Toddler Bed Sleep Issue!

I am not yet there, but from some of the books I have read, here are suggestions:
1. Place milk and healthy cracker on table by bed in case he is hungry upon wakening.
2. Place rotated toy on floor in his room so he may want to stay in his room.
3. Place rotated favorit book on table next to books.
4. Place alarm clock in room. Explain to him that he can come into mommy and daddy's room when alarm goes off. Otherwise he should play nicely in his room.

HTH.
Blessings. Jilly

My kids are just early risers and wke up between 5:30 and 6 every day. We got this:
http://www.goodnitelite.com/

and told our daughter to stay in her room until the sun light came on.
Even when she wakes up early she can play in her room until it comes on at 7 and then comes and gets me.

Maybe try a baby gate at his door. Just the excitement of knowing he can roam the house may be enough to get him up earlier. Once he knows it's not an option, perhaps he'll sleep longer for you. My daughter had about 2 months of "woo hoo, this is exciting!" when we switched her over, now she's back to her usual sleep routine but we have had a gate up since about a week into it.

The following article by Kyle Pruett, M.D., provides excellent insight on this topic. More details are at the link that follows:
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2010/01/09/...

Children’s sleep issues are among the more challenging developmental stages for parents to master.  But biology is on the parents’ side in this one, because sleep patterns mature over time just like other developmental skills.

* Polls tell us that one-third of American children and their parents sleep together some or most of the time before children start school. Co-sleeping varies hugely by culture and ethnicity. So think about what you want to do, and discuss the pros and cons with your pediatrician.
* Make sure your crib is safe (locking rails), that your older child’s ‘big bed’ has side rails, and if you are co-sleeping, that there is plenty of room.
* The human brain is active during sleep, but the deepest sleep is typically at the beginning of the night.  Babies spend more time than older children in stimulating REM sleep, with eye movements and irregular breathing. Don’t worry about all that action in your child’s body – it too is growth.
* Start them young – do not ignore the importance of naps, watch for the yawn, and start bedtime early in the evening.

Oh I hear you! My first slept in his crib until like 8:30 everyday!! It was so awesome! Once we switched him it just got earlier and earlier. Most days now he gets up at about 6:30-6:45am. I figure he used to wake in the crib and then just nod back off not being able to actually get up himseIf and then once he had the freedom to just get up, he took it! I have heard some people say they use this toddler alarm that has a sleeping bunny and then an awake bunny and they tell their little one that when the bunny is asleep they have to stay in bed but when it is awake it is OK for them to get up. I thought about it but then just never got around to trying it out. But who knows, it might just work! Good luck!

I second baby gate. Another idea would be some kind of blackout curtain. I know my daughter is in our room earlier now, and it's because it gets light out earlier.

Just in case he can climb over the baby gate, you might want to try a child proof door knob lock on the inside of the door-we have to use it on my 2 1/2 year old daughter's door because her bedroom is upstairs and ours is down and we fearful of her taking a spill down the stairs if she attempts to climb over the gate at the stairs. She loves her bed and will just stay in it and play with her dolls and talk to them until we go get her because she knows she can't get out the door and she does fine. Good luck to you, 6 a.m. is too early for me as well.