Does any one have any suggestions for getting my 16 month old to sleep later? He has been waking between 5 and 5:30 most days for a few weeks now. I have tried everything, letting him cry, rocking him, laying with him, giving him milk, etc. We have also tried putting him to bed later and earlier. He puts himself to sleep for naps and bedtime so I know he doesnt need me to help him, but I know he needs more sleep because he is so crabby during the day, and only naps about 1-1/2 hours. Thanks in advance!
I have had children who get up that ealry also. You can put toys in his room so he can play for a little while, so you can sleep a little longer. Try putting him to bed a little later 9 pm or so, at first it may be hard for both. I also play quite soothing music throughout the night to help them sleep and my two younger daughters sleep later since I have done that.
Good Luck
3 thoughts - with all of the changes you have made (putting to bed earlier and later...), have you given sufficient time to let him get used to the change? Two weeks at least?
I have also heard this - if he wakes up consistently around the same time every day, go in 10 or 15 minutes before he would wake up and wake him slightly. Let him fall back asleep (or get him back to sleep). This should make him go through another sleep cycle (45 minutes to an hour). If you do this for a few days, he should begin sleeping through that wake cycle.
Our furnace is set to get the house a few degrees warmer at 6:30 am, but starts to cycle around 5:30. I wake up around 5:45 getting hot and start kicking off the covers - could this be happening to you?
Good luck - I have 2 non-sleepers and it's rough!
Get back out shades. Then put him back to bed when he wakes. Let him come in to get you and then say; sorry, it is still night time and everyone is in bed. Lt's go back to sleep now. then continue with the back to bed technique. this took us a week or so. and mine ended up sleeping into like 9 am for a while. but now it is a regular 7 am.
I have to agree with the other gal who said its probably a phase. My now 16 month old went through a super-early-riser phase last summer... I'm talking 4:30 or 5 and she was AWAKE! Didn't really help that we were in Germany, in an apartment with TONS of windows and zero window coverings. It passed, we perservered and she went back to normal (after we got back home... to her crib in her room with her blackout drapes). I would let him cry/play in his crib. I know that its kind of maddening to listen to from your room when you want to be sleeping, but if you keep getting up with him he may continue to try to wake up early thinking that waking up early means more time to play with mommy. You'll get through it! Stick to the schedule that worked for him before he started this and hopefully he should get back to sleeping more. Good luck!
Oh boy, all I can say is that it is likely a phase. Our twins went through that for about a week at this age and we just stayed consistent with our times and routine and it eventually went back to "normal". I sure do empathize with you. Good luck!
Make sure he has black out shades in his room to keep any light from coming in. Put soft books or something to occupy him if he wakes up early. My daughter used to play in her crib about this same time for like thirty minutes and would fall back to sleep. If he just flips out and is screaming, change him, feed him and lay him back down, walk out of the room and go back to sleep! :) He will get used to the idea that if you lay him back down he needs to lay down too. Kids will change their sleep patterns a million times you just have to kind of teach them that when the house is quiet and it is dark still outside they must occupy themselves or go back to sleep.
I think it is hard if they wake fully and have a full diaper and empty belly! :)
Make sure you feed him before he goes to bed with a bigger meal and a sippy of milk, brush teeth and lay him down so you know that he can go 12 hours without needing to eat at his age.
You could have an early riser. I have black out curtains, white noise, etc, etc. We are very grateful the mornings he sleeps till 6. LOL. Good luck and keep me updated. Because mine is 2 and still up with the preverbial chickens. We blame his German heritage.
