Early wakings...do you just give in?

I'm losing the plot!! This past week, Will has been waking at 5:20/5:30....this morning it was 5:05. I did a half-hearted attempt at controlled crying, but upon my first return he was hysterically sobbing and was almost being sick when I tried to lay him down and say night night. He was throwing his dummies and just generally going beserk. He was shouting 'mammy...bed....Will!' and I eventually gave in and brought him in with us, telling him he had to sleep, but of course he never does.

5am is just too early, I'm fine with 6 even but anything with a 5 in front is just ungodly.

What would you do? Should I persevere with CC tomorrow, or just accept that this is yet another phase? He goes to bed at 7 and still naps through the day, usually 1.5/2 hours, usually longer if he's been up this early so it's a vicious circle!

Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks!

I'm definitely a CC advocate (and have done it myself) but I'm not sure it works at 5am - sorry. 5am is morning time, I wouldn't attempt CC at that time of day, sadly I think you just need to go with it. I have done the ignoring thing sometimes though it it all gets too much. It will get better, eventually. E has been having 5am wake ups for a couple of months but woke at ten to seven this morning which was a nice surprise. I have been making sure his daytime sleep is early, and only lasts 2 hours which has helped.

I just gave into it. Nothing worked and just resulted in more stress. Amy used to wake at 4.30 last year. This year it's 5. She's almost 4 and I haven't found anything that works.

These days I just give in and bring her downstairs. Tele goes on and I snooze on the sofa whilst she watches tele and plays.

In many ways it's harder now as Phoebe would lie in till 8 quite happily but gets up cos we do.....so it's on weekends we get more sleep

E is 2.5 and when she wakes early she comes in bed with us and dozes on and off. When she was younger she did go through a phase of waking at around 5:30 and I just gave her cuddles in with me and refused to get out of bed until after 6am!

Is there something waking him at that time? Heating coming on, alarm clock or similar nearby?

I'd try giving him a shorter nap today and still put him to bed at the same time and see what time he wakes tomorrow. It mught take him a few days to adjust but I am sure he'll get there eventually. I'm another that thinks he won't gett CC at 5am, he's obviously had enough of a sleep by that time.

xxx

You have my sympathy, we have had a period of this too.  Its is so hard.  Everyone has already given some good advice.  The only thing I would add is that when R does this we stay in his room til 6, either sitting next to his cot or cuddling him.  I would do CC if it were before 5am.  Could you limit naps during the day to an hour and a half? 

good luck

cexxxx

7pm bedtime might be too early for him?  My 16 month old goes to sleep about 8am and wakes 5.45am/6am ish.  Some kids just don't need the 11/12 hours of sleep.

Could he be hungry?  G still need a beaker of millk at 5.30 / 6 and we get an extra half hour (or more) out of her.

Hopefully it is just a phase for you.  I remember Ben going through it.  I think you need to ignore for as long as you can, then maybe bring him into your bed and pretend you are still sleeping.

We invested in a bunny clock and started saying it wasn't getting up time until bunny is awake.  We would then stay in her room with the light out and very little distraction until 6am.  As she got older she understood about bunny and we slowly moved the time bunny woke to 7am.  So I would say try and keep Wil in his room until 6am even if it means you lying on the floor.

We did what Leela did but with a bob the builder lamp on a timer, we told him he couldn't get up until bob light was on and for the first few mornings sat with him until it came on.

We started with 6.30, we had to sit with him for the first few days after he woke up.  We did the major over praise when he didn't get out of bed until the light went on.  After a few days we didn't have to go in, he just waited for the light.

We gradually moved the time forward and now at almost three he gets up at  8 during the week and 9 at the weekend.

If he wakes before the light he lies in bed amd sings his head off so wakes you anyway!

Every morning he takes us into his room to show us the light on!

Thanks all for your replies. I agree about the CC thing as he definitely was having none of it this morning! It's just awful, especially if I'm going to work - I'm wrecked for the day!

I do usually bring him in with us, but he very rarely will doze back off and starts prodding and poking us and wanting to play. The light is a good idea although he might be slightly young? Maybe try it when he turns 2? Or do you think it's worth a try?

We've tried putting him down half an hour/45 mins later and he'll still wake at the same time, Might try it tonight again though since I'm desperate - I'll be following him to bed soon after though as it'll nearly be time to do it all over again!

Lady Falafel:

Could he be hungry?  G still need a beaker of millk at 5.30 / 6 and we get an extra half hour (or more) out of her.

 

WSS.  Amelia does this now and again too, she wakes up, walks into our room, points to her bottle of milk (we keep it in a jug of cold water till morning, so she can have it straight away) and says "ta mummy, please".  So, she gets in with us, has the milk and goes back to sleep till 7:30am. 

Could you try that?

She is in bed by 7-8pm btw.

Sam

We have an early riser as well. I'd say that 2/3 of the time he wakes up between 5 and 5:30, the rest of the tiem we might get a lie-in til 6:30, but usually around 6am. 

We have done modified CC if he wakes up an hour before 'normal', so before 5 for us. (This is Ferber's method for early morning wakings.) What we do is give it 5 min. If he's going to fall asleep, he will, otherwise, we wait til he's definitely awake and shouting to us to get him up, and then we get him up and BF. We've tried different things, CC, ignoring, giVing up and getting him up, going into his room, keeping him in our room. Nothing makes a difference. I can't wait til he's older and I can try things like the light idea!

eta: He goes to sleep at 7pm every night, and feeding doesn't make a differnce with W - although sometimes we think he's still hungry after a BF, at the rate he's pulling our hands out of bed to go downstairs! 

 

We started E with her light at 18 months and she got it by about 20 months

Olivia started waking up at 5.30am recently, so we started the wake-to-sleep routine that the baby whisperer uses. Basically you wake them 1.5hrs before they usually wake up, then let them fall back asleep and as it's usually a deeper sleep they go a little longer. Livi went to 7am this morning, almost unheard of! BW  also recommends the clocks or a light on a timer.

Good luck