Parents of super early risers

[Anonymous]

How are you preparing for this weekend's time change? I am freaking out because as it is, DS (3) is up NO LATER than 5:15 am most days. This am he was up at 4:55 am. After spending the past year trying every suggestion imaginable to change this, I have accepted that he is a "morning lark" and just deal with it. So this week I am hoping that by putting him to bed every night 15 minutes later than usual (8pm) and slowly extending his day, by the end of the week he will go down at 9pm and hopefully still wake at 5 am with the hour falling back. Anyone doing anything different? Anyone somehow cure their kid? He is 3, goes to bed at 8pm and takes a nap from 1-3 every day.

[Anonymous]

Cut out the nap!

[Anonymous]

I'd have to agree that it's the nap. Try limiting the nap to 45 minutes to one hour and see if he will sleep a little later. Once I cut out the nap my 3 year old started sleeping 11-12 hours at night, going down at 7 and up around 6:30-7.

[Anonymous]

As a parent of a 3 yr old, I agree w/ the PP. My son could get by w/o a nap for a few days in a row but most days I put him down for one. He didn't take one today and fell fast asleep at 8pm and will sleep until at least 7 am tomorrow. If he doesn't fall asleep for his nap after laying down for 20 mins or so, get him up. I know my son needs a nap when he falls asleep almost right away.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yeah, we tried cutting out the nap. At the end of two weeks of no naps, I just had a super cranky kid who was still waking up at 5 am (even when I put him to bed earlier).

[Anonymous]

Maybe try nap every other day. This is what we do with our 3.5 yo DD. Every day nap was keeping her up too late and no nap was turning her into a mess. Every other day seems to be right balance.

[Anonymous]

I know how you feel! Cutting the nap is not always the answer. Some kids are just naturally early risers. We have two of them! The 2 year old is up by 5.30am at the moment and it only changes by 15 minutes if he has no nap. The 3 year old is better now, but went through years of that. I'm going to try putting them straight on the new schedule over the weekend - i.e. keep them up an hour or more longer than normal. The excitement of Halloween should help.

[Anonymous]

Does your son need a diaper or pull up at night?

If so -- this may sound silly -- but my son was a very sensitive child as well as an early riser. I found he'd wake up around 4 or 5 am because he had peed into his pull up, and the wetness made him uncomfortable. He woke up, then couldn't fall back asleep essentially -- up for him was up.

I switched to the more expensive and more absorbant brand of night time diapers (Good Nights -- intended for kids who wet the bed I think -- i.e older kids) and also cut out evening drinks, made sure he went to the bathroom before bed -- and he started sleeping longer in the mornings. This was around age 3. The Good Nights brand really soaks up a ton, and he wouldn't feel any wetness.

I think I was onto something with him, because if I used the regular pull ups or diapers, he'd revert to waking when he was wet and felt it. (I surmise).

You said you had tried EVERYTHING... so I'm just trying to think of something else you might not have thought of. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yeah, we tried cutting out the nap. At the end of two weeks of no naps, I just had a super cranky kid who was still waking up at 5 am (even when I put him to bed earlier).

Instead of a nap, have you tried engaging your child is quiet/low activity activities - reading, playing quietly with blocks, drawing, etc.?

Also, do you have to run to his/her bedside when your child awakes at 515am? Surely a 3 year old can play quietly alone in bed/room for at least an hour (sparing you an hour of sleep) - simple/safe activities - (again) reading, a leapfrog activity pad, drawing, etc.

[Anonymous]

Try to shorten the nap. Maybe to one hour? 45 minutes?
Just go in and gently wake him up.

Getting up so early seems so inhumane, doesn't it? My son did that for a long time and then it just worked it's way out.

BTW, put him to bed at 9pm like you usually do th is weekend.

[Anonymous]

OP here again...thanks so much for all the suggestions. He IS still in diapers. It could be the wetness that also wakes him (though I doubt it) but unfortunately, he is allergic to the more absorbent diapers and we had to switch to Seventh Generation, so using Huggies Overnights isn;t an option for us. Yesterday I tried to cut his nap out again and he was fine and happily playing and I left the room for 30 seconds and when I returned, he was asleep on the floor, face-down! I left him there for an hour after trying to wake him several times. He finally did wake up and was a miserable little beastie for the next hour! I think the key is figuring out a way to keep him awake and occupied and then an earlier bedtime. Last time I only tried for 2 weeks, maybe I need to give it a little more time...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again...thanks so much for all the suggestions. He IS still in diapers. It could be the wetness that also wakes him (though I doubt it) but unfortunately, he is allergic to the more absorbent diapers and we had to switch to Seventh Generation, so using Huggies Overnights isn;t an option for us. Yesterday I tried to cut his nap out again and he was fine and happily playing and I left the room for 30 seconds and when I returned, he was asleep on the floor, face-down! I left him there for an hour after trying to wake him several times. He finally did wake up and was a miserable little beastie for the next hour! I think the key is figuring out a way to keep him awake and occupied and then an earlier bedtime. Last time I only tried for 2 weeks, maybe I need to give it a little more time...

Have you tried the Diaper Doublers? It is essentially a pad you put into the regular diaper that helps absorb more at night. I don't know if your son would be allergic to that or not. We have done this with our 3 year old for about 2 weeks and now he is sleeping until 7:30-7:45 most mornings - hooray! Before that, he would usually wake around 6:45, usually because his diaper had leaked. The key for us is also getting our son out in the afternoon. If he doesn't have some sort of activity, he doesn't go to sleep as well or sleep as long. It is harder now that it is getting colder, but we still try to do something. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Not the OP, but where can I buy diaper doublers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP, but where can I buy diaper doublers?

I got them at BabiesRUs and I think I have also seen them at Giant. They are $3 for 30 and basically look like a big sanitary napkin without the adhesive. But they work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not the OP, but where can I buy diaper doublers?

I got them at BabiesRUs and I think I have also seen them at Giant. They are $3 for 30 and basically look like a big sanitary napkin without the adhesive. But they work!

Thanks.