Waking up Too Early - Provo,UT

Updated on February 18, 2009
R.T. asks from Cicero, NY
11 answers

My 18 month old has almost always been an AWESOME sleeper. Lately, however, we are running into the problem of her waking up too early (6ish). She used to quite regularly sleep from 7 pm until 7 am... sometimes a little longer with one 2 hour nap every day. However, now that she's waking up too early most days she's not getting enough sleep and gets to cranky in the late afternoon (she's not compensating by taking a longer nap). Any ideas on how to get her to sleep in later... we've tried moving her bedtime earlier in hops of "resetting" her, but that hasn't worked. I'd love to get her issues worked out before baby brother joins us in 6 weeks.

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So What Happened?

Thanks for the advice... I have "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" which is awesome and I love. I can't believe I forgot about it for a while. I've reread the section on my daughter's age. We have moved her bedtime backwards to 7:30 and this morning she slept until 7 again. We have also decided that if she wakes up early she can stay in bed and play quietly until after 7, and we will not longer be showing her videos in the morning for her to look forwards to (and possibly force herself awake earlier). That changes our morning routine for mom and dad a little (shower times and all) but we'll make it work. =) Hopefully the 7 am wake up time will stick. And, if not, I think we're okay letting her hang out in her crib (she doesn't climb out yet) until our determined "time to start the day" time of 7ish.

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K.H.

answers from Boise on

All three of my kids have had phases when sleep was out out of sync. Usually it would fix itself after several days or a week but sometimes it was a sign that their sleep needs were changing. Maybe try putting her to bed a little later for a few days Gooluck

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L.W.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Our now 22 month old started doing that as well a few months ago. My hubby was out of town and I was EXHAUSTED. I kept her bedtime routine the same, but I pushed everything back a few minutes. In the end her new bedtime is now 7:30 instead of 7:00pm. I think our little ones are just getting to that point that they need less sleep. By pushing back bedtime a few minutes my DD started sleeping until after 7:00am again.

Along with pushing back bedtime I have had to push back nap time.

It has worked for us....

Best of luck

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D.K.

answers from Denver on

Both of my kids did this around the age of two. It is normal I think as they are so excited for all the new things they know to do and don't want to miss anything! :)
Not helpful I know.
My suggestion is get black out shades so the sun doesn't wake her up. Then get a few books and make a very firm rule if she wakes up and can see she can flip through her books but is not to get out of bed until you get her. Period.
It will be an adjustment too with a new baby she will maybe wake up when the baby does or she hears you getting up with the baby. A lot is going on for her.

My son was waking up at 5:30am and it was exhausting! Now thankfully he does the 12 hours straight!! Some mornings he came into my room and fell back to sleep which was great! He shares a room with his sister so my rule was, you HAVE to get back into bed, lay there with your eyes shut but would tell him he didn't have to go to sleep, 80% of the time he fell back to sleep though. We don't have many issues anymore with this. He needs 12 hours at night and doesn't nap. Now he is almost five and the rule is if we are all asleep, he gets up to pee, doesn't flush so not to wake anyone up, he has to go back to his bed and be quiet until it is time to get up. It works some mornings, others not so much. Then there are mornings I have to drag him out of bed! :)

With a new baby coming it will be hard setting anything up to really work well. Try the black out shades, allowing her to read books in bed if she does wake up but has to stay put. Also give her an earlier naptime too. With a newborn, they take so many naps during the day maybe if you give your daughter earlier lunches for a while and lay her down earlier when the baby does then you have some downtime maybe. Then maybe too she will be more tired at bedtime and more able to sleep all night without waking. Being overly tired can backfire I learned the hard way! Hang in there, CONGRATS on the new baby! So exciting!

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S.P.

answers from Great Falls on

I think it's not too early. My son always woke up at five or so. Sometimes earlier. To get her to sleep later maybe the simple fact that she doesn't need her nap anymore. Good luck!!!

