Toddler vs sleeping!

beks

Am I the only one who doesn't think that 5-6.30 is not the middle of the night? My daughter is generally up at 6am every day and I certainly don't see this as the middle of the night, it is her natural time to wake. A few months ago, she would sleep until 7am but that was only for a few weeks. I do think they go through phases and they are all different. For my daughter, changing bed time doesn't work but I know some people swear by just putting them to bed later.

I just don't get anyone who feels that a child who wakes early should be chastised - a two year old can't tell the time so how do they no know when to get up? How can you tell a child off who wakes up and feels like it is time to get up? Sorry but I just don't get that!!!

Anyway, to the OP - I hope this is just a phase and your LO starts to sleep in a little more.

bylromarha

At 18 months both mine got a small light in their rooms on a timer switch.

They understood that if the light was off, they stayed asleep, if they woke up they should try to go back to sleep if the light was off and they should only ever speak loudly and wake us up if there was a serious problem.

When the light comes on, it's awake time and they can stay in their rooms and play with their toys until mummy or daddy gets them.

We had to tell my son off a couple of times, my daughter once. It didn't take long for them to realise pain, nightmares, wet beds would get cuddles and silly moods and pushing the boundaries would result in cross parents.

DD now 5, DD 3 and the timer switch on the light has worked really well for us so far.

Just re-read that it only started after Cmas. My 2's routines are shot due to the excitement. Maybe your other child and dad being at home has got him all wobbly and it'll settle down when routine is back. Still would advocate the light though! It helps them know this is night, this is morning.

Fizog

Oh poor you....Been there got the t shirt!
Mine used to yell then get up and put on the gas cooker, begger up the toaster, the video by stuffing things in them...all great fun.
I think your little one has probably got out of sinc with the Christmas holidays and the tummy upset.
Persevere and do what is best for you....I have got friends who couldn't bear to hear their children cry or shout and one who had a camp bed set up in his room and would hold his hand till he went back to sleep and sleep with him. They did this till he was about 11. Whatever works for you.
But if you need your sleepand don't want him in your bed or downstairs, then you need to be proactive and try different methods...but DO NOT GIVE IN...even if it takes you a month....You are the Mummy....for sanity in the future you must win!

Good Luck!

elfen

I feel sorry for my parents. From when I was about 6 until up til I was about 14 I was either awake until god knows when (literally 2-3am and then up again at 7 and not tired) or I had the all-consuming joy of night terrors. Luckily, my parents were understanding (especially as my dad has just as a bad a sleep pattern as I do - both insomniacs - not unknown for me to stay up until the next morning and then not fall asleep that night until 2!) and used to tell me to wait til my sisters were asleep and come downstairs. My bed was near the door so I could read. I was a little older but I think I'd still feel your pain (am DREADING when I have kids if they're anything like me)

money_saving_diva

Curious_George wrote: »

previously my son was a very good sleeper, through the night from about a month old no matter how long he napped during the day,
he turned 2 in early november and this sleeping pattern remained the case until about a month ago...

All of a sudden he started crying at anywhere between 5 - 6.30am and once he starts thats it, the only thing that stops him is one of us getting up with him, the infuriating thing is that once down stairs he will fall asleep on you!

Ive had no sleep at all tonight, i went to bed late, tossed and turned due to a pain in my back and he started crying and shouting at 3.30am! i went in to him, resettled him and calmed him down 4 or 5 times until i admitted defeat an hour later and brought him downstairs, ive changed his bum and put him in his buggy and the little bleeder is fast asleep! i know im not doing myself any favours by bringing him down here but he will NOT stop shouting and theres 2 other people in the house, one of whom works and the other is only 9 and will be back to school soon so needs her sleep too,
At least down here i know i can get on the sofa until the rest of the world wakes up but i dont want to be down here... its lovely and warm with my OH, its a bit chilly down here and the hamster is bloody noisy! (but typically this doesnt bother him... he has slept through the smoke alarm outside his room going off before now)

he has had a bit of diarrhea over christmas and has all of a sudden gone funny about his nappy being off (he crosses his legs and complains because he hates it when he wees and it runs down them! - its going to be a joy potty training this one!! :rolleyes:)
but thats the only thing thats changed, not a change of room, temp, bedding, lighting, how we leave the door etc
hes not hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, wet etc

Do any of you have any techniques for me to try so he sleeps through again... at least til nearer 7!

