What to do abouta 2yo who wakes up too early?

[Aubrey]

2yo dd wakes up before everybody else & then wakes everyone up. She's usually up by 6, but sometimes it's even earlier. Between her & ds9, who is also an extremely early riser, I can never beat the kids out of bed. On the rare occasion that I do, the sound of my *breathing* would wake those two up.

 

If they just got up together, ate some breakfast, read some books, that might be ok. As it is, they drag the other 2 dc out of bed, all eat something, & play. Even that would be ok, *except* that they scream when I get up. The littles, that is--the bigs are just pestery.

 

I'd like to be able to get up, get dressed, & fix some b'fast w/out the screaming, w/out the extra hour meaning a longer day. The kid part of my day goes from about 8AM to 8 or 9PM. That's really enough, lol.

 

So my ideas so far--I could take dd to the bathroom when she wakes up, fix her a sippy cup of milk, & put her in the playpen w/ some books. Now...she can get out of the playpen, so it would take some training for that to work, & she's the kind of person whose only volume is LOUD, so before I could even catch her in the hallway, she'd likely have woken the dead.

 

But maybe if I started putting her to bed in a different rm from the other 3--or even her & ds9 together in another rm? Then maybe all 4 could be contained for an hr, whether w/ books or sleep?

 

Other ideas?

[Lovedtodeath]

Is sun coming in the window in the morning, or light coming in from another source? That needs to be blocked. I would also try a later bedtime or shorter nap.

[T'smom]

What time does she go to bed? Does she take a nap?

[ChrisB]

Some ideas: Room darkening shades, a fan or white noise maker, separate her from the other siblings, putting her down earlier, a food elimination diet for food intolerances.

 

GL

[Hikin' Mama]

only encouragement. I had early risers, too, and then they hit puberty. :D Saturdays are sheer bliss, because I have a lot of quiet time to myself in the mornings. If only you can endure for about the next 10 years...;)

[Pamela H in Texas]

I had early risers (partially because we did a very early bedtime). I had no issue with it. But we were VERY strict parents and my kids were taught what activities were acceptable first thing in the morning. Pestering me, being loud, etc would have been promptly dealt with. Kids ARE capable of learning to be quiet, to do okay'd activities, be in approved locations, etc. I'd rather sacrifice my sleep for a week or two to train them than to deal with an ongoing issue. BTW, one of my children also was "special needs" and it worked fine. So I have no issue requiring respectful behavior from a typical child (assuming since you didn't say otherwise).

 

ETA: I want to second the idea of a fan (even if it is turned to a wall). It will have one of two results. It allows kiddo to sleep more soundly (or get back to sleep) in the morning or it makes the child crazy. The reason I know this is that the fan on when I wake up drives me batty. However, I do like it to go to sleep. But you can see which it does for her.

Edited February 21, 2010 by 2J5M9K

[Beach Mom]

It is counterintuitive, but I found when mine were between 18mths and 5 the later I put them to bed the earlier they rose. By backing up their bedtimes to 8 I gained the much needed hour alone in the morning. I also would check their blinds or shades, room darkening shades can make a big difference.

 

Good luck!

[Aubrey]

I had early risers (partially because we did a very early bedtime). I had no issue with it. But we were VERY strict parents and my kids were taught what activities were acceptable first thing in the morning. Pestering me, being loud, etc would have been promptly dealt with. Kids ARE capable of learning to be quiet, to do okay'd activities, be in approved locations, etc. I'd rather sacrifice my sleep for a week or two to train them than to deal with an ongoing issue. BTW, one of my children also was "special needs" and it worked fine. So I have no issue requiring respectful behavior from a typical child (assuming since you didn't say otherwise).

 

ETA: I want to second the idea of a fan (even if it is turned to a wall). It will have one of two results. It allows kiddo to sleep more soundly (or get back to sleep) in the morning or it makes the child crazy. The reason I know this is that the fan on when I wake up drives me batty. However, I do like it to go to sleep. But you can see which it does for her.

