Try moving bedtime earlier. That is the one thing you can control every night. Also, use blackout shades at home if you don't already. As the days start earlier, you don't want your early riser to wake even earlier because it's light outside. That said I'll echo the others in saying that some babies are just early risers. Some outgrow it once they stop napping, others not at all. Apparently most humans have an internal bedtime and wake time dictated by their body clock.
It's not realistic to expect the daycare provider to follow custom schedules for each kid. She needs that group nap time blocked off to eat lunch, prep the kids' snacks, wipe down toys, write baby logs etc.

OP I hear you! A 5am wakeup was not going to work in our house so we were just really consistent with DD. We would go in and comfort her and give her some milk at 5am but she always went back in the crib and we'd get her up officially around 7 at the earliest. Sometimes those two hours were battles and no one really slept but the end result is that now at 18 months she is content in her crib until 7-7:45 depending on the day.

I think all these people just saying 'accept it! that's parenting!' don't understand that just as it is 'natural' for some kids to rise at 5am, some of us 'naturally' rise at 9-10am and so 7am is already a sleep deprived compromise.

Kids have to learn to live in the house with the parents they get. I certainly never neglected my baby but she needed to learn that 5am was never going to be ok on the regular in our house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you need special care get a nanny.

Or, you know, stay home and care for your child yourself.

Love these people that post this crap without even knowing if the OP is in one of a million scenarios that could make it simply impossible for him/her to stay home.

OP, you got taken even if it was $30 copay.

Kids sleep on their own schedule. You cannot force it. Mine was never a napper and would dose a few times a day. He'd be awake till 11-12 PM at night (luckily I was a night owl). Now, he's 8 and killing me as he used to sleep in and now gets up like Dad at the crack of dawn (but still refuses to go to sleep before 10, despite being in bed by 8). I found a better solution. I taught him to wake up Dad to play in the AM. Win for Mom and child as Mom gets to sleep and child gets time with Dad (he's more of a morning person). When its just us, he'll come in bed with me with the iPad.

Transition to one nap a day. Your kid does not need as much sleep as you think.

Anonymous wrote:Wait... I can't get over that someone took a 12 month old to a sleep clinic because he was waking up at 5 AM. That's pretty normal.

It is pretty normal- and it's kinda funny that the sleep study people didn't tell you it falls within the realm of normal

Anonymous wrote:Or, you could just start your day at 5am. It's just an hour away from 6am.

Yup!

You should have a nanny because you can't expect a daycare provider to follow this plan- day care is a group setting- and a group schedule. I know it's frustrating that he wakes at 5 am but it comes with the parenting package!

Anonymous wrote:Daycare naps suck, plain and simple. My 8 month old DD took 2, 25-30 minute naps yesterday. I know the workers are trying because I can see them on camera comforting her, etc. She just doesnt nap with all of the other commotion in the room.

Same. We get maybe 1 nap a week that's longer than 25 minutes. I see that they put her in a very dark, quiet corner, play the music she likes, and rock her to sleep. It just doesn't work. At home, she takes two 1.5 hour naps for me on weekends. LOL. I nurse her so I thought that was the problem, but dh has no trouble getting her to sleep with a bottle either.

You are in the wrong to be irritated at your daycare provider. Most likely they are doing the best they can. If he is sleeping at 8:30am most likely he is falling asleep at that time as daycare is more stimulating than being at home and he starts crying. It is also a different environment than at home. Most daycare have established nap routines for 12 month old that are on schedule. So if he was in a company day care he would get to nap at the same time as other 12-18 months old. 5am wake up time is the norm for many babies who go to bed around 7, which is when your baby should be going to bed. All I am hearing is me, me, me, you don't want a cranky baby in the evenings, you don't want a baby who is waking up early, you demand that daycare does this. Your baby is a person and you as a mom should put your needs second.

Anonymous wrote:OP again. I came here for a reality check, and I got one, so thank you for that. I'm not being facetious, this is my first baby in daycare (I was home with my older child until she was 19mos), so I'm not always 100% sure what expectations are realistic and which are not. So hearing others' experiences is helpful. The side of snark is less appreciated, but whatever.

Op, is it working for you on weekends? Are you able to manipulate his sleep when you have him all day? How do you keep him asleep when he's ready to wake during naps? How do you keep him awake (and happy/not cranky) when you need him to be awake, but he's not tired?

My son transitioned to one after lunch nap at 12 months. I would do that.

Daycare naps suck, plain and simple. My 8 month old DD took 2, 25-30 minute naps yesterday. I know the workers are trying because I can see them on camera comforting her, etc. She just doesnt nap with all of the other commotion in the room.

Anonymous wrote:I hate to tell you this but I have friends whose kids still wake up at 5am well into the elementary years. They're just early risers. The bright side (to them) is that they are in bed by 7pm.

My almost 4 yo wakes up around 5 am regardless of nap schedule or bedtime. We have tried it all!

Op, like PPs say, some kids just have different sleep patterns and they're really hard to change. So, the options are for him to be a cranky mess for the provider between 12-2 (when he's super tired but being forced to stay awake), or a cranky mess for you in the evenings?. How many employees are there? It might just not be possible for the provider to keep your baby awake while also caring for the rest of the kids.

You should start by calling daycare centers to ask if they can work with your schedule. Some may be able to accommodate, but I really doubt it.


My son was an early riser until he went to one nap (at like 26 months, which is older than usual). I tried changing his sleep patterns, but just could not get anything to change.

Anonymous wrote:If you need special care get a nanny.

Yes. She is providing group care. If your son needs something different than the group, you'll need to find and pay for one on one care.

It isn't a nap "fail".. he's napping. This isn't a failure on anyone's part.