Help! My Son Won't Stay in Bed!

Wow, my girls 3 1/ and 22 mos go to bed at 8 and are up at 5:30 or 6, if I'm really really lucky I make it to seven. I would love to sleep until 7!! Sounds like he is very normal, maybe if he gets up early you can have him come out of the room and do a quiet activity for a while.

It's a phase that you will have to live through. Forget the bottle thing...they can follow you into the kitchen for a sippy cup of milk, water or juice. Water is best in between meals...

I think 6:30/7:00 is a pretty common time to wake up amongst the toddler set. Sorry, probably not what you want to hear. My daughter (19mos) is usually up around 7am, and I just try to keep things low key, get her some breakfast, let her read some books to herself. I make coffee and lounge on the couch until I'm a little more awake.

It sounds like your 2 yr old is getting enough night time sleep and there isn't much you can do about it. I think your best bet is to get him up and let him play quietly until your younger son is up. Good luck!!

Like clock work my 2yo wakes up at 6:30-7ish too. Her bed time is 9:00. I don't enjoy getting up this early as often it is 11 before I even get home from work but I don't think it is so unreasonable for her. She sleeps 10 hrs at night and 2 during the day. If you want a kid to sleep more than 11 hours you'd better drug him (just kidding of course).
My boyfriend gets up with her once a week so I can sleep in, maybe you should try asking your husband to do the same

I hate to say it, but you may have to get up w/ him. I have 2 girls and they sleep very differently. My oldest was a great sleeper, but my one year old could careless about sleep ;-) and its usually me and her in the early morning hours hanging out. If you don't mind, you can always bring him into bed w/ you to "snuggle" for a bit. I do that as well w/ my one year old and that sometimes gives me an extra 30min-hour.
Good luck.

For starters they shouldn't be in bed with bottles....
Sounds like your oldest boy is ready for a big bed. If he's climbing out of the crib then it's time to get rid of it. It's not safe to keep him in a crib if he is climbing out of it. My daughters were out of their cribs before they were two.
Also maybe you should get up with your son and spend some one on one time with him in the morning while the younger one sleeps. They need that special time with Mommy. Take advantage of it instead of complaining. Some day you will look back and wish you had.
I am one that wakes up early and stays up. Always have. My Mom said when I was little I was up before all of my brothers and her and Dad. I was taught how to turn the tv on and went and sat and watched it until the others got up.
My Mom now wishes she had gotten up with me and spent that time with me. I was the only girl out of seven brothers. My Mom didn't have much time for any of us.
Enjoy your son, get up and spend time with him. If that means you have to go to bed earlier then maybe you should try it.
They grow up a lot faster than you think....

My son is the same way. He is now 3.5 years old and still gets up early. No matter if he goes to bed at 8pm or 11pm. He wakes up early. His room is pretty dark too. It's a little tough since your child shares a room. I really don't think there is a way to keep a child in their bed at that age without actually staying in the room with them. We put our son to be at 7:30~8pm and turn on Noggin channel on the t.v. We set the t.v. sleep timer for 30mins and when the t.v. turns off he usually goes to sleep. I think kids just need a wind down period. We still do the normal bedtime routine with hugs etc but with him getting just a little t.v. time alone it makes him feel "big" and also gives him a chance to wind down. I wish I could give you better news but he is getting older and more active.

To me that sounds so familiar. That is my middle child to a T. He gets up at that time and has since he was about 6 months old. It doesn't matter what his bedtime. The only time he sleeps longer is if he is sick. That may just be his wake time and you will just have to live with it. Try putting some books out for him to read in the morning. Or buy some special toys that he is only allowed to play with in the morning when he wakes and put them in a special basket by the bed. And if you want the other child to stay asleep you may have to just get up and take the older one out. Coffee helps a lot!!!

My twins share a room to and I also have one that is an early riser and one that needs more sleep. I bought the good nite lite a few months ago and it has helped.

http://www.goodnitelite.com/index.php

We still have some early mornings but it is not every day like it was. I think it has really helped my daughter than needs a few more minutes of sleep.

