Stumped by 16 Mo. Early Wake Time

I hate to break it to you, but there is nothing you can do. I have early morning risers too. Both of my boys are up between 6 and 7 EVERY morning. I tried putting them to bed later. Didn't make a difference. Except that they were crankier all day. So I now put them to bed every night between 6 and 7 PM. Sometimes, on the weekend they go to bed later because we are out doing something with frinds, but they are still up at the butt crack of dawn. I just know that it's something I'm going to have to deal with. My husband sometimes takes pity on me on a Saturday morning and I'll get to sleep in until 9AM. That's a real treat! Other than that I haven't seen a morning any later than 7 AM since they were bone. My oldest will be 4 next week. Good luck!!

When my daughter started this faze we did two things. We did move bedtime later. We did 10mins later for 2 days then another 10 mins later for another 2 then again to make it a half hour later. We also decided we would put her back down to sleep if up before 6:30. We just said sorry babe, it's sleep time. Lay down and rest. There were mornings she didn't actually sleep again and was up every 5 mins until it was time to be up. She eventually got it and it still works at 2 1/2. Best of luck I know how it feels.

I would suggest looking at how much she is napping during the day. I know that when my son (11 months) sleeps too much during the day, he's up and moving at 5:00. He bed time is consistent at 8:00pm, but he sleeps later (6:00) if his daytime naps are shorter.

My son used to get up at 4:00 each morning, no matter what and it was horrible. We rotated mornings so that one of us got some sleep! We moved his bed time by an hour and it did help- thirty minutes may not be enough of a change.

You could also try putting a few stuffed toys or a soother in her crib so that she can entertain herself when she wakes up. Our little guy will occassionally still wake-up in the middle of the night, but turns on his Fisher Price Rainforest soother and watches the lights and animals until he falls back asleep- best gift ever!

I have this same issue with my daughter. She's 3 now and has always been this way. She's waking up at that time because that's when the sun rises. I would recommend the blackout shades, but it might not work. It doesn't for me. Somehow she knows it's daytime, even without the sunlight shining into her room. You've already tried the later bedtime, so I would put your daughter to bed as early as you think is necessary for her to get enough sleep.

The problem with the time change thing is the light. It gets light earlier. Make sure her room stays dark with thicker shades or heavy curtains. Hopefully this will help her body to think it is still nighttime.

Z.,
My daughter was the worst sleeper ever, and I remember last summer she went through a period where she would be up at 5:30 and ready to go.

I was so tired, and after a few weeks of being an iffy sleeper, she got into a routine. My mom told me to put Paige [my daughter] to bed later and she ended up waking up even EARLIER, so I'd say that's a no.

Try to get her tuckered out before bed, and if she wakes up early bring her into your bed and see if that helps her to go to sleep. I found that if we snuggled in the morning and had a feeding, she would doze off for another hour or two.

Hi Z.. I would definitely NOT bring her into bed with you at that time.
I have 2 kids and noticed with both of them that at one point or another they also woke up too early. It's like a point in their sleep pattern is light and maybe some outside factor just rouses them enough to wake them up. I think the best thing is just laying her back down and saying it's still night night time and walking away. I did this with both my kids and fought some resistance probably for up to a week before they understood that no one was ready to get up and they finally gave up. It still happens now with my 3 year old occasionally.
I also think that you need to look at your child's specific sleep needs. My first is a 12 hour man. If this kid doesn't sleep 12 hours, HE IS A BEAR. :) So I try everything to make sure no one wakes him up before he's ready. My second guy wakes up like clockwork with 11 hours of sleep. Try to figure out what her sleep needs are and then you may or may not have to adjust that early bed time. 6:30 is really early...but if that's what works for you guys, keep it...but my second guy would be up by 5:30 if I put him to bed that early. Also as summer is coming you may find that you guys are going out and doing things later into the evening which may push the bedtime back. Maybe that will help. Good luck. :)

Hey Z.,

I wouldn't try a later bedtime it never worked for me. If we were out later then usual at a party or something my kids would go to bed later and wake the same time anyway. It is probably a phase and will work itself out in time. Is she doing one nap a day? I would make it around 12 until around 2 and not any later then that. I know you are tired but maybe just let her start her day by putting the light on put some toys in her crib and let her play for a little longer while you rest in bed. She is safe in her crib and who knows maybe she will surprise you and fall back to sleep or just realize there's nothing worth getting up for. Also try to get a lot of fresh air and tire her out. Good luck

While infants and toddlers sleep 13 hours or more, at some point, the hours they sleep decrease. For instance, my kids sleep about 11 hours, although my 3 year old twins still nap an hour or two during the day. If you put her to sleep at 6:30, ultimately, she won't sleep 13 hours, which is probably what is happening now. Also, now that it is getting lighter out earlier, kids get up earlier. This happens to my kids every summer.

6:30 is pretty early to go to bed. How much does she sleep/nap during the day, and when? At this age, if she's still doing 2 naps a day, it's time for one. If she's doing one, consider when the nap is - for instance, napping 1:00 to 3:30 is too late if you have her bedtime as 6:30. Here's what the typical sleep amounts "needed" are:
6 months and younger: 11-12 hours night, 3-4 hours day in 3-4 naps.
6 to 9 months: 11-12 hours night, 2-3 hours day in 2-3 naps
9 to 18 months: 11-12 hours night, 2-3 hours day in 1-2 naps
18 months to 3 years: 10-12 hours, 1 nap
3 to 5 years: 10-11 hours, sometimes 1 nap (most lose between 3 & 4)
5 years+: 9-10 hours, no nap

So if your daughter is going 11.5 hours at night, that's normal. The especially early waking could have to do with needing a nap adjustment, and it could have to do with springtime - you might need to try blackout shades.
Good luck

We had the same problem with my son. We figured out that part of the problem was the sun coming up earlier. We had to tape his shade to prevent any light from coming into his room. We also made sure to turn off his nightlight when we went to bed. It helped a little and he started to sleep until 6 am. Some kids are just naturally early risers.

He is now 4 and still gets up at 6 am every morning. At least now, I have taught him if his clock doesn't have a 7 as the first number, he has to stay in his room and read books until it says 7:00. Good luck!

My ideas were already suggested...blackout shades, white-noise (did anyone say that?), sticking to a schedule. If you can figure it out, think about and let me know how to get an almost-6 year old to sleep IN on the weekends and get UP during the school week! This is what you have to look forward to. Good luck!