Ever since the time change a few months back my 28 month old is waking up anywhere between 5:45am and 6:30am and going to bed at 9:00pm! We start his bed time routine early ( usually around 7:45) and he is in bed by 8:30 but not falling asleep until 9:00. We just converted his crib to a toddler bed since he has been climbing out of his crib for a good week or so and he is doing really good with it. He is taking an hour and a half to two hour nap but this is still not enough sleep nor is it enough sleep for mom and dad! I thought this was a little phase but it has been happening for a while now! Anyone go through this and figure out a way to help him sleep?? Positive comments only please.
Thanks!!
Sounds normal for kids who nap. You could get rid of the nap and do a 7:30 bedtime. He should then sleep till 7-8.
He is going to bed way too late, thus why he is waking so early. 715-8 fall asleep time would be more appropriate. Try moving his bedtime 15 minutes earlier every 3 days until he starts sleeping later.
Give him a big hug and welcome the day when he wakes up. Really, you have no control as to when he is rested and wakes up. My girls were up at that time or earlier as toddlers. He'll sleep later as a teen.
Your little one is getting 10+ hours of sleep per day, naps included, and that is fairly typical for a child that age. Optimum is a little more, but not the norm in a child.
Since this isn't the case of an early riser since birth, which you just have to wait till they outgrow. You need to decide what is more important. Earlier bed time with a later wake-up, and no nap or continue the course and expect that this is her new wake up time.
I mean think about it, can someone force you to sleep longer then your body needs/wants?
I think you are lucky that your child is still napping.
Get a digital clock. Put tape over the minutes. Put a number 7 on the wall next to the clock. Tell him that when the clock says 7, it's time to get up.
I did that and it worked.
LBC
Bed time is to late. Try this, instead of eliminating nap just shorten it.
Amazon sells a "talking alarm clock & nightlight". We bought a similar one and it has been AWESOME! You can set it to change from yellow to green when you're ready for them to wake up. My kids know that they can't get out of bed until it's green. Started it at age 2 for the youngest and it worked!
Just be sure to start out at around 6am, and as it works, gradually add time to it. I think expecting him to stay in bed for an extra hour immediately is asking a lot of him. Mine get up after 7 everyday! Yay!
You have great advice so far! My sister-in-law had this happen with her son, so she bought a digital clock with large numbers. She taught him what a 7 looked like, ans was told he could not get out of bed until there was a seven in the hour spot. Just keep some quiet activities close to his bed so he can get them and play quietly until the right time. Good luck!
I can't remember my boys ever sleeping more than that. They both liked to take 3 hour naps, and would then sleep about 7 or 8 hours at night. I was so excited when they finally gave up that nap!
You really could try blackout shades! Since our boys are in school, we generally do not close the shades during the week so that the sun wakes them up. It's kind of frustrating during the winter months when we wake them up for school and they get mad because the sun's not up. We left them open just after the time change and were awakened by our 4 year old at 5:30 (I usually wake them up around 6:45). I just looked at him and said, "Do you want to watch Team Umi Zoomi?" Thankfully he said yes, and that bought me and my husband another 25 minutes of sleep! He was better the next day :-)
You can try the blackout shades. They really might help. Otherwise I would say you need to decide if you want to have a later bedtime in favor of a later wake time. But in the end, he probably is getting all the sleep he needs.
My kids are now 6 and 10.
Ever since they were babies, they woke up in the morning between 6:00-6:30am.
I never had a problem with that.
My kids go to bed by 8:30pm.
They get enough sleep.
They have their own rhythms as to when they wake up the next morning.
They are rested.
If a child wakes up in the morning and is rested, then when they wake up is when they wake up.
When I was a kid, I woke up too, at that time in the morning.
This is pretty typical, sorry. I would only suggest earlier bedtime for him and you.
I think you are lucky that your child is still napping.
Get a digital clock. Put tape over the minutes. Put a number 7 on the wall next to the clock. Tell him that when the clock says 7, it's time to get up.
I did that and it worked.
LBC
Updated
I think you are lucky that your child is still napping.
Get a digital clock. Put tape over the minutes. Put a number 7 on the wall next to the clock. Tell him that when the clock says 7, it's time to get up.
I did that and it worked.
LBC
I don't think you can expect him to get any more sleep than he is getting. He is at an age when he will likely start giving up the naps altogether. If he is getting 10-12 hours a day that is probably all he needs. When my kids were little and liked to wake up early I gave them quiet activities they could do in their cribs. When they moved to a bed from a crib I taught them how to get the sippy of milk out of the fridge and to turn on the tv.
Try black out shades-if that doesn't work, then just make sure his room is completely baby proof and let him play for a couple hours. It is important to secure the door. If he doesn't cry for you-just let him play until you are ready to go get him.
I'd start his bedtime routine earlier, with the lights out goal of 7:30 pm.
We also had issues with early risers so we bought with picture "alarm" clock that One Step Ahead sells. Its 40. but so worth ! Bottom is picture sleeping; top is picture of awake. You set the time..no number for the kids but they know they can't call us until the bunny wakes up. It has worked so awesome in our house. We started around 2-2/1/2 for each boy and they are now almost 4 and 5. It's a tough stage...Good Luck!
probably because its getting light out so early now as well....put a room darkening shade in the room
