Toddler Sleep Changes

[cybil2403]

My 2.5 year-old daughter has always been a pretty good sleeper. She settles well at night.

She moved into a bed with no trouble about six months ago and has always stayed in bed and chatted in the morning for a good ten minutes or so before calling out to us. She has rarely woken before 7am-ish.

For the last couple of weeks she has start waking from 5.30am onwards and gets straight out of bed and comes to our room and asks for a cuddle but doesn't go back sleep. I know 6am-onwards is typical for a lot of children but she is noticeable tired and tearful during the day. I sometimes take her back to her bed and say its too early. but she starts screaming....it's tiring for us!

I can't see what has brought it on. She is a happy, confident and lovely little girl. She has been going to pre-school for over a year so nothing new has happened in her life recently. She still has her a sleep during the day which she asks for and has always had.

Maybe just a phase - fingers crossed but any suggestions welcome!

[aims1202]

not sure if this will work for you as my son was a bit older (about 4) when he started waking up early. I bought him a digital clock to have by his bed and said you can only come in when it says 7.00 if not you stay in bed and try to go back to sleep. it did work even if he woke he would stay in his bed til 7. maybe as your daughter is younger you could set the alarm for when she's allowed to wake you. if its just started recently might be because the sun not sure if you have blackout curtains?

[karenmac60]

That's a good point about the sun - even if it's not the daylight itself I've noticed hearing birdsong much earlier recently. Have you tried being in her room around that time and seeing if there are any noises which could be disturbing her from her sleep?

[Picky]

That's so strange...you could be talking about baby Picky #1! Nothing seems to set it off, no noise, no change in routine nothing. He's always been a good sleeper too (apart from this last 8 days but that's another story). He would wake up between 5 and 5.30 and that was it, once he was awake, he was up, which then woke baby Picky #2 and we were all up. That extra hour earlier is exhausting isn't it?! I can't five you any more
advice than the others but hopefully reassure you that it was a phase for my little man and stopped after a couple of months. He's now back to 7am and bright eyed and bushy tailed (and exhausting!) Good luck, hopeduily it'll be back to a more
copeable hour asap

Px

[Schlomo78]

Same here! How bizarre. My 3.5 year old has been doing the same, for the last couple of weeks, about 6 a.m ish, instead of 7 or 7.30. He has blackout blinds, so it's not the light that's waking him. I sent him back to bed very firmly this morning, as it's exhausting me and he slept for about another hour and a half, but normally he won't. He's being tearful and fractious during the day also, so he's obviously not getting enough sleep. The only other option is for me to go to bed much earlier, and that would mean I have no 'me' time :(
Maybe it's a toddler conspiracy!

[cybil2403]

Thanks for your answers, we do have a blackout blind and lined curtains. Like Schlomo78 my daughter is being really ratty during the day and anything you say will set her off having a paddy! Literally throwing herself on the floor. I've put it down to tiredness and 'Terrible 2's'!

[Le Chat]

it maybe worth shortening the daytime sleep or trying to knock it off completely, although it may take a few days to kick in and a very grouchy toddler in the meantime. I stopped my youngest son's daytime sleep at aged 2 because of this problem and it worked a treat!

[cybil2403]

Thankfully that phase has since past! Not sure what changed but hey ho