Early Riser! - Edmonds,WA

Go to bed earlier so that you are ready to get up when she is. 6-630 is not that early or merge her two naps and put her to bed at 8 and hopefully she will sleep until 7.

I can scream with you on this one. My daughter now 6, has not slept past 6:60 EVER!!!! most every day she is up by 6am...not joking!

The only thing I can offer is that maybe you need to eliminate 1 nap. I know its hard because getting up early makes her tired, but it will just take a couple days to adjust...I just finally gave in and began the process to elimitate my daughter's afternoon nap (I know lucky that a 6 year old still naps, but when they get up before 6am they need it)...Anyway, I hope it works but I am doubtful...

P.S. all the worlds Genius' require very little sleep!

I wish there was away. No matter what time my son goes to bed he is always up beteen 530 and 600...it is hard to function that early I make a coffee and sit in the chair for 10 minutes while my son runs around with his juice gives me a bit to pull it together!

I have always heard (and tend to believe it based on my two children's sleep habits) that kids wake up around the same time regardless of when they go to sleep...mine are 6:30-7:00 a.m. risers, and they both go to sleep (ages 5 and 2) around 6:45 at night..and they both nap (the 5 year old at least 2-3 times a week) for several hours a day. You could probably eliminate the morning nap, not sure that it will help her sleep later, but she is probably old enough to be at one nap a day...It might help - perhaps worth a try, especially if you are only trying to get another hour of sleep in the morning.

My 3 and 2 year old have been waking up between 5:45 and 6 every day. I would love 6:30 right now!! Doesn't seem to matter when we put them to bed, that is just when they are up.

Ugh, I totally feel you. My son has always woken up early and now at 3.5 will stay in his room until 7:00-7:30 (sometimes even 8!). I would just ask him to go back into his room to play until mommy was ready to get up and how he just does it on his own.

I have heard of nightlights that are a little moon and a little sun and you can set the timer so when the sun lights up your little one will know it's okay to get up. I think 20 months is a little early for that though. But maybe not, they are pretty amazing. Is she still in a crib? You can sneak books into her crib when you go down at night that might keep her occupied in the morning (without disturbing the falling asleep process) for a little while longer.

Good luck!!
T.

I hate to say it, but, I had/have the same problem, and I think that's just what some kids do---Some kids just require less sleep than others. We got 'lucky' I guess. I don't know if you let her watch any TV, but part of our routine is first thing in the morning I put on a show for her that I have on DVR--Superwhy, Caillou etc. Then I rest on the couch and try to wake up slowly. My daughter actually woke me up at 5:30 this morning--Coffee helps. The later they go to bed, the earlier they wake usually--Maybe try to cut out her morning nap, and put her down at noon--then get her down between 7-8. Good luck, hang in there--i know it's tough.

I do not think your child would be able to sleep any more. If you want her to sleep more at night you have to get rid of one of her naps. My son also naturally wakes up early, around six. I have noticed in the summer he sleeps later because he plays so hard outside during the day. We also put a dark garbage bag on her window so the sun doesn't wake him up in the morning.

My kids and ALL of my friend's kids... have ALWAYS woken up, at a certain time frame in the morning.
NO matter what age, no matter what time they go to bed or not, no matter if they napped or not, no matter if they were super tired or not.

Me, I wake up at the same time frame every morning too. No matter what. Even if I am tired.

It just is.

And, if you try to tweak your child's bedtime or nap times or take away naps or make him sleep later or earlier... it will most often, make things worse, and it will back-fire, and the child will be more tired or more fussy... due to the sleep timing changes upheavals.

My kids, have always, since birth, woken up at 6:30-7:00am for the day. Predictably.
They are now 4 & 8 years old, and still do.
NO matter what.
AND my son still naps everyday since birth. My daughter will nap if tired.
And they go to bed by 8:30pm e very night, just fine.

My friend's kid... THEY, since birth, have woken up in the morning for the day, BY 6:00am. Sometimes even waking at 5:30am for the day.

Your baby... is sleeping 10-11 hours at night.
That is spot on. Already.
You are lucky!
And do not take away her naps. That will not make a difference in her morning waking up time.

Don't let her take two naps. This will be hard at first, and she might fall asleep in her dinner plate, but it may be the only way to do it. Or increase her activity level.

Would she be able to recognize the number 7 on an alarm clock if you put one on a sticky note by a special big girl alarm clock?

Count her total sleep for the day--you may be expecting her to sleep too much for her age, especially if she is still taking a morning nap. I would try to merge the naps into one long nap at this point. Also make sure she doesn't sleep later than 3:30-4:00 if you are putting her down at 8ish. Is her room dark enough? I can't stand when my daughter is up that early, even at 2.5 years old she is a major crankypants by 11 am and sometimes falls asleep before lunch.

If you get a good way, I'd love to know. Both my kids, 2 and 4, are up between 6-6:30am every day, even on the weekends. My 4 year old will occasionally sleep til 7am, and my 2 year old will go back to sleep sometimes until 7am, but very rarely. I think some kids are just naturally early risers, because no matter how late the kids stay up, they are up at 6am whether I like it or not.

You could start getting rid of nap #2. But some kid are just early risers...like all 3 of mine

Cut out the afternoon nap. It'll make her a bit cranky at first but she will sleep later in the morning.

Hate to say it, but my 7 yr old has always been up by 6:30....ALWAYS!!! I tried putting him to bed later when he was younger, but then he just got up even earlier. There are days he's up at 5:45! And he hasn't napped since he was about 18 months. Regardless of when he goes to bed, he's up early. He just doesn't need a lot of sleep. Less than me actually!

It won't help you now, but for the last couple of years, he has been able to entertain himself for a few minutes until I can get up with him. So if nothing else, it will get better when you don't HAVE to get up so early because she'll be old enough to be on her own for a little bit.

Good luck!

Wow! I'll trade! I've got a sometimes 5 a.m. riser who is almost 4.

Two things: go to bed early yourself. Get in bed by 10 at the latest. Anything you are doing that late can wait until tomorrow. And yes, if this is earlier than you like to go to bed, it will have to become a discipline for you.
Second, shorten her second nap. You don't say how long it is, but if it's over an hour, wake her. Or shorten the first, up to you.

But really, this is par for the course. I have friends who are up at 3, 4,5 every morning. Just part of the job!