5 year old waking early

Sarahlou_2

CRANKY40 wrote: »

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.

Hi. Great big hugs! My DS (5) was also a very early waker. It completely leaves you at your wits end I know.

As much as people say "you're soft with him, let him cry etc" it's very very hard........we tried allsorts "play with your toys, look at your books", in desparation we put his TV on! But nothing worked....

If it's any consolation, my DS has for the past couple of weeks completely snapped out of it - I've been waking him up about 7ish as opposed to him waking us up at 5am.

At the moment you probably feel like it will never get better, I felt like that, but fingers crossed it will.

tandraig

haribojunkie - i took crankys post to mean that when this problem started her OH was home - as she said he told the kid to be quiet and this worked.
he was just getting used to dad being at home when he went away again - and a 5 year old wouldnt think oh dads been away before! he has been told (i presume) that dad isnt coming back this time. and may be grieving. and hoping he will wake up and dad will be there - like he did before?
I am not saying this to cause upset to the OP,but if nothing else works - then maybe, just maybe, she could consider that its grief and the child needs counselling.
it seems you know the OP, haribo, are you sure she is coping so well? or is the little one picking up on her distress? sorry OP - discussing you as if you werent here. but they do you know - pick up on your feelings - and most often do the opposite to what you need! you need sleep - the kids are wide awake!
have you been offered family counselling hun?

Rachel83

Not sure if this has been mentioned at all but I thought i'd add my experience. My little girls almost 5 and 2 months or so ago she was doing the whole wake at 5:30am thing she got overtired and cranky at 2pm onwards which was effecting her at home and school!

We tried the whole put her to bed later and that seemed to get her to wake up earlier? So we did the opposite and started putting her to bed earlier wondering if the overtiredness was what was making her stay up late and get up early... And it worked?! Wasn't expecting it to at all, now she goes to bed at 6 has a story and lights out by the time thats done its 6:30-7pm and she sleeps until 8... even has to be woken!

CRANKY40

The problem started the middle of July - my husband had already been away since the beginning of June. George has a photo of his dad by the bed and a teddy with a message from his dad on. I think he woke early about 3 times when my husband was last on leave. He does completely understand that his daddy is not coming home again.

Rachel, I have also tried the putting to bed later, and he just seems to get up earlier. I may try your suggestion. I put him to bed at 7:45 last night. He shouted me at 5am, I told him to be quiet, and he was quiet until 5:15am when he shouted me again and I let him get up.

mumslave

CRANKY40 wrote: »

The problem started the middle of July - my husband had already been away since the beginning of June. George has a photo of his dad by the bed and a teddy with a message from his dad on. I think he woke early about 3 times when my husband was last on leave. He does completely understand that his daddy is not coming home again.

Rachel, I have also tried the putting to bed later, and he just seems to get up earlier. I may try your suggestion. I put him to bed at 7:45 last night. He shouted me at 5am, I told him to be quiet, and he was quiet until 5:15am when he shouted me again and I let him get up.

I think the problem is that his body clock is 'set' to wake him around the same time in the early morning, so putting him to bed later, isnt really going to make any difference, just leave him more tired...BUT, at least as you try out various suggestions, you can eliminate the ones that dont work and hopefully end up with one that will.

I believe it can take a young child around 4 months to fully comprehend a serious life change, such as losing your father. Kids also have a tendancy to block out things that hurt too much to think about, but when sleeping, that cant be done. Is it possible that he may have had some dreams in the past that has lead to him waking at the regular time? I am very sorry for both yours and his loss, by the way.

I know my sister had this problem with my nephew, until she fitted black out blinds and curtains, as she would notice whenever she went into my nephew, he was stood by the low light from the window. He stopped waking then, but unless you are in a place where there are streetlights, it should still be practically dark at that time.

What do you think you will try next? There are still a few that might work x