Help!!!! With early wakings

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:05 am

My kids wake up so early I'm losing my mind already. No matter what I try they're up at 5 am. They're always grouchy because of it but then when I try to get them to go back to sleep they refuse. They wake up the rest of the household and them as you might have guessed, everyone else is grouchy too. Please help with any suggestions. Tried making their bedtime earlier, later you name it but nothing helps. The last poll of after 8 disappeared

amother

Pink

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:11 am

My son has been waking up at 5 since he was very little. He is now 9 and still wakes up at 5. Some kids are early risers.

I wake up with him but he doesn't wake up his siblings. Do they wake each other up? Do they share a room?

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:13 am

Rappel wrote:

Leave them toys, and leave them cut up fruit in the fridge, and stay in bed until 7. They need their mom awake and happy all day, more than they need her at 5 am.

I've been doing this. But what about the fact that it's affecting them as well and the other kids. I do not believe they're rested enough for the whole day when they wake up

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:15 am

amother Pink wrote:

They definitely wake each other up. They officially share a room but most nights do not sleep in the same room. What time did your son go to bed when he was younger?

Rappel

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:21 am

amother OP wrote:

I've been doing this. But what about the fact that it's affecting them as well and the other kids. I do not believe they're rested enough for the whole day when they wake up

They seem to think they're rested enough Smile

there's no way to fight biology on these issues.

If there's a kid who's suffering and doesn't want to wake up, then you can teach the littles to leave him/her alone and go play in the living room.

Rappel

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:23 am

For reference: my kids go to bed between 7-7:30.

The one to wake up earliest right now is my toddler, funnily enough. He's a 5 am scamp, and he calls everyone else awake. but they're all up by 6ish anyway.

Bunk beds help -- he can't reach his older brother, so if he calls him and he doesn't come, he leaves him alone. His sister is happy to be woken up, so no problems there.

Toddler naps by midday, so he makes it to normal bedtime with the rest of the crew.

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:30 am

Rappel wrote:

They seem to think they're rested enough Smile

there's no way to fight biology on these issues.

If there's a kid who's suffering and doesn't want to wake up, then you can teach the littles to leave him/her alone and go play in the living room.

I know they think it, but the way they act the rest of the day tells a different story. You can tell they're still tired as the day progresses

Rappel

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:36 am

amother OP wrote:

I know they think it, but the way they act the rest of the day tells a different story. You can tell they're still tired as the day progresses

Are they still very little?

Until my oldest was about 4 years old, we did a "rest hour" in the middle of the day. They didn't have to sleep, but they had to be on their beds, and they could take a quiet book or toy with them.

That rest time gave them energy for the rest of the day, and zeroed out the fights. Sometimes they even napped, so they got what they needed.

amother

Vermilion

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 6:52 am

What time does she go to sleep? If you put her in earlier will she wake up even earlier than she is now or will she still sleep until 5?

I have one kid who is up at 6 no matter what. I could tell she needed more sleep so the only way to do it was to move her bedtime earlier.

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 7:01 am

amother Vermilion wrote:

7-7:30 . Wake up same time no matter when bedtime is

amother

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 7:07 am

amother Clematis wrote:

I think we need to know more about the overall schedule to give advice. What time do they go to sleep? Do they still have nap time? Black out shades? What time is dinner/ are they waking up hungry?

7-7:30
They have black out shades but that doesn't matter they wake up when it's still dark out regardless
No nap time
Dinner at 5ish. They're not hungry when they wake up. They eat breakfast a couple hours after waking up

Sewsew_mom

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 7:43 am

My littlest one does this every now and than. Unfortunately it's the now at this moment.
She wakes up to use the bathroom, or something wakes her (if she's in my room my husband's alarm at 6am) and she than won't go back to sleep and proceeds to wake everyone up.
Super frustrating.
She normally will sleep until 7:30-8 so I know she's not getting enough sleep.
She goes to sleep around 7- and if she goes earlier she gets up at 12am ready to party.
I have no advice, but I can relate unfortunately. I wish she would just go back to sleep. I pay no attention to her, which contributes to the whole household up earlier than anticipated.

momallhours

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 11:00 am

amother OP wrote:

OMG are you me?!!?

also struggling with this and have no solution.....

amother

Mintgreen

Tue, Dec 06 2022, 11:16 am

We got a wake up clock when dd was little. Literally a life saver.

We got this one: https://www.amazon.com/Mirari-.....HSBV4 , but I'm sure there are many that work just as well.

Basically, you set it to light up at a certain time in the morning. Explain to the kids that from the time they go to sleep until the clock light goes on, they have to stay in bed or in their room and are not allowed to call us or be very loud. They can come out for the bathroom only and are not allowed to talk to anyone if they do, and they must go straight back to their room afterwards. If they follow the rules, they get a prize in the morning.

We did several practice runs during the day just to illustrate it (pretending to sleep in bed, how be behave until the light goes on, leaving the room when the light goes on, etc.). - dd thought it was funny, but it reinforced the idea.

Worked like a charm. When dd was little, we set it for 6:00 and eventually stretched it to 6:15 and then 6:30 or 6:45 once she was doing it reliably. We still use it these days, even though dd is in elementary school and probably doesn't need it anymore (and now she gets up and takes care of herself and gets dressed and then wakes us up a bit before 7 when the clock light goes on, though she is allowed to come out of her room as long as she doesn't wake us up, but we only started that when she got older).