Hi N., he sounds just like my 2 1/2 yr old. his bedtime is between 8 and 8:30pm and he sleeps until 6:30 - 7am. Somedays if he doesnt go to bed on time he'll sleep a little longer, but normally he wakes up around the same time and is a little more cranky. 11 hrs is a lot of sleep for adults, no less toddlers who more than likely have had a nap during the day. they dont need 12 hrs of sleep like when they were infants. i will bring him in the bed with my husband and I and turn on Noggin (the only TV i allow him to watch geared for preschoolers) and give him some milk to hold him over about an hour or so... i grab him while he's still sleepy and just up making noise so he goes back into that state watching tv and doesnt jump around and make too much noise. then by 8am i get up to give him breakfast. truth is if hes up at 6:30, he's probably starving by 7;30am so u shouldnt wait too long to get him something to eat! good luck, more than likely the younger one will follow the same pattern as the older child.

A 2 year old should sleep an average of 10-13 hours per night. I think you are fortunate he is sleeping until 7. He's rested by then and ready to get up. I would try getting both of the children up at 7 and perhaps the 1 year old would take a morning and afternoon nap if he is not already doing so.

You might be able to train a 2 year old to stay quietly in his bed during the sibling's sleeping in or napping time but truth is he's rested and ready to go.

Why does he need to stay in bed after 7:00am?? If he is rested and ready to get up why can't he? I have two and when my older one wakes before the younger one I have taught her to leave the room quietly with me, I close the door and we go do something and play together away from the one still sleeping. This is a perfect opportunity to spend that couple of hours alone with your older child. What a wonderful opportunity that many other parents don't always get daily.

Each child is different (just like adults) and have their own needs and clocks....my mom is up by 6am daily whereas I would like to sleep until 8or9am if possible, BUT everytime I find myself wishing I could sleep later or saying something like "I can't wait for the day I can sleep in" I catch myself and take it back, because that would mean my kids were grown and these times are long gone...

Enjoy your little one while you have the chance. Try to think of it as special time and more opportunity to share and create memories, rather than it being a burdon and wanting to eliminate the opportunity. These chances will be gone before you know it!

There's really not much you can do at his age. Some kids just need more sleep than others. If you cannot put them in separate rooms then I would pull him out when he wakes up and bring him to your room. I would tell him he has to look at a book or play quietly. Maybe make a palate on the floor and tell him he cannot get off it.
It will take some training to get him to understand what quiet play is but he is NOT too young to learn this so just be diligent! Blessings!

Is he sleeping through the night, from 8 pm until 6:30 or 7:00 am? I think that's great! 7 am is not too early. My grandson, who is 22 months and lives with us, gets up at 6, and has begun to wake up in the middle of the night, too. I know it's because he's teething, but I sure wish he'd sleep in just one more hour! LOL

However, I understand you don't want him waking up his younger brother. I think the only solution to that is to get him out of his room as soon as he wakes up. That way, you and he can share some special one-on-one time, which, once his younger brother wakes up, he can't get. He'll have his own special time with Mommy.

That's a normal time of day for a two and a half year old to wake up. Don't move his bedtime back--you'll just deprive him of sleep, and then he'll be up early and cranky! If the room is really dark (like in the winter) he might sleep a bit longer, but most kids seem to get up at that time.

I would find an activity that absorbs him but allows you to do what you need to do. Will he look at books? Can you make a special reading spot near you so he can do that until you are ready to get up? Or trucks, or action figures, or whatever he'll do quietly for a bit? It will take practice, but if you're consistent he ought to be able to wait longer each day.

I also wonder if he gets hungry--my five year old even has a hard time waiting until 9am for breakfast.

Good luck--I hope that helps!

Maybe you should rethink this 6:30 to 7 is great if he goes to bed at 8pm. My son went to bed at 1 or 2am and then got up at 6am every morning until he turned 4yrs old. The doctor said he just didn't need the sleep but I sure could have used just a little more. Maybe if you hear him up you could use that time to spend with him without his brother and that may make him less jealous of his brother. Just a suggestion but you sure are lucky to have them sleep so well.

My children went through the getting up at 7 every morning phase. These is no way out except to let them get up. Your other one can sleep if you take him out and bring him into another room with you and toys. But they are awake for the day. Good Luck

Hi! I know this isn't what you want to hear...but he's perfectly normal! At his age, he doesn't need 12 hours of sleep. In fact, if he's napping during the day, I'm suprised he'll even sleep from 8-7. You may just need to get up earlier...I'm not a morning person either...but their normal awake time should be 7...I've read it over and over. He's right on track :) Good luck!