 

Behavior in the morning--I can't imagine training an 18mo old & a 2yo to behave in the AM w/out direct supervision & a truckload of food going instantly into their mouths. :D

 

Fan in the room--hm. We do that in the summer time, & it doesn't seem to make a difference. Except that ds9 tears it up. He's a really good kid except when it comes to not experimenting w/ mechanical things, & those? No consequence has reached him yet. :glare:

 

Light--I could put up light-blocking shades, but we've tried that at a previous house, & again--no improvement. :tongue_smilie:

 

Bedtime--makes no difference. She goes down as early as 7:30 on occasion, but usually about 8:30. She takes 1 nap, from about 2-4, but skipping the nap doesn't seem to effect anything. She's even been caught 1-2x sitting on the sofa in the middle of the night, reading. :lol: (Now if only she'd do that in the mornings!)

 

Food intolerances--can that effect sleep? She's got some kind of ezcema on the backs of her upper arms & she was almost textbook definition of colick when she was a baby. She's always been a handful! But I didn't really know anything about food intolerances back then, so it never occurred to me to call the dr, etc. I have cut her way back on milk, just in case, & I'm not sure if I've seen a difference or not, except that she screams less for milk. :lol: She kind-of fixates on things & has a really hard time switching gears & hearing 'no.' But I think that's the textbook definition of 2!

[CathyinNC]

My oldest was an early riser at age 2. We put a digital clock in his room and put a post it over the minutes numbers but made sure the hour number was still visible. We wrote a number seven, duplicating the style of the digital clock, and told him he could come out of his room every moring when the number on the clock matched the number on the post it. If he woke up and the numbers didn't match, he was supposed to read books or play quietly. It worked well for us! HTH

 

Cathy

[Pamela H in Texas]

I can't imagine training an 18mo old & a 2yo to behave in the AM w/out direct supervision & a truckload of food going instantly into their mouths.

 

Oh, I'm sure it is possible. However, I don't think I said that it didn't include some supervision. I think the training itself would have to be pretty hands on, but even afterwards would require mom in the room "resting her eyes" or reading or whatever mom wants to do. It is DEFINITELY reasonable to require toddlers to not wake other people, holler, drive mom batty, etc. It is DEFINITELY reasonable to require them to play/read quietly, etc. And food is pretty individual. My daughter would have been fine without it. My son had to be fed IMMEDIATELY upon waking. A sippy cup full of berries the child could retrieve from the fridge would be helpful for that kiddo :)

[gingersmom]

From ages about 18 months till 3 my son got up every single morning (7 days a week) between 5 and 5:30. I put in a Barney video the night before and would just hit the play button so I could get at least another hours rest.

 

Not the perfect solution but I seriously could not function gettting up so early.

 

When he was a little bit older than 3 I would leave out a juice box and some cheerios to buy even more precious sleep time.

[kathkath]

I agree with putting down earlier. Room darkening shades. Other thing too that a friend told me and we do is put a nightlight (out of reach) on a light timer, set to go off at a certain time. Teach her to stay in the room til the light goes off. Tough at 2yo but with a lot of repetition and reward it is WORTH the work! :) With our son we did end up turning his doorknob around and locking it from the outside. We told him we would see him when the light went off. WHen he was potty trained we put a toddler potty in there. NOw he's 3.5 and he's *finally* to the point where he can go to the real bathroom and return to his room. My dd learned it at a much younger age. You can put a special box of quiet toys in her room after she's asleep that is special only for that time in the morning. Our 3yo and 5yo are trained to stay put til 7am and it is a BLESSING!

[swellmomma]

I used to put a baby gate across the bedroom opening, and put some books etc in the room for the kids when they were that little. My oldest 2 were always early risers but could not be let to just play. So after they were asleep, on my way to bed I would set up the baby gate in the doorway. If they really truely needed me I could hear them, but it gave me a little bit extra sleep time. My other 2 do not get up so early so I never had to do that with them. I only wish it still worked for my oldest. He is always up first, and then goes around waking everyone else up because his anxiety makes him scared to be awake alone. PITA that is, so I wish the baby gate trick still worked at 11.5 yrs old lol

[Lovedtodeath]

I only wish it still worked for my oldest. He is always up first, and then goes around waking everyone else up because his anxiety makes him scared to be awake alone.

