Early Waking from Toddler

Since it takes awhile to get to sleep at night, he's probably overtired in the morning and that causes sleep to be restless - and to wake up earlier. Try an earlier bedtime. All our kids were in bed by 7pm at that age, would fall asleep by 7:30 and would sleep until 6:30-7am. It seems counterintuitative to put him to sleep earlier rather than later but it works for most toddlers. The best way to make sure my kids wake up before 6am is to let them stay up until after 8pm!

I'd say yes, let him try to go back to sleep. Perhaps try to black out his windows? My 21 month old son wakes up when the sun gets up, so if he wakes up at 6am (still dark), I don't go in there. He falls back asleep. If your son is also "eventually" going back to sleep, then he should probably be able to figure out how to do it on his own without you and your husband going in there. I read that kids this age should be getting between 10-12 hours of sleep at NIGHT, plus the 1-2 hour nap, so perhaps going to bed later might help, depending on what time you currently put him to bed. Good luck.

My daughter is similar in age, and we've also dealt with this. I definitely would NOT get him out of bed. I think that will just 'define' his new wake time. At his age, he is probably able to understand a lot. I would go into his room and explain to him that it is still night time, and that he needs to go back to sleep. Don't spend time comforting, in fact don't even pick him up at all. Just touch him and tell him that its ok, but that he must sleep. Then leave. I wouldn't spend more than about 2 minutes in his room, even if he screams. We did this when our daughter was waking around 5 or 6. At first she would cry, but after a couple of days she would just go back to sleep...then she stopped waking at all. Occasionally she still does it, but the minute we go in and explain that its still night time, she lies right back down. Good luck!

What time does he go to bed at night. I have found that sometimes they wake up earlier if they are over tired or not getting enough sleep. I put my 2 year old down between 7:30 and 8 and he sleeps until 7:30 or 8 in the morning. I know the nights that we are out late or have guests over and he does not go to bed until 9 or 10 he wakes up earlier and is not rested.

i can relate. When my son was a baby he would wake up between 4:30am-5:30am and it seemed like torture, but eventually his routine changed and he would wake up around 6:30am.
Previously owning my own childcare and one of the mothers of the boy i would look after is a raw foods chef and explained that nutrition had a lot to do with a child's everyday routine. Sleeping well and waking up at different times in the night plays a huge role in your child's well-being.
all in all, children's routines change constantly. We as parents need to be flexible and just focus on good nutrition, plenty of rest 10-11 hrs nightly for this age, and lots and lots of love and patience :-)
hope this helps!!! blessings, L.

I am in the same boat, and it stinks! My son just turned 2 last week! It gets very frustrating and tiring! I look forward to reading your responses! I pray this is just a phase that will pass! My son has been waking up at 2ish and wants to do nothing but play or watch Elmo. It is like he is not tired and can't go back to sleep. If we finally goes back to sleep, he is up again within 2 hours! This all started about a month ago when he had an ear infection, but it has continued for over a month now! We have tried everything!! He is so strong willed that there is NO letting him cry it out b/c the "out" part never comes! It got so bad about 2 weeks ago, we were having to lay down on the floor with him in his room until he went to sleep, and then try moving him to his crib without waking him. Thankfully he feels better now, and is not miserable, but he is still waking! Good luck to you!

As a mom of two, I let my oldest get in my bed when she couldn't sleep, rock her, watch tv, ect. She's now 4 1/2 and we are still dealing with some of these issues. With my 2nd, we have not done any of these things. I hate to hear my children cry, but trust me, it's better to get the crying it out method over with at a young age and then NEVER give in unless they are truely sick. I put my kids to bed at 7 & 7:15. They used to go to bed later, but would get up between 6&7. One day they both fell asleep early and slept 13 hours. That became the new bedtime. My children both sleep better and feel so much better. The older one does wake up after 6-7hrs because she is hungry. I just feed her some protein and put her back to bed.

I know that it seems like they will never stop crying and that it won't work, but children are very smart. If you eventually go in and get them then they know you will eventually give in. If you try to hold out longer, they will cry longer. They know mommy can't stand it. Here's some methods I have used: Stay on the other end of the house where I can still hear them but yet it's quiet enough that it doesn't bother me so much. Go sit on the front porch and get some fresh air. Wear ear plugs, mp3 player, ect....The thing is that you need to be able to hear then in case they do NEED you (which they won't) but you need to keep your sanity for the hour or two they scream. Once they know you aren't going to come in they will start screaming less and less every day. You would be suprised to know this usually only takes a week or two before they are down to 10min or less. TRY THIS!! I WISH I WOULD HAVE WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS A BABY!!

Also, check out the book "making your kids mind without losing your's" By: Kevin Leman. He is excellent at describing things like this.