HELP! How do I get him to sleep till 6am?

Adrienne - posted on 06/16/2010

Buy the book "The sleep easy solution", and start there. My son was going to bed, then waking up every 2-3 hours until I read this book. My son sleeps until at least 630, and if he wakes up sooner, he stays in his bed until 630. I leave him in there, unless he is crying a lot. Usually he'll cry for a minute or two then play a little bit.(I put a stuffed bear in there, and a musical toy that attaches to the crib). Then I go in there at 630 (if he wakes up then) and say "Good morning, what a good sleeper you are!" Cheesy I know, but he knows when I come in and say that its time to get up.
Do you have a set routine at night for him? Between 8 and 830 I tell my son "ok, its night night time. Give Daddy Loves and we'll go brush our teeth." After his teeth are brushed, we go into his room and read a short book, I sing him twinkle twinkle, then he gives me a kiss and I lay him down. Then I say "here is your bear, and here is your blanky. night night" then walk out. He sleeps soundly all night, between 10 and 11 hours.

Just remember, most kids need about 10-12 hours of sleep at night, so maybe he's going to bed early, or his room is starting to get light and it wakes him up, there are several reasons. I would try adjusting his bedtime to a little bit later, and see if that helps him sleep a little longer.

Genevieve - posted on 06/14/2010

Wow Nisha,

so glad you had a happy ending. Good luck with him in the future, we use "Save our Sleep" as our bible. We have the Toddler one now and it gives you all the answers to different sleep problems.

Hope you get some time to yourself in the future and that a fantastic family member or friend will look after him for you, trust me most are honoured when you ask them to help out for an hour or so.

Cheers.

Kristine - posted on 06/12/2010

try putting him to bed earlier

Amanda - posted on 06/12/2010

my son is 18months and he still wakes up atleast twice a night i put him to bed at 9pm and he is up about 8am. any suggestions on how to get him to sleep through the night?

Pamela - posted on 06/10/2010

It's too dark in the mornings (I'm in Australia and it's winter here now!) to give him toys and books etc.

He sleeps for approx 1.5 hours morning and afternoon. He might occasionally throw in in a longer sleep, but that is average. But having said that now, yesterday he slept for 2 hours in the morning and not at all in the afternoon. He still woke up early this morning. He only had one sleep again today, so I'll se what happens in the morning.

Maybe he's starting to change to one sleep anyway and that may change what time he wakes up anyway.

Natalie - posted on 06/10/2010

What time does he go to bed and how long does he nap for during the day??

Jacqui - posted on 06/09/2010

I was going to suggest the book idea, but it seems you have already done it.. :) My DD always has 2-3 books in her crib, and will sit and read for awhile each morning. Hope it continues to work for you. I know it's rough, but it will pass. We've been going through early risings the past week, and the books have been great! Sometimes she will fall back asleep, but not always, at least I get a little extra, until she starts yelling for me, if she gets bored!

Clara - posted on 06/09/2010

We co-sleep, she goes to sleep at about 7 after the bedtime hour on C-Beebies and wakes with us at 6, on the weekends it is a little later, but we are early risers anyhow !

Nisha, just tell yourself that it is a passing phase, they are growing and soon this will be a memory, they will be teenagers, who we cant get out of bed.

Read Naomi Aldorts articles on Naomialdort.com, very helpfull !

Michelle - posted on 06/08/2010

I also find that putting my girl to bed a bit later is better. She goes to bed at 730 but here comes the nice part, I bought a small portable dvd player and it saved my life. I give her also some toys to play with and she has her bottle with her and can have a drink whenever she feels like it. When se wakes up early I just put the dvd player on and then go back to bed. I know that this is not the proper way but it is working for us and everybody is happy.

Amanda - posted on 06/07/2010

My son started waking up early in the morning too at around 6:30 when he normally sleeps until 7:30-8:00. I decided to cut his afternoon nap down from 3 hours to 2 hours and that has helped a lot. Now he doesn't wake up too early and sometimes sleeps till 8:30.

Pamela - posted on 06/07/2010

My son wakes up anywhere between 5.30 and 6 as well. I try to get him to go back to sleep, or at least let him know that it's not play time, but nothing works. He goes to bed at about 7.30 as he is soooo tired by then. Last night I managed to keep him awake until 9.00pm but he still woke up at 5.45am!!!

