes up at 5am, we give her a bottle and then she goes back to sleep in her bed.

[Indadhanu]

Yeah, but I've tried that though, not the bottle but I tried feeding her and it doesn't put her back to sleep and then I'm awake anyway so

[~Hestia~]

I feel your pain! Although Mr Moo is younger than your Moosh, I've had a run of early mornings lately! I've had no choice but to get him up & start the day - so frustrating though as it throws the whole day out of whack.
Hugs, it makes for a very long day for you. Hope she starts sleeping a little longer.

[Arimeh]

Yeah, but I've tried that though, not the bottle but I tried feeding her and it doesn't put her back to sleep and then I'm awake anyway so

Wellllll ... to be honest we just "assume" she goes back to sleep.. she could be playing with her dolls on her bed for all we know!! ROFL

[Indadhanu]

LOL so the answer is... turn off the monitor?

Is it bad to say I've considered it hahahahahahahahaha

[Doing my best]

I either let DD in our bed (if she isn't already there) and let her do her thing.. Often it involved climbing on us, but I can sleep through that if I really want to..

Otherwise she has been happy to sit on the floor beside us with some toys and play while i snooze..

[Arimeh]

LOL so the answer is... turn off the monitor?

Umm.. she doesn't have a monitor in her room, we use it for Eden.. LOL

[Jennifer13]

We found taking the sides of DD's cot gave her a lot more freedom. If she came into bed with us, she was welcome to have a bf or a snuggle and go back to sleep. If she wasn't going back to sleep, then she had to go back to her own room and amuse herself (which she got very good at). If she was hungry after a bf, she knew where the bananas were...

Oh, and she was 18 mths at the time. I don't do very well before 7am. But I'm a lovely cheery playful Mum after that!

[Indadhanu]

Well she slept til 6am this morning ... bloody TYPICAL since I was up since 5am thanks to early starting at work. ARGH!

She has a single bed, which she can get in and out of, in her own room which has her toys. I'm about to go in and have a little play with her in her room, with some duplo blocks, and leave them out overnight (in the corner obviously, I stepped on those evil things in the middle of the night OW!). Hopefully she'll get herself out of bed tomorrow morning and sleep until at least 6am!

[Olive]

how are things going hun?

[Feathertop]

I'm so happy I found this thread! My just turned 3yo had been a great sleeper, but for the last 4 weeks has woken up early and decided to get out of bed (which he has always been told not to do). Started with him just getting up and opening the door, but for the last 10 days or so he wakes up at 5ish (or even earlier, once it was 1am) and screams and cries horribly. Sometimes he's gotten out of bed and then can't find his way back in (his room is very dark) and gets distressed, but sometimes I go in and he's just sitting or lying there yelling. And it is so hard to convince him it is still night time and not time to turn on the light and read books (which was what we used to say, as that wasn't too bad!). He's completely irrational about it and it wakes everyone else up - horrible when I usually have to get up twice to the baby (yes, she used to sleep better too.....) and it means my husband gets angry and can't go back to sleep either. We discuss it every day in a calm time, talking about what the right behaviours are, and he can tell me what to do, he just doesn't do it. He's also very sensitive so if either of us gets angry or upset this winds him up even further.

I don't know what to do, but I'm hoping someone can help. I am struggling anyway at the moment with PND and some other life issues so I'm not so resilient and resourceful as usual. Has a night light helped anyone? I'm losing the will to survive this struggle.

[HotI]

There was a similar ish thread recently, and some people wrote that that they gave their little ones an alarm clock. One was a specific kids alarm clock that had a different picture (a day picture), that came up at a certain time- so you could set it for 7 and the kid can play on their bed and is allowed to get up when the day picture comes up. Another suggestion was just a digital alarm with the minute numbers covered up, but they taught the kid what a 7 looks like, and when there was a 7 on the clock then they were allowed to get up out of bed. I thought they were good ideas and filed them away for future ref.

ETA: here is the thread if you want some more ideas https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...-up-habit.html

[Indadhanu]

Well... she seems to be breaking the habit... BUT NOW I CAN'T!

I've been awake since 5.30am... Jazz is still asleep!

Go figure, but the lighter it seems to get, the longer she sleeps. Maybe she's been waking at the same time and because she can't see anything she gets a bit scared and cries, but now its lighter she's opening her eyes, seeing shes in her room, and going back to sleep? I tried a night light but Shel kept turning it of because she thought it would wake her up.

I will keep that alarm clock in mind though, sounds great for her if she continues...

[Jennifer13]

Oh Feathertop . I don't have any real advice, my 4 yo wakes up early (around 5-ish) and sometimes in the middle of the night. She comes into bed with us and will snuggle back to sleep there. Have you tried lying down with him in his bed if it's not possible to bring him into your bed?

Have you got some support during the day?