Help - my toddler wakes up at 3.30am for the day!

money_maker_3

Been there and know how you feel !!!

We ended up after months of not being able to control it, starting a reward chart
She got a sticker everytime she stayed in bed, along with other things, and when she got enough stickers, she got a treat of her choice (within reason of course !!)
Took a couple of weeks for her to realise that this would work, but she loved it and was eager to get her sticker first thing in the morning

BTW she had just turned 2 as well when we started this, so you DS is not too young !!

aquariangrrl

Minxy_Bella wrote: »

If he is that distressed, hun, I'd take him into bed with me so you can all get some more sleep.

It's not very fashionable, I know, but I let my kids sleep with me and the ex when they were tiny, if they needed to - I do think it can be a bit cruel not to, actually. (I'll probably get flamed for this LOL).

I've got three very happy, independent kids and I do wonder if they're so secure because they knew from birth that mummy was always there if they needed a cuddle.

Just a thought.

We do that too - bring him into bed with us but he ends up just sitting on us, jumping on the bed and wanting to play, it's like he thinks we are rewarding him by bringing him to our bed :rolleyes:.

Twinkles08

I know it works for some with the whole bringing them into bed with you but I cannot sleep with her in the bed as I like my space.Plus I'm not sure it's healthy for your relationship,ie oh.I can understand how desperation and lack of sleep would make that option easy,as lack of sleep is nasty.I've tried it twice and I hated it,the bed gets too hot and she kept kicking me in her sleep-lol.If op was happy doing that,might be worth a go thou?

Calvinandhobbs

My DD is just under 2, she's still in cot, if the problems started when you moved into a toddler bed, would you consider moving him back to a cot? I know it might seem like a 'step backwards', but if it means you get some sleep does that really matter? Maybe he is a bit daunted by having a big-bed?

tori.k

sadly some kids just dont need a lot of sleep if he's sleeping 8 hrs (7-3) that just may be enough for him at the moment, so horrid as i can be...lol...maybe a later bedtime,
does he go to play group? my youngest didnt sleep a night till he started school full-time 6 hrs for him seems to be enough least at 11 yrs old he has the compassion to read a book quietly so the rest of us can sleep.
I dont envy you, its the pit's and can seems like its never ending...i was very lucky my mother stepped in every now and again and had the kids for a night at her's, just to give hubby and me a break, as its was very hard on our relationship, with no one getting any sleep.
the fact that he was sleeping the night, then hopefully he will settle as he grows...i really feel for you, so best of luck x

aliasojo

aeuerby wrote: »

It turned out the poor chap was hungary. His little stomach was rumbling.
I felt awful and guilty.
So the next night he had some supper (weetabix) about half an hour before bed.
He slept right through from then on.

Maybe try it? You've nothing to lose!

All of my lot have had to have supper before bed. No supper = interupted sleep...even now (eldest is 26 :rolleyes:)

I remember some of my friends being surprised at this as their kids had evening dinner then maybe some milk at bedtime and that was it. I suspect it was that mine maybe just had faster metabolisms. They were all twigs but just seemed to need to eat a lot...and regularly.

Definitely worth a try. Good luck, I remember those days and how frustrating they could be.

JimMoneyExpert

Poor you! Ours went through a stage of waking up at 4.30, so we gave her as much food and milk as possible before she went to sleep and then she slept longer. We also got thicker curtains to stop the light coming in.
I don't know how long its been going on, but it could be just a phase? Our toddler will go for a couple of weeks sleeping through until 6.30/7 am, then all of a sudden decide to wake up 5 for no apparent reason.
I hope it gets better soon.

skintchick

Minxy_Bella wrote: »

If he is that distressed, hun, I'd take him into bed with me so you can all get some more sleep.

It's not very fashionable, I know, but I let my kids sleep with me and the ex when they were tiny, if they needed to - I do think it can be a bit cruel not to, actually. (I'll probably get flamed for this LOL).

I've got three very happy, independent kids and I do wonder if they're so secure because they knew from birth that mummy was always there if they needed a cuddle.

Just a thought.

I don;t have my children yet, but my friend has three (aged 13, 12 and 4) and she has co-slept with them all and never had problems like this. Her youngest is four and a half and has only this week gone into his own room - he slept in their bed until now - and is taking to it really well with no tantrums.

If he is very demanding it might be worth considering co-sleeping for a while until he is more secure.

galvanizersbaby

skintchick wrote: »

I don;t have my children yet, but my friend has three (aged 13, 12 and 4) and she has co-slept with them all and never had problems like this. Her youngest is four and a half and has only this week gone into his own room - he slept in their bed until now - and is taking to it really well with no tantrums.

If he is very demanding it might be worth considering co-sleeping for a while until he is more secure.

Different things will obviously suit different people but from personal experience on this one I would say that if you do take your child out of their bed and in to yours at this stage (I'm assuming previously they have been sleeping in their own space?) you could have to be prepared to share your bed with them every night for a while to come.

While it works for some (Skinty's friend above for one) in my own experience and that of my close friends and relatives while it seems the easier option short term it can be quite difficult to get your own bed back and some I know have found a few marital probs occurring from this one not to mention it getting rather crowded and difficult to get to sleep in bed as the kids get older

I had a similar thing with my daughter around the age of 3 and I found that it took about a week - 2 weeks to go through the same routine each night when she woke - i.e. talk in a whisper, tell her firmly it wasn't waking up time, I did have to resort to physically holding her in bed on a couple of occasions as she would want to get up/wake her brother and have her breakfast - though an exhausting couple of weeks - she did get the message because she realised that there would be no getting up just Mummy sitting by her bed telling her to go back to sleep - so if she roused in the night she just went back to sleep again
She is 5 going on 15 now and is always the last one in the household to get up.:D

However you decide to tackle it OP - good luck and remember it won't go on forever (not that that helps much at the moment I know!) x

prettypoppyknickers

my son goes to bed about half 7 8pm and wakes about 4:30 ish and comes into the bedroom never bothers me and as long as he isn't in the middle my partner doesn't mind because my son and me intwine around each other

what i did when i first put my son to bed and had the screaming shouting etc was i wrote a short note on the pc just explaining to my neighbours and to aplogises in advance if he may disturb them. luckly my neighbours were fine and even tried to give me some advice bless em

good luck!