That's my daughter. :001_smile:

[KrissiK]

When our kids were still sleeping in diapers, we always had gates in front of their doors (to keep them from roaming around the house at all hours of the night) and whenever they woke up, they knew they could just play quietly in their room, but couldn't come out. When they got out of diapers, somehow that got ingrained in their minds and they're allowed to come out and go potty, but still have to stay in their rooms until I say they can come out. It's never a problem. They have a lot of toys in their rooms and are never ravenously hungry in the morning. Sometimes it's a half hour or more before the "get up time" (7:30am) and sometimes they sleep till 7:45am, but that's just the way we've always done it and they never complain.

[LibraryLover]

I had/have one of those! There is very little to do, ime. She was up with the birds, but in bed before or at sunset. She is most productive early morning and it's a lovely thing.

 

 

I always got up with her when she was a baby and toddler, but by the time she was 3, she could play well without us getting up rght away. We always left out things like sliced & peeled hard boiled eggs for her, and a sippy cup so she could help herself. '

 

She was the same person ast4 mos as she is now. Her best artistic work happens at 5 am. She does more before 8 than most people do in a day. I am not a morning person, but hearing her sweet self puttering around in the morning has always helped me to get out of bed. (She was my second child, and the other two came not long after). She still helps me get out of bed. But I know when I get up the dogs will have been fed, and the chickens let outside.

 

There is an upside to larks. :) I swear. ;)

Edited February 22, 2010 by LibraryLover

[ChrisB]

Food intolerances--can that effect sleep? She's got some kind of ezcema on the backs of her upper arms & she was almost textbook definition of colick when she was a baby. She's always been a handful! But I didn't really know anything about food intolerances back then, so it never occurred to me to call the dr, etc. I have cut her way back on milk, just in case, & I'm not sure if I've seen a difference or not, except that she screams less for milk. :lol: She kind-of fixates on things & has a really hard time switching gears & hearing 'no.' But I think that's the textbook definition of 2!

 

Sure! Food intolerances can effect sleep. Here is just one thread from a few months ago that talks about food intolerances and sleeping issues. I'm not saying that it is definitely a food intolerance, I'm just saying that it may be something to consider. Best of luck!

[Parrothead]

Get a digital clock with big numbers. Put it where she can see it, and explain that civilized children do not get out of bed befor 7:00. If she wakes up before the first number is a 7 she has to play in bed quietly.

[2greatkids]

This is exactly what we did when our daughter was old enough.

We did the room darkening shade, the fan... you name it, we tried it! DD has gotten a little better (she's 5 now). She pretty consistantly wakes around 6, and knows she has to play or listen to her cd player (she loves The Pond and music) until 7 am. I am a morning person, but still need an hour of quiet in order to tackle the day! :D

Get a digital clock with big numbers. Put it where she can see it, and explain that civilized children do not get out of bed befor 7:00. If she wakes up before the first number is a 7 she has to play in bed quietly.

[2squared]

Get a digital clock with big numbers. Put it where she can see it, and explain that civilized children do not get out of bed befor 7:00. If she wakes up before the first number is a 7 she has to play in bed quietly.

 

Oh, no!!! I don't have ANY civilized children! :lol:

 

I cuddle and watch TV with my first risers until I have three children awake. I should read to them, but I'm not civilized until after 7:00. :D

[gandpsmommy]

I agree with putting down earlier. Room darkening shades. Other thing too that a friend told me and we do is put a nightlight (out of reach) on a light timer, set to go off at a certain time. Teach her to stay in the room til the light goes off. Tough at 2yo but with a lot of repetition and reward it is WORTH the work! :) With our son we did end up turning his doorknob around and locking it from the outside. We told him we would see him when the light went off. WHen he was potty trained we put a toddler potty in there. NOw he's 3.5 and he's *finally* to the point where he can go to the real bathroom and return to his room. My dd learned it at a much younger age. You can put a special box of quiet toys in her room after she's asleep that is special only for that time in the morning. Our 3yo and 5yo are trained to stay put til 7am and it is a BLESSING!

 

I'm not sure that it's legal to place an outside lock on a child's bedroom and lock them in from the outside. I would think it would be dangerous for the child in case of an emergency, such as a fire, as the child would not be able to get out of the room on his own.

