Hello all. My son turned 4 in May. Since then he has started to wake up no later then 6 am, and as early as 5 am. When it first started his bedtime was 8pm. Mind you that he goes to bed easily, so when i say bedtime, i mean that is the time he goes in his bed, and is asleep within 15 minutes max. Throughout the months i have tried changing his bedtime. We have tried 830, 9, 915, etc. The latest was 10 pm. It wasnt hard on us having him up that late, and he was never cranky cuz of being too tired. However, no matter which time we put him to bed, he still wakes up between 5 and 6 a.m Most mornings, i can handle the 6 a.m but if its closer to the 5am, well im a mess the whole day, even if i make my bedtime earlier..LOL. He goes to school in the afternoon from 12-3. Most days he falls asleep on the bus ride home. So i know he is needing more sleep at night, or i would think so anyway. Any ideas, suggestions, to get him to sleep later, or is this nothing to be worried about? I do realize kids are different some need more sleep then others, and he is a healthy child, as far as weight and height he is where is should be...so what gives?
Hello Moms! Okay so i never tried the darkening shades, because it doenst get light here til after 6 am, and as i said he was waking up before that. Yes i said WAS. Now its only been 3 mornings, but i think i figured it out. We dont do a lot in the evenings, we spend alot of time in the house, dont get me wrong i spend time with my son, but its inside alot. The last few evenings, we have went outside and done things more active. What i think was happening, was he was tired enough to sleep, but not reallly tired or exhausted..so he didnt need as much sleep. The last 2 mornings he didnt wake up til 6 and 615 ( im starting to think 6 is good after almost a week of 5 am.) Last night we went to my sisters, so he played even harder with his cousins, and its now 6:40 and hes still sleeping. Of course wouldnt you know it that i was awake at 545 on my own...but thats ok, im starting to get use to it..lol figures right.
thanks again for the suggestions and advice, but i think that just keeping him more active each day will help with the sleeping, lets cross our fingers anyway.
I heard that maybe putting him to bed earlier actually might help. When my 3 year old wakes up before 7 I simply send her back to bed. Is that not an option?
Had he been napping? Because he falls asleep on the way home he is probably not needing to sleep as early. See if you can eliminate the nap, if he is taking one.
Also, I agree with the shade darkening curtains. You can buy the backing at a fabric store to add to the ones you already have - I think that will help a lot.
Good luck.
Maybe try putting an alarm in his room, meaning to him that don't go in mommy's room till the alarm goes off. If he awakes before it goes off, he can play quietly in his room.
On a side note, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 2 yrs ago. It has been a huge change since I got the CPAP so I wish u good luck!
Maybe your son also has some form of sleep apnea that is causing him to not be well-rested. It is possible in children. Might not have anything to do with his bedtime. Your pediatrician may have more info.
We had a similar issue with our son once the sun started coming up earlier each morning. One suggestion would be to try room darkening blinds or shade in his room. But what we've found to work well is to put a digital clock in his room. Bonus: he learns a little about telling time this way too. We tell my son at bedtime that it's ok if he gets up early, but that we don't want him coming out of his room (other than for bathroom) any earlier than 8 am and then we show him how to know when that is on the clock. This way he sometimes gets bored and goes back to sleep. Sometimes he'll just play quietly in his room until 8 but then I at least can sleep and shower in peace.
I know it sounds crazy, but if you put him to bed earlier he might actually begin to sleep in a little later. It takes a few days but it eventually works. And at least while you are working towards it, he will get an extra hour or so of sleep a night going to bed earlier. Good luck!
I don't have advice for you as I'm in the same boat with a 2 1/2 year old boy. He's been doing this for a year, I'd say. He gets up at 6:00 as the lastest, but usually between 5:00 and 5:30. I have him in bed by 7:30 at night and he takes a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon. I'm sorry I can't help, but at least you know that you're not alone. I'm hoping he'll grow out of it.
I know a lot of kids who naturally wake up around those times...and it stinks for us parents!
Try putting him to bed at 7:30 instead of 8pm. I'm guessing he can't tell time and with it being darker earlier, he shouldn't fight it. Chances are he'll get more sleep that way and might not be so tired in the afternoon.
Best of luck!
M.
Hi,
I just had to laugh when I saw this. My little guy is the exact same way. I to have tried everything mentioned with no success. His room is`so dark you need to put the lights on at 7.a.m. Our pediatricin(sp) told us he is just a early riser. Someone told me once to keep him up late like 10p evey night for 3 weeks or so and that sometimes reschedules them. I made it 1 week and was ready to pull my hair out. He was now up till 10 and getting up at 6. We have finally excepted the fact he is a eaarly riser so all we do now is ask him to play in his room until mommy or daddy gets up. I just make sure he is in bed by 8 so he does get his 10 hours in. Good Luck
The black out shade worked for my 2 1/2 year old twins!
I know it might sound backwards, but a later bedtime will cause an earlier wake time. Try moving the bedtime back in 15 minute intervals until it is closer to 8. You should start to see a change in a few days to a week. I had the same issue with my daughter and I was recommened to use the book, Healthy sleep habits, Happy Baby by Dr. Wiessbluth. It is a very practical book, that covers all sleep problems. I have used itwith both of my children for years now. Good luck and stay consistant.
M.
My son, who is 4, does the same thing. He goes to bed at 8, though sometimes it takes a while for him to fall asleep. We tell him that he's not allowed to wake up unless there is a 6 on the clock. If there is a 5, then he knows he has to go back to bed, even if we are up with the baby. He comes into our room to check the clock. He only wakes us up when there's a 6. We are going to put a clock in his room eventually and cover up the minute numbers, so he doesn't get confused.
Good luck!
A.
Do you have room darkening shades or heavy curtains? You might try that too, or hang a blanket over the curtain rod to make the room dark for a few nights...
