5 year old waking early

CRANKY40

Any ideas please before I put my 5 year old up for sale (only joking, I'm keeping him really). He goes to bed fine between 7:30 to 8pm at night. He falls asleep straight away, and sleeps, but only until 5am at the latest. This moring it was 4:30am.

It's making me tired, and it's stopping us doing as much as I would like. I'm too tired to do things with him at the weekend. Short of letting him go to bed later than me (not an option i'm actually considering), can anyone think of any suggestions to help him sleep a bit longer in the morning.

This morning I told him it was too early to get up, but he said he was bored. If I just ignore him he shouts and cries so loud that next door can hear him, and I don't think it's fair to wake them up at 4:30 in the morning..... He is warm enough and his bed is comfortable as far as I know. Somemornings he says he is hungry, but he's not a big eater, and I can't seem to get any more food in him of an evening. I had hoped the early waking would stop when he started school in September, but no joy so far.

springclean

he's pushing your 'attention buttons' and it's working. you let him get away with this now, you're going to be very tired, very quick, and the balance of power shifts to him.

if you have to, have a word with next door and apologise in advance. tell them what's happening and to nip it in the bud you are going to have to leave him to protest. when he wakes up, be firm, tell him it's sleep time and leave him. the more you pop back in to speak to/see him, you will prolong it. shouldn't take more than 2/3 nights for it to sink in. (oh, and if you don't already have them, get some blackout curtains for his room).

i was a very firm parent, and while i have two grown up daughters now, who i have a close relationship and lots of fun with, they still know where the parent line is drawn. you're the parent, so don't allow what is not acceptable.

mumslave

eek if my nearly five year old was behaving like that I would be seriously unamused! I fully agree with the black outs, all mine have them and have had them since they were born. I also fully agree with being firm (not that I am saying you arent but just in case!) he is five, not two. I would do exactly as above, if he wakes, tell him firmly its not time to get up, to keep waking you will mean you wont do anything fun with him at the weekends, and leave it at that. The more attention you give him, the more you engage him, the more he will keep at it.

You could also try to the route of a reward chart, not a fan of them myself really, but I know they do work for lots of kids. Tell him if he stays quiet/in bed for 4 days out of the 7 (to start with) then you will do something nice at the weekend. If he doesnt then you wont. Reward him with a sticker.

And remember you arent being cruel if you are denying him anything fun at the weekend, you are showing him the consequences to his actions...by your own admission you feel too tired. Its only him that can stop that.

S1976

I agree with springclean, but also as he is falling to sleep at 7:30-8 pm and waking at 5 ish, is saying he only needs 9 hours sleep at most, maybe try to keep him awake that extra hour say till 8:30 and send him up with a glass of milk. My daughters who are also 5 go up to bed about 8ish and are usually reading to themselves till about 8:30 sometimes 9ish and wake up around 7-7:30 ish. It will settle in time But as Springclean said nip it in the bud ASAP as it's around now they are testing their power and authority over you

fernliebee

I would say at 5 he is old enough to understand that in the morning he must play with his toy's and not come and wake you up. Is he waking up hungry? If so you could prepare a snack for him and leave it out for him after he has gone to bed so he has food, drink, toys etc- so therefore no reason to wake you up. Could you try getting him an alarm clock so that at say 6.00 it goes off and he knows he can come in to see you?

As PP suggests you may have to be firm at first as this is new to him, he is used to just waking up, and you coming to see him.

Another suggestion would be to get a box of his favourite toys or some new special things and only leave them out at night after he is asleep, so he has something interesting to play with. Then when you get up they go away out of reach to keep his interest. Swap/ remove/ add items as necessary to keep interest.

Does he ever play alone in the day? If not I would suggest working on this side of it too, as if he is more able to entertain himself you are more likely to get a lie in.

Hope you manage to get some sleep soon though. Everyone warns you of sleepless nights when you have a newborn you don't still expect them 5 years later.

Molly41

Try the bunny wake up alarm clock. http://www.sendaclock.co.uk/allclocks/children~s-bedside-clocks-1/bunny-alarm-clock-blue/1018*2a*-blue.htm
I used this with great success with my DD. They have to stay quiet/asleep until the bunny ears go up and the bunny eyes open. I used this alongside a reward chart. I also used to go to bed with my kids around 8.30. Now all my kids go to bed after me. I always wake up early about 5ish. Maybe you could shift your get up/ go to bed time for a while until you catch up on sleep?

jackieglasgow

Hi Jayne, is he doing enough excercising during the day? My boys always slept an extra hour if they had been to swimming practice or football that evening. Maybe he needs to do something else, after all, with the change in weather and dark nights, it's not exactly going out to play to burn off some energy weather just now. If you have a Wii, why not do a half hour on the sports games in the evening for a few days to see if this makes a difference?

Jackie X

Krystaltips

I have a 5 year old who suffers with the same (although she never goes straight to sleep either, she'll still be messing around at 9/10pm... The kid doesn't need sleep!)

We put her a digital alarm clock in her room and she knows she's not allowed to leave her bedroom until the first number says 7... It generally works now and she often gets books and stays in bed, occasionally we have a blip (like Saturday morning when the baby woke us at 5am and we found the 5yo watching tv downstairs :eek:) but on the whole, it really made a difference...

*Louise*

Blimey, no way would I be getting up at 4.30am, I would be like a zombie!!

Lots of good ideas posted already, I echo the blackout blinds/curtains, they are great.

He needs to know that shouting and crying s NOT ON, and you need to try and ignore this behaviour so he realises it has no effect. It's difficult, I know - but he is too old to be attention seeking in that way.

My 4 yo DS gets up before most of us and usually just plays with his cars or lego, what's your son's favourite plaything? Colouring books are another good thing to leave out.

LISSILEIGH

i have 3 children 3,5 and 7 two of whichget up every morning between 5,5.30 !!

the other however often has to be woken up in the morning. my dd3 goes to bed at 7 and my ds7 goes at 7.30. i have tried keeping them up to make them sleep in later but that doesnt work.

i have always been a morning person myself, so i believe they may just be like me. i just except that they get up at that time.

maybe thats just your childs clock works (excuse the pun!)

lauren_1

My son is 3.5yrs old...and i am refusing to get out of bed untill 7am now, his sister is the culprit (8) they get up at 5 maybe half 5/6ish....for the majority of the time i got up with them then but i couldnt hack it..i needed sleep.

Im pretty sure what i do breaks a few child 'abuse' or safety laws but hey ho, no ones been injured yet, they both have black out blinds...they both have snacks and juice bottles laid out in their rooms after they have gone to bed...then if they run riot downstairs they have more drinks there and a few apples or banana's to hand....cubboard and fridge locks are a must as i found out after 6pts of milk, choc sauce vs my cream carpet...and anything electrical gets unplugged apart from the TV which is set to cbeebies so all they have to do is switch it on.

Harsh maybe....but more sleep leads to a nicer mummy.

When they come in to my room i just say..go downstairs i'l be there in a minute, zzzzzzzzz,they dont bother now and as dd can read the time she knows anything before 7am is a big no.