My son is just 2 aswell. He was ill several weeks before xmas. He got into a real habit of waking in the night and I thought it was going to go on forever. We had terrible nights for weeks! Then he had a good night and it has been better ever since. He has even started not waking until 8am now! All I do is when he wakes I go in and tuck him again etc I do not talk to him. Since he was a baby I have not talked to him at night and morning is not until 7am. I wouldn't take him down stairs but I have been known to get into bed with him if he is being so bad that he is likely to wake my OH on a week night when he needs to go to work.
BTW we take him up for a bath, cup of milk, book and then bed at 7pm.
I hope this is just a phase for him like it was for my son. Good luck. I know it seems like you are never going to have a good nights sleep ever again when they have weeks like this.

flea72

beks wrote: »

Am I the only one who doesn't think that 5-6.30 is not the middle of the night?

sleeping through til 5-6.30 i could cope with. its the waking every 2-3hrs, thats causing the problems

i can get mine into bed no problems, she goes up and falls asleep within minutes at 7pm. its the keeping her there, for the whole night, we havent achieved yet

F

Curious_George_2

beks wrote: »

Am I the only one who doesn't think that 5-6.30 is not the middle of the night?

when you dont sleep very well and dont need to get up for anything, yes it can feel like it!
I know a lot of people have to get up at that time and a lot earlier but i dont, even on a school day the earliest you will see any of us downstairs is around 7.30

my DD has never been an early riser and my poor little DS was such a good sleeper until recently, i feel bad moaning about it when some of you have this problem all the time...i know when i figure this out he will go back to how it was, but for now im just exhausted... it takes me so long to get to sleep, and i wake up all the time for one reason or another (usually acid reflux / heartburn) so sods law dictates that the only real sleep i get is just as the rest of the world is waking up...

sorry for having a whinge, if this is one of my biggest problems.... i guess life isnt so bad *yaaaaaawn*

liney

He only needs so much sleep. Perhaps you can try changing his body clock over the next week by putting him to bed abit later so he sleeps in.

fernliebee

My DD is a bit younger (18 m) but when she recently started waking in the night, and not wanting to go to bed when she had previously been fine with it, I gave her a CD player in her room, and put a story tape on for her at bedtime, then if she wakes up in the night I just go in and say it's still nightime darling and turn her tape on and she is quiet. After having her CD for about 4 weeks she stopped waking up to have it put on. I'm hoping that once she is in a bed (fairly soon as we have no.2 on the way) that she will just turn it on herself as she can already work the CD player but obv can't reach it because of her bars.

Also a friend who has toddler who wakes at 5 has had some success with getting a box of toys together that they can have in the morning and explaining that mummy still needs to sleep, if they want to play they can get out of bed and play, but mummy needs to sleep still. Not sure if your dS is in a bed or cot though as it prob won't work in a cot really.

Sublime_2

What time does your little boy go to bed? I have been having sleep issues with my 2 year old recently.

He kept waking up about 1.30 in the morning, and I was so tired I slept with him in the spare room. Its not something I'd normally do, as he seemed to like it too much, but it wasn't fair to keep everyone else awake. If he had woken up later, I would have put him downtstairs with a beaker of milk, a biscuit, and put the tv on. Luckily the sofa bed isn't comfortable enough for more than a few nights, so he's recently been better. For me anytime from about 6.00 am is normal (although 5.00 am isn't unheard of! :eek:).

What helped also was puttiing a pillow on his bed, as he hasn't had one yet, and a hot water bottle. I had the first decent nights sleep since christmas a couple of nights ago! It may not seem like it now, but it is just a phase.