I'm fed up of 5.30 starts

[longwaytogo]

dd 3yr and ds 2yr seem to have an inbuilt alarm that goes off at 5.30 and its driving me insane.

There is no way they would go back to sleep if there was just one of them putting her/him back to bed might work but not when there's two of them.

[welshmum]

Oh I'm right with you. It's driving me nutty too.
0527 on the dot with ds who is 17 months, then dd 4 and a half feels duty bound to join in even though she's knackered and could do with at least another hour before school, then she gets overtired. I just don't know what to do, apart from try to be cheerful about it.....which I am patently not.
It sucks

[longwaytogo]

doesn't it just and he's sat here now saying 'mummy when I eat?'

I feel like screaming back 'when its a reasonable time'

[longwaytogo]

are you in wales then welshmum - just thinking maybe its the lovely welsh clean air (uh hum) that is making them wake up fresh and early.

[welshmum]

No I'm in London. I hold out and don't feed them until 7am.
It's not a good phase is it??? I feel fine now though - all up and dressed etc

[jessicaandrebeccasmummy]

Wehave this with Jess too. Its a nightmare.

Today for some strange reason she didnt wake til 6.50am which was bliss,but i know as soon as it hits 5.30 tomorrow she will be up and about!

[schneebly]

me too worse than usual this morning as DSs both have coughs and runny noses and didnt sleep well then DS1 who has been dry at night for 4 months had an accident in bed. YAAAAAWN!

[Bugsy2]

Me too & mine are 7 & 4.5!!!!! I think I must be the only mother who has never, ever had to wake her children for anything. I was told it would all change when they went to school - BUT IT HASN'T!!!

[longwaytogo]

dd2 who is now 12 was like this too and it didn't change when she went to school she was always an early bird she only sleeps in now till about 8 a.m and thats because she's never asleep until 10.30 ish despite being sent to bed.

[Bugsy2]

like the name LWTG - that's how I feel with this early waking thing!!!!

[fizzbuzz]

My ds son used to wake up 5.45am every day for 2 years. What really really pissed me of (apart from getting up at 5.45am) was those stupid books which suggested putting a collection of toys at bottom of cot to entertain the little darlings.Has this EVER actually worked for anyone? DS would wake up, scream immediately and hurl all toys on floor....
All the other crap like blackouts etc never worked either..

[lpl]

well said Fizzbuzz!! I too have spent a small fortune on blackout blinds, blackout curtain linings to make the blackout blinds even blacker!! Nightlights because it was so dark poor ds couldn't see a damm thing when he woke (which he continued to do despite blackouts etc.) Novelty duvets, books beside the bed nothing works so i have now resigned myself to the fact that ds is an early riser. tbh I don't feel so bad in the morning now that I accept it. I am just waiting patiently for the day he does sleep longer (probably when he leaves home!!)

[fizzbuzz]

What I want to know is why do they wake that early? No normal person gets up at 5.30 am so why do small children. Of course there are always people with those small children who sleep until 9.00am, and have done that since the day they were born apparently! What do these people know that I don't?

[frumpystumpy]

I had horrid 5am starts with my twins. I read a great thing in a book about sleep which cured the situation but won't apply to all sadly.....

Make sure that if they have a morning nap it is not too early in the day. Mine were so tired by 9.30am they would doze off. It can become a floating part of the nights sleep interuppted by breakfast. As soon as I got them napping later in the morning it was fine.

If your child no longer has morning/day sleep then sorry, its bollocks getting up at that time and truly awful finding ways of occupying them.

I recommend it loads but Solving Your Childs Sleep Problem, Dr Richard Ferber, was a good read for me and helped lots.

[welshmum]

My brother's 18 month old is currently starting his day at 0430 so when I'm in the right frame of mind I count my blessings.....

[frumpystumpy]

My dd also regularly woke early for a spell, there is hope, she now has to be woken for school at 7am. Sod's law though I never have to wake her when its the weekend [sulk].

Just noticed must change my halloween name....

[fizzbuzz]

Apparently they wake early at weekends, because they are excited at the prospect of no school!
So ds informed me anyway.....

[beansprout]

Can I join in?

Same here. Anything on tv later than 9.30pm is "oooh a bit late as I have to go to bed".

[frumpygrumpy]

Right then, I'm turning my kitchen into school this weekend, that'll teach em.

[lpl]

same here beansprout - I am going to see George Michael in a few weeks and wanted to watch him on TV last night but it was on at 10pm!! Can you imagine staying up that late - anyway had to tape it although i don't know when I will get to watch it.