This is just a thought...but why do you need him to stay in bed? If you hear him wake up you can just go get him and bring him out of the room so he doesn't wake your other child. The amount of hours he is sleeping is completely normal for his age. If you want him to sleep past 6-7 put him to bed around 10pm. Otherwise, his is sounds like a young, happy, active boy that wants to go-go-go as soon as he wakes up.

Good Luck.

I'd KILL for my 2.5 year old son to sleep until 6:30 or 7!! Maybe I'm crazy, but is that really all that early? Sounds like he's just ready to wake up for the day to me. My son is awake at 5/5:30 alot...and I have to pull all sorts of tricks just to get him to stay in bed until 6:00! Can't say I have much sympathy for you -- but rather, I'm jealous!!

If he's climbing out of his crib and breaking thru crib tents, maybe it's time for a big boy bed. Not sure what else to say...sorry I have no advice...but just thought I'd throw my two cents that it doesn't seem all that out of the ordinary to me!

KT

Hi there,
Welcome to 2! I think it is quite normal for children to be waking up between 6.30 and 7am, I have two girls and both have been early risers its hard to give up those mornings and difficult to not have any time alone before they wake up but we have just adjusted our schedules. The only suggestion I would have is to put the little one in your room and then put a child gate on the bedroom door if your son will play with toys etc that may give you some extra time in the morning.

Him waking up at that time is not like anything wrong. It is a normal time and he is getting enough sleep by going to bed at 8pm. Just sounds like more of a hassle since the little one sleeps longer, which if he slept longer too then you could sleep longer. But not much gonna help, he is rested and ready to go.

I think that is a normal wake-up time for a child that age, and probably not much you can do. My 2yo gets up about 6:15 every day (8 p.m. bed time) and my 4yo will sometimes sleep until 7 a.m., but he is usually up by 6:30. On the few occasions when they have gone to bed later, I was (UN)pleasantly surprised that they did NOT sleep later. I think you are just going to have to get up when he does. If he was waking at 5 a.m., I think you could work on it, but 7 a.m. is a pretty normal time to start the morning. I don't think you can really expect him to sleep later than that.

my 2 year old can go to bed at 9:30 and will STILL get up at 7. They are just like us- if they're ready to get up, they're ready to get up. All I can say is have the coffee pot set so you can stumble out of bed and veg on the couch for a while until the baby gets up. Also- try to remember those newborn days when you were happy to get a 3 hour stretch any given night. At least you can sleep all night now!

Hi, my children go to bed at 7:00 every night and sleep til 6 am every day. Why do you want them to sleep so late? I guess I just like having the evenings to myself and I dont mind getting up early in the morning. I am grateful my children sleep as well as they do. I would think about getting rid of the crib for the older one and trying a toddler bed. I also notice if I take my kids outside to play and roughhouse before bathtime-they rest alot better. Good Luck, S.

Although I do know lots of parents whose kids are late sleepers, any parenting expert or book you consult will tell you that between 6-7am is a very normal wakeup time for babies and toddlers, you just can't change that. Also, putting a child to bed later will not solve the problem - sleep begets sleep - experts actually often suggest putting a child to bed a little earlier to get them to sleep longer. Sounds counterintuitive, but I know from experience that it's true. I would definitely move the 2.5 year old into his own room if you are able to, put him in a toddler or 'big kid' bed for his safety, then at least maybe he'll stay in his room and play and not wake his brother. Additionally, loose the bottles - not a good practice. Sorry I have no other suggestions to help YOU sleep longer - sometimes as parents we just have to adjust to them. Good luck!

Ugh. I know it sucks when the kidlets don't sleep as late as you would like. But as others have already stated, there isn't much you can do to make him sleep longer. I'd add some books to his bed or a table beside his bed for him to look at in the morning. Maybe that will help him stay quiet a bit longer. If you really want the younger one to continue sleeping though, then you will need to remove the older one from his room shortly after he wakes up.

I know from the point my little one wakes up in the morning, I have about 20 minutes that I can continue to 'sleep' until he is ready to get out of his room-upping the Mama to ever few seconds, lol.

I'd get up and enjoy not having to worry about the two of them for a bit and spend some alone time w/the older one.

Best advice I can give is to put him in a toddler bed, leave the door ajar, and hope that he comes to play with you so that he doesn't bother his brother. My daughter is the same way. She can go to bed at 10:00 and wake up 5 times during the night, and she still will wake up every morning at 7:30. I know, because that is usually what happens.