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D.W.

answers from Boise on

As babies get older, they don't need as much sleep. I would lay her down 2 hours later because I am not a 6 a.m. person either. It personally doesn't work for me to lay my kids down so early, so adjust it to works best for you. Also, just go give her a hug and tell her it's still night time and that she needs to go back to sleep. That has also worked for me. Best wishes!

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J.P.

answers from Colorado Springs on

My daughter is 3 1/2 and started waking up at around 4:30a.m.-5:00a.m. She would also wake up crying throughout the night. (eeeekkkkk!) We tried a later bedtime and she doesn't take a nap anymore. Nothing worked. Well...this week we bought her a new bed and she sleeps until 7 or 8. We can't figure out if she was uncomfortable in her other bed or if the cat was bugging her (now her bed is taller). Either way, the madness has ended! This may have nothing to do with why yours is waking up so early but I would definitely consider all factors, such as the bed. I never would have thought that this was what was causing her to wake up. Also...do you have dark curtains? If my kids see ANY kind of light they are up. This is especially bad as it gets lighter, earlier. Hope this gets figured out so you can get some more rest...6ish is early!!

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K.F.

answers from Grand Junction on

It sounds like you have a good deal going! My daughter sleeps only 9 hours a night and one 45 minute to 1 hour nap a day. We went through a stretch where she would go down in the evening at 7 and wake up at 4. Slowly it's pushed to 5, and if we are lucky, once every 3 months we get to "sleep in" until 6. She is 2 now and is going to bed between 6-8, and without fail waking up at 5 on the nose. I've learned to accept it. She is happy and the doctor tells us she is as advanced as a three year old. I figure the more hours she is awake the more she is expose to, the more she learns, the smarter she gets- even though I am a mega grump in the morning because I require more sleep than my 2 year old! Babies and toddlers run naturally on an early to bed- early to rise schedules. For parents it simply sucks, for kids, it is just how it is. We let her get up in the morning and turn on her light and play for a while, but she always needs a new diaper and some milk since it has been hours since she's had something to eat or drink. My advice, you are doing a great job as a mother. Do not fight your child's schedule, just accept it. You and your family may find yourselves much happier. Best Wishes!

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C.C.

answers from Denver on

Hi R. - considering my 2 1/2 yo son has been waking up at 5am, all I can say is I feel your pain. lol

Kids' sleep patterns ebb and flow like that and we just have to go with the flow. There could be a whole host of things waking her up in the morning. She could be hungry. She could be wet. Maybe the furnace turns on at 6 or the neighbor drives by at that time of day or that's when the paper hits the driveway.

I wish I could give you something more specific. It takes a little investigation. My son was having trouble staying asleep at night - a pair of sock under his fleece pajamas was all it took to solve that one.

Good luck to you, your family, and your new arrival!

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M.T.

answers from Denver on

Get "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Wiesebluth. It gives great advice on sleep issues and goes through the stages a baby will go through. Even if you cannot change the habits, it is great to have the information about what is going on at each stage and how the sleep patterns of babies change.It is a great reference book for all ages of a child. Good Luck.

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T.C.

answers from Provo on

It sounds like you have trained her to sleep well. Twelve hour nights is great. I don't know many kids that sleep for 12 hours at night though. My pediatrician said to shoot for 10 hours. I know that none of my family or friends kids are sleeping 12 hours either. My best friend used to complain about her kids getting up at 5 a.m. but she was tired and would put them to bed at 7 p.m. I would try to bump her bedtime back to 7:30. You might have to start with 15 minutes and work to 30 minutes. As she gets older she probably isn't going to need as much sleep. Good luck!

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J.S.

answers from Salt Lake City on

I've always had great sleepers. It seems that all of my kids have gone through phases like this. You can either try to ride it out for a week or two or try putting her to bed a few minutes later - she may not need as much sleep at one time at night anymore. Anytime I adjust sleeping times, I do it gradually - no more than 15 minutes a day or it seems to backfire. In "How to Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems," by Richard Ferber, this exact thing is addressed. If you need more ideas, that may be somewhere to find some. Good luck!

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