[bbeard72]

For a week now our son has promptly been getting up at 5am ready to go for the day and we are exhausted!! I've tried putting him to bed earlier and later and he still gets up at the exact same time.
I've tried getting him to go back to sleep, rocking him, letting him cry it out...and nothing works.

Any suggestions. We thought this was a phase for a couple days but it's not going away and we don't want it to be the norm. We're beat!

[CEB]

I do not have a great solution other than putting him to bed earlier and going earlier yourself. My DS has always been up for the day between 5:15-5:45 am. From the time he came home at 9 months and still today at 23 months. He goes to bed at 8pm and we generally try go to bed by 10:30pm so we get get 7 hours sleep. And on the weekends I often join in his nap. Good luck!

[NeeNee]

It's getting lighter out earlier and earlier. I'm not sure if it's light out at that point where you are but if so you might want to try "room darkening shades". I have them in all my kids rooms. There are ones that just filter light and then the ones that really do darken.

Just a thought. Good luck!!!

[Saya]

Oh, how I wish I had an answer for you!

I should ask - is there something that could be waking him up? Is his room dark enough in the AM? Is it noisy in the morning - e.g. is there a garbage truck that comes by at that time each morning that could be waking him up?

If not, then you may just have to live with it - sad to say I know. For over a year Anabel woke up at 5:15 - 5:45am whatever time she went to bed. For a couple of weeks there it was 4:45 which was just painful. All we could do is schedule our lives around it: we put her to bed really early so she got enough sleep, and then we went to sleep by 10pm so we were OK in the AM as well.

(Now she wakes up between 6am and 6:30. WOOHOO!)

If you do find a solution, you can market it and make millions of dollars. . .

[azamboni]

Oh, I feel your pain! Is he still teething? We found that the super-early wakings tapered off dramatically after his last teeth came in (he was an early teether, so he was done around your son's age). A white noise machine might help if you haven't already tried it, but we went through so many ideas, too, and it turns out he just likes to get up early. It was harder for us in the summer time, as he seemed to get up even earlier, but at least it was light out and warm!

[joyloo]

Our DS is also an early riser. He would wake up between 5-5:30 from the time he came home ( 10 months ) until only recently. Now he wakes up between 6:00-6:30. When DS was waking before 6:00 we would let him entertain himself in his crib until 6:00 then go in and get him. Some mornings I would even put in earplugs so his babbling didn't keep me awake ( DH could sleep through it ). Maybe you can sneak in some special toys he likes after he falls asleep so they are there waiting for him when he wakes up. That might keep him entertained for a little while?

If this is something new is it possible your son is getting any new teeth like his 2 year molars? Our DS just got his and he was waking earlier during that time.

Good luck. Hopefully it is just a temporary thing. I thought our DS would NEVER sleep past 5:30 and it did happen. This morning he actually slept until 8:00. I had to go in to check on him to make sure he was still breathing!

[giovanni7460]

I agree with the darker room. My kids always sleep later on dark rainy days. I just put Antoni is the room with Giovanni. I doubled the curtains and they have blinds. He is doing well.
Patty

[Alexismandyjr]

Julian goes to bed at 8 pm and like an alarm clock wakes up at 5 am. I give him a bottle (bad mommy) in his crib and he goes back down for another 3 hours or so... (works for us!)

[angieandstever]

We are going through this EXACT same thing right now but it has been going on for nearly 2 weeks. At first we thought it was just a phase but we are getting worried it is going to last forever! Our alarm goes off at 5:27 am but lately our 20 month old daughter is the 5:00am alarm. It really stinks on Saturday and Sundays! If you figure out what it is let me know. My only guess is it is light out at 5:30 and she wakes up and sees the light and thinks it is time to get up. Good luck!

[gwenrenee007]

My dd does this when she is teething. Is it possible he is getting his 2 yr molars in and he just can fall back asleep because they are bothering him? Just a thought.

[bbeard72]

Yes we have room darkening curtains. But it's not even light til after 6am so when he gets up it's pitch dark. He has been getting some teeth in lately but seems fine all day long. Why would he get up at 5am b/c of molars coming in? He doesn't seem cranky at 5am. He's really to run and play....ughhh!

[mcnay1]

Sounds like our household! Our 22 month old sone is cutting his "I" teeth -- Just 2 more to go. Im betting that once the last 2 come in, he will get back to a better routine. Our oldest son did this as well. He is now 33 months old and sleeps until 7:30. He went through phases...some short, some long...so that's what we are chalking our current early wakings too - a phase with teething.

[humanpitchpipe]

I feel guilty for saying this, but Jaden sleeps until 8 or 8:30. It used to be 9 or 9:30! I keep toys in and by his crib and also a water in the crib that he can drink. Sometimes he will wake up and play for a half hour before we get up.

[0328Lisa]

You poor thing. I feel your pain as I am not a morning person. My brother & SIL had the same issue with my 2nd niece. She would wake up 5-5:30 every morning and be the happiest little girl I ever saw. Not the best solution, but they finally tought her how to operate the VCR to entertain herself so they and her 3 other sisters could sleep. My niece is now 15 and has started her day between 5-5:30 everyday. Good luck!!

[BobMiami]

Oh, wow. I feel your pain. I am not a morning person by any streach of the imagination. My office is thunderstruck if they see me before 10! I have always been this way.

It was a rude awakening (no pun intended) when my toddler son came home. He would wake up every night at around 3:30, and since he was mobile, he would come into my room waking me. He'd curl up into a ball in my bed and go back to sleep. But I was awake!

Now, four years later, my son sleeps like a log.

To this day, I still wake up at 3:30 and can't get back to sleep for an hour or two.

On the weekends, however, when it is just us (no nanny) my son gets excited. At around 5:30 every Saturday morning, my little guy comes into my room, cups his hands around my ear and bellows, "Papi, get up!" He knows we'll do something special that day, and he wants at it.

In some ways, I am looking forward to the day he doesn't want anything to do with me.