[Haiku]

Some kids are just early risers and all the solutions in the world won't change it. My son got up between 4 and 4:30 until he was five (he was going to bed between 7:30 and 8). We tried everything. He still got up that early.

 

I would put in a video and let him watch it while I napped on the couch.

 

At seven years old he still gets up around 6. The rule is that he has to stay in bed until 7. If he wakes up his sister, he gets no tv/computer time that day.

 

We actually went through a time where he slept on the couch downstairs because he was waking everyone up in the morning with his singing in bed. :D

 

Tara

[mrs.m]

I feel for you because my kids have always been early risers. If you train your oldest (for as the younger get older) then it will get easier. I would say it got better for me about 2 years ago. But my youngest has a tendenancy towards sleeping later.

 

I tried most of the advice given to you and nothing worked. Putting them to bed later only made for cranky kids later in the day. Darkening their rooms made no difference because of their internal clocks. A clock with time didn't help because they were hungry in the morning. My children tolerate all foods. etc. on and on.

 

So, what did I do? I prepared the night before. I layed out everyone's clothes. I took my shower the night before and just had to wet my hear and style in the morning. I set the table for breakfast. AND if anyone whined or fussed or cried because I was getting ready, they sat in time out. (of course if they weren't babies).

 

As time went on, they learned to make their own bowls of cereal and to play quietly until I was ready to wake up. I cleaned up a number of messes too. But start encouraging that independence in your children. (as I type this my 4yo told me he can't open the milk jug for his cereal. Apparently DD can't either?)

 

It will get better.

Edited February 22, 2010 by jannylynn

[LibraryLover]

Some people are early risers. My early riser goes to bed early-- 9, which is early by teen standards. She is a lark. Some people are. It doesn't mean they have food allergies or that anything is wrong with them.

 

They were the people we needed to milk the cows. :D To start the hearth fires for the day. I don't think 7 is early, nor do I think 6 is particularly early. 5, yes, early! It's still dark at 5. lol But the nature of humans has always been to rise early. It's not an allergy or something wrong with the person. It's is a normal and natural variation.

[ChrisB]

Some people are early risers. My early riser goes to bed early-- 9, which is early by teen standards. She is a lark. Some people are. It doesn't mean they have food allergies or that anything is wrong with them.

 

They were the people we needed to milk the cows. :D To start the hearth fires for the day. I don't think 7 is early, nor do I think 6 is particularly early. 5, yes, early! It's still dark at 5. lol But the nature of humans has always been to rise early. It's not an allergy or something wrong with the person. It's is a normal and natural variation.

 

I'm not saying that there is something wrong with the person, I just pose that a food intolerance could be in play. I've seen a direct relationship between food and how restful or how much (or not) my children sleep. And I agree, some people are naturally early risers.

[hornblower]

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is fresh air. Does she get several hours of outside time?

 

But mostly I really think this must be just natural variation.

 

I have kids on the other end of the spectrum. They always were late risers. It didn't matter when they went to bed, they'd always sleep in late. Getting them anywhere in the AM has always been a huge struggle as they're not conscious until way past 9. It's always been this way.

 

I don't think it matters much except when it doesn't 'synch' with the parent's needs/schedule.

 

I suspect that if you crave that hour alone, you'll need to very quietly get up at 4. :tongue_smilie: And maybe take a nap with her in the afternoon if you need more sleep?

[LibraryLover]

Fresh air is really important. My kids are outside daily and do quite a bit physical activity.

 

Of course, my night owl is just as active, but she doesn't go to sleep until late. She is not a lark. lol

 

 

The only thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is fresh air. Does she get several hours of outside time?

 

But mostly I really think this must be just natural variation.

 

I have kids on the other end of the spectrum. They always were late risers. It didn't matter when they went to bed, they'd always sleep in late. Getting them anywhere in the AM has always been a huge struggle as they're not conscious until way past 9. It's always been this way.

 

I don't think it matters much except when it doesn't 'synch' with the parent's needs/schedule.

 

I suspect that if you crave that hour alone, you'll need to very quietly get up at 4. :tongue_smilie: And maybe take a nap with her in the afternoon if you need more sleep?