14 mo old waking at 5am every single day
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Anonymous
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My son just turned 15 months old. This exact same thing happened with our son from about 13 months until he was 14.5 months. It was 4:45 - 5 a.m. wake up calls every day and there was no getting him back down. We just got up, gave him breakfast and let him play. It sucked but now he sleeps until 7 or 7:30. Funny how that feels like "sleeping in" to us now!
Sorry I don't have any great suggestions other than to just do your best to get through it. During that period, I would put him to bed at 7 or 7:30 p.m. and then go to bed shortly after, just so I could get enough sleep. Don't worry, things will get better soon! |
Anonymous
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NP here, desperate for an answer, too. My 17 month old wakes at 5 or 5:15 and completely freaks if we don't come within 5-10 minutes.
There used to be a tiny window when if I came right away and nursed him, he'd fall back asleep for an hour or so. So we got in the habit of coming quickly to catch him when he was still sleepy in the hopes we could go back to sleep for a bit. Then I stopped nursing, and it takes at least a few minutes to make a warm bottle, so it rarely rarely works to get him back to sleep. He's a tension increaser, so once he starts crying, he gets really revv'd up. Would love to hear from others who successfully used a tot clock. We have found that complete darkness really helps him fall asleep at night, so I'd be concerned about something that would be glowing all night. But we're willing to try anything -- especially because of "Fall Back" daylight savings changes soon....I think I would disintegrate into nothing but dust if I had to wake at 4 every day!!! |
Anonymous
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Thanks for the ideas.
Warmer clothes: Will try! She's kind of hot at bedtime (after bath, pissed off sometimes) Later night time: Will Try! She's so tired at 6:30 but again, I"ll try it this weekend and we'll see. Milk: We tried and it stopped working Toys and Books: In her crib; don't work. we even rotate them CIO: haven't tried. We've let her cry for 10 minutes and she hasn't gone back to sleep. (might try to let her cry for longer this weekend). My bed: I"m not a sharer Tot clock: too soon at 14m...worked for my other child at 2 yrs. it's not really working now that the baby is up for the 4 yr old. Re our sleep: Even through technically I am getting "enough" sleep, I am in a deep sleep at 5am and so feel weird/groggy when she wakes me. My husband is a big sleeper so I tend to let him sleep until 6:30 - 7. regardless, thanks to those of you who report your child eventually got back to sleep. I think it is sleep consolidation and if CIO doesn't work this weekend, we might have to consolidate nap next week. |
Anonymous
When you guys say that you let your child play in their crib, do you turn the lights on for them or what? We keep the baby's room totally dark usually.... What magically changed so that he slept 'till 7:30? Our guy goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 but still wakes up between 5 and 5:30. He only naps once, mid-day, for an hour or sometimes two. |
Anonymous
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I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but some kids are just early risers. Our son was one for a very, very long time. Pretty much all through toddlerhood he woke around 5:00 and nothing we could do would get him to sleep later. She may need less sleep (long term issue) or be going through something developmental (short term issue), but either way, I think straight up CIO--and I'm a sleep training person--doesn't really work for this sort of thing.
Once your daughter is older (around 2), you can definitely try the wake up clock concept. You don't need a special alarm clock (in fact, the sleep trainer we resorted to seeing advised us not to). Just get a soft nightlight and a timer, and tell your kid that she has to stay in her room until the light goes on. Better yet, get one shaped like an animal and tell her the animal sleeps (goes off) when she sleeps, and she can wake up when it does (goes on). You can try this somewhat before two, depending on your kid, but she may not get the concept. |
Anonymous
| Fall back means this baby will wake at 4am? OMG, I'd have to go to bed BEFORE the 4 yr old to get enough sleep/ |
Anonymous
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We do toys and books in the crib. Usually in the morning it's getting lighter so they can see a bit. I have a small lamp in there I leave on all night as a night light, but it's pretty dim. It's still fairly dark so they can doze off if the want. But some of the toys have lights or play music so they still like them.
OP, when does your baby nap? Are they doing one mid-day nap yet? |
Anonymous
Yes put toys in there and hopefully she'll learn to entertain herself . No reason the baby has to ruin everyone's day. |
Anonymous
I know!!! My 17 month old was waking around 5AM six months ago, too, and then we did SPRING FORWARD and it was 6, 6:15...it was totally awesome! But somehow in the course of the past 6 months, he has crept back toward 5 again. I don't know WHAT I'm going to do with a 4AM waker! I can only hope that he'll creep back at least to be after 5 after a couple of weeks, but AUUUUGH... I think I'm going to try some kind of nightlight and timer solution. |
Anonymous
| Some kids are just wired this way. Our now-10 year old spent a whole year getting up at 4:30 between about age 1 and 2. We just adjusted, either DH or I went to bed earlier and got up with him. |
Anonymous
| PP on tot clock-- I think it was 18 months, maybe 20 mos? But definitely before two. We got the one with the bunny that lights up when it's time to wake up and we would say, "You have to sleep until bunny gets up". In the beginning we had the bunny get up at her normal time so she saw it was awake, and gradually we pushed the time back. |
Anonymous
| I think my kids finally started sleeping past 6AM after about age 4-5. Years, not months. |
Anonymous
| Op here... In tears. Trying CIO tomorrow for 1 hr. Wish me luck |
Anonymous
| We've been going through this with our 20 month old for the past couple of months. Used to sleep till 630/7 (oh glorious glorious days), now we are lucky to make it past 530. We just bought a tot clock and installed an aquarium toy in his crib in the hopes he entertains himself for a bit when he wakes up so early. CIO definitely was a fail for us - he's slept too long at that point. Anyway, no real advice, just empathy. We'll sleep when they're 18? |
Anonymous
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I am one of the PPs, and normally an advocate of sleep training, including CIO when necessary. That said, OP, don't let your kid cry for an hour at 5 am. She's up. She has slept until she's finished. I know it sucks, but you can't fix this one overnight. As she gets older and ready for a tot clock, you can work on it for a few weeks and you will see progress. But line others, my now 5 year old has only started sleeping past 6 in the past FEW MONTHS, after years of early rising. Letting him scream when he woke up was just cruel.
Go to bed early, take turns with your spouse, and buckle in. |