She didn't always. Just before the 5am wake-ups began about 3 months ago, she was good til about 7. I still put her down about the same time (8pm). I tried putting her down earlier, later, filling her with food before bed, letting her cry before going to get her, nursing then cuddling in the hopes she'll go back to sleep. Not much luck. Sometimes, she'll fall back asleep, sometimes she'll sleep til 5:30/6, but nothing real consistent. Even springing forward didn't trick her! I've considered just giving in and waking at 5 with her, but the problem is that naptime is at 12:30 at daycare, but she's usually ready to nap way before that. What can I do to get her to sleep in? I'd settle for 6am. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.
***Forgot to mention originally, she is about 20 months now. This also coincided with a new trend of only napping for 1/2 hour on weekends, versus 3-3.5 hr naps at daycare. She also began daycare full-time [vs just 3 days/wk] at the beginning of the year. Could it be that she just wants to be awake whenever she is with me? =/ Thanks for all the suggestions. Please keep them coming.
It will pass.
MANY kids/babies do things like this... and it is a phase.
It will pass.
Is she hungry?
You did not say how old she is.
Maybe she needs a feeding before then.
Well there really isn't much you can do. My first daughter was the same way. She used to sleep in until 7:30 or 8 then one day it was 5:30 and she started waking around 5:30, 6 am until she was about 3 1/2. So about 2 years for me of waking that early with her. It really, really sucked! And I tried everything...nothing worked. It's just the way kids are. They have their own little wake up times and there isn't much you can do. These are somethings I tried. Like I said they didn't help but maybe you will have better luck. She had a sound machine to make white noise so she won't be woken up by anything, got the dark shades to keep her room really dark, put her to bed later, earlier, tried laying with her in the morning to see if she would fall back asleep, put toys and books in her crib hoping she would maybe play for a while before I would have to get up with her. but none of that worked for me. I did however just start putting her in bed with me when she got up and turning on the t.v. to a cartoon. at the age of 1 she only liked a couple shows but most mornings she would lay in bed for about 1/2 an hour before getting bored with the t.v. so at least i could sleep a little longer.
Unfortunately, some kids are just morning kids. Our oldest loves his sleep but youngest (daughter) has always woken up in the 5 am to 6 am range. She's four now and still rises early. We tried it all -- darkened room, turning the blinds different ways, extra blankets, light blankets, earlier bedtime, late bedtime. No difference. I can say that she did start off closer to 5 am and is now closer to 6 am, so it can improve slightly over time.
Know you're not alone being up at the crack of dawn!
see if you can get her to go to bed later.May be put her down at 9am. sometimes,it can help and sometimes it does not.
Mine is also getting up between 5 and 6 am pretty consistantly lately. I have noticed that she's going through a "learning spurt" right now though. She's 2 1/2 and her language and physical skills are improving by leaps and bounds. She's also recently potty trained and has that whole sensory issue to contend with too. Have you noticed any newly aquired skills in your daughter? That can really mess with the sleep pattern. I am also resigned to the fact that she will probably always be an early waker (I was). I'm getting my come-uppance from when I was a kid, I guess. Maybe suggest that the daycare staff let her have some quiet activity until nap time so she's not over fatigued by the time she can finally nap. Just an idea. Good luck!
How old is she? Mine was doing this for months but now at 17 mos gets to 7a. If she really cries at 5a, I go in like it's the middle of night, hand her her paci and lovey and she plops back down, might fuss for a minute but I don't go in and she stops..... good luck mama. I was so pissed every morning when I went through that and I am crossing my fingers this now sticks.
How old is your daughter? my daughter when through a jag of 5am mornings (from about 4 months to about 9 months)... it didn't last after 9 months she slept through until 6- 6:30 which is still the norm (16 months old now)... though we did go through a jag of night wakings around 1 year which was really painful! From what I understand, it's pretty common for kids to go through "phases" in terms of sleep schedules related to development. Hopefully in a few weeks she'll "grow out of it"... if it persists you can check with the pediatrician if it could be physical.
How old is she? My 7 mo old goes to bed at 7 PM on the dot. She sleeps until 7:30 or 8 every morning. If I get her down past 7, she gets overtired, which causes nightwaking and earlier wake up times. You can try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps.
Sounds like you've tried all the tricks! Personally, I would keep trying to put her to bed earlier. For one of my girls, the later she went to bed the earlier she got up! I know you've tried this, but maybe keep doing it? Sometimes it just is what it is. I didn't get much sleep for YEARS. But now my girls are 9 and 7, and i just slept until 9:30am (they've been playing for probably hours) You'll get there someday. And then, like me, you'll wonder what happened to the baby years :)
When you put her to bed later, did you do this consistently for a month? Same with trying other things. It takes time to change a routine.
Sadly, it may be that she's a morning person. Both of my grandchildren woke up at 6 for years. Now the 10 yo will sleep until 8. It's now apparent that she's a night owl and her brother is a morning person who still wakes up at 6.
