17 Month Old Still Waking WAY Too Early in the Morning

I was actually going to say the same thing that Mary G. said. I would try putting him to bed earlier. My little girl was doing the same thing and even not sleeping through the night, and it worked for her. She was going to bed at about 7:30 so we went to 7 and it really helped. Even now sometimes if she doesn't get a second nap she wants to go to sleep at 6:30. Last night she was really tired and wanted to go to bed at 6:15! She really knows when she is tired! All that being said she always wakes up no matter what time she goes to bed at 7:30. That consistent wake-up time didn't start happening until we increased her bedtime by about 30 minutes (to 7). I know that sounds really silly to put him to bed early when he is waking up so early but you should really try it. Give it a few days and if it doesn't work, try something else. He probably won't wake up any earlier than he already does and you can't let fear of that happening prevent you from trying something that could be helpful to him.

Believe me, I know how you feel. I had a very early riser (still do) myself. I tried everything to get her to sleep past 5am to no avail. I shortened her naps, put her to bed later, earlier, white noise, blackout blinds etc. I could put her to bed at 5pm or midnight--either way, she was up at 5am on the dot. Right around the time she turned two, she started sleeping until 6 or 6:30 consistently and only wakes up early now if she is sick or teething. I think some kids are just early risers and have very consistent internal clocks. Unfortunately, I think you'll just have to wait it out until her gets with the program (he will!). I would caution about putting him to bed later because, chances are, he'll still wake up early and then he'll be grumpy all day from less sleep. Can you go to bed earlier and maybe find a way to keep the early morning noise away from your daughter? This will pass and remember, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." At this rate, your son will be a genius!

Sometimes babies like yours are like that. They have a certain sleeping pattern. Was your baby very active when he/she was in yur womb att he same time he/she wakes up? Sometimes feed the baby a little bit more to see if that works. Ask the doctor can you give your child vitamins.

I don't know what the others wrote, but this is what I did with my early risers....and now all of my children get up at a time when I actually have to wake them up! lol

What I did was just lay back down with them in my bed. No talking or kept it minimum...we snuggled and I would close my eyes so that they would get that cozy feeling in order to go back to sleep. Sometimes it would be an hour before they went back to bed, but I kept at it and eventually, they got in a habit of getting up later and I didn't have to do that.

I now have to actually wake my kids up at 8am (I homeschool). There have been days that I've let them sleep in on a 'day off' and they'll stay in bed til 11am and that includes my soon to be 3yo!

Even my 3 month old will sleep to 10:30am.

Your son is getting plenty of sleep...not to worry or he would be taking more naps during the day. I would suggest that you put him to bed later. 7 to 7:30 is very early and so the earlier they go to bed the earlier they will get up. Also, at that young age, it's really hard for a true consistent pattern to be in place....you can try but don't always count on that.

To me, the most obviouse answer is to put him to bed later in the evening. Since he is only naping an hour a day, that isn't very much time. You said you've tried that but not for how long. It can take some time to adjust a childs sleep schedule-up to a month for some kids and a week for others. Maybe try it again and keep him up till between 8 and 9pm. Don't let him change his nap time/length either till this evening sleep has been set and it's working out for you. Give it another try, a month this time and see how it works.

Good luck!
S.

It sounds like this is just his routine, and you may not be able to do anything to change it. If you get too tired, go to bed a little earlier. I've tried pushing my son's sleeping schedule back an hour or so, but, like your son, he just wouldn't do it. I just live with the fact that this is him. He goes to bed at 7-7:30 and wakes up between 5 and 6. He definitely wears me out when I'm with him all day on the weekends, but, luckily, he still sleeps a few hours each day. Sorry, but this may just be something you have to live with.

K.:)

My youngest would wake up in the middle of the night and we would watch the movie "snowman" no words, just a lot of soothing music. He'd fall asleep again. After 6 months he stopped waking up in the middle of the night and now 4 years later I sometimes still miss our extra night time snuggle.

Try playing some soothing music when he wakes up at 4:30 AM. My children enjoyed listening to soothing music.
P. S

You probably aren't going to be able to do anything that makes your son sleep in later, unfortunately. I would just make sure his room is a safe place for him to play alone and set his alarm for 6. Tell him if he wakes up earlier, he can play quietly in his room but not to leave before the alarm goes off. If that doesn't work for you, there's always the whole taking-him-to-the-t.v.-for-an-age-appropriate-show/movie thing. You can get on the sofa and snuggle with him and sleep while he watches. I know, I know -- t.v. is evil... But I'd say it's the lesser of the evils (i.e. starting your day when he gets up, being cranky and overtired, etc.) Hopefully, with your continued "quiet time until at least the sun wakes up", he'll be able to reprogram his circadian rhythms and sleep later.

I know this might be hard to hear, but he probably needs an earlier bed time, not a later one. When kids are overtired, their bodies put out adrenaline to keep them going. This disrupts their sleep. Read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child," by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It offers a great explanation and lits of answers.

Good luck.