He still has 2 sleeps during the day. Do you think that if maybe I tried to get him to have just one day sleep he may sleep longer?? It will be hard as he is still tired enough to have 2 sleeps.

His room is dark, so that is not a problem.

Nisha - posted on 06/04/2010

April Williams - the book and drink idea worked a treat this morning! I left his drink and a favourite book at the bottom of his cot - I heard him wake and he called me a few times but was mostly happy to read until I wnet in to get him just after 6! He was also really pleased that he had been able to get up himself and read - I asked him if he had been reading and he was all smiley :)

Kim - I hear you - I know I pack too much into my life but I also run 3 businesses as well as being a single mum so it really is hard to find time for myself - but I know I should!

Kim - posted on 06/03/2010

My 18-month old wakes between 5am and 6am every day regardless of what time she went to bed. Normally she goes down between 6pm and 7pm and on the odd occasion that we have a late night with friends she still wakes at the same time... no rest for the wicked lol!
I don't find it a problem, I think it is normal to rise with the sun.
Perhaps you could make a few adjustments in your routine that would allow a few early nights if the blackout blinds don't work? Cook in bulk and freeze a couple of meals so that you aren't up cooking every night once he has gone to bed. If he insists that you are up early with him, get the chores done then so you get home to a tidy house and don't have so much to do after a long work day. You need some chillout time in the evenings too! Good luck :)

Amy - posted on 06/03/2010

I hear you! My 19 month old thinks that anywhere between 4.30 and 5.30 is time to get up and puts on a tantrum if try to resettle him. I hear about babies/toddlers that sleep until 7 and even have to be woken up!! I want to know how! My theory is that he is waking for his bottle so after he is asleep I put a small bottle of water or diluted juice in his bed and he has been finding it and going back to sleep until about 6.15! (if I'd gotten up and got him a bottle of milk he wouldn't go back to sleep). We have both blockout blinds and curtains and it is pitch black dark. It might be the birds waking him or his body clock is just very set. Even if I get up (which is still exhausting) I don't let him out of bed until 6 (much to his frustration) and it is even harder as he shares a room with his older brother who now after years of being an early riser is finally sleeping until 7! Heaven! (just need them both to do it). I've tried putting him down later figuring that eventually he has to catch up but some night he only sleeps 9 hours and 1 to 1 1/2 hrs during the day. It can't be enough but he is happy (shame I am so exhausted). I'd love to know if you find a solution

Jessica - posted on 06/02/2010

wow, I guess I'm lucky. My son, 18 months, sleeps 9pm- about 9:30am, every single night, never fails. He naps about an hour and a half to two hours everyday. I have blacked out his room with a heavyduty pull-blind since he was about 3-4 months old, since then he has slept VERY well. Try the blackout, it works wonders! I have even switched him to a big boy bed, and still he sleeps 12 hours or more a night!

Nisha - posted on 06/02/2010

I like the book idea - he loves his books, so will try that one tonight. I do give him his milk at 5 and change his nappy then tell him its sleepy time and on the odd day it will work and he will sleep till 6, but when he is wide awake and full of energy he tosses and turns for a bit then just gets up and starts patting me (quite hard I might add!) in the face to wake me up! I did however have a breakthrough this morning - he slept till 545 then I put the tv on for him and told him to wake me up when the teletubbies were on. For the first time ever, he went and watched it quietly until teletubbies came on then came and woke me up! RESULT!!

April - posted on 06/01/2010

I would NOT change your bedtime. My son sleeps 7 to 7 and naps...they need their rest if they are very active all day. I would certainly get thermal panels for his windows. Also try putting a cup of water and a book at the end of his crib(feet side of course) and if he wakes and could just be thirsty or whatever. He may read and drink and then go back to sleep realizing his room is still pitch black. My son wakes and talks to his stuffed animal or reads a book for a little bit before I come in to get him and it works like a charm.

Susan - posted on 06/01/2010

Our boy started wakin up early, so after a week of thinking this sucks! we got him up changed his nappy, said it's still bed time and put him back. The first time he wasn't too happy, but now he will go back down without too much protest and quite often will sleep on through. Good luck - it's hard work not getting enough sleep.

Tammarah - posted on 06/01/2010

He sound like my boy. No matter what time I put him down he's awake at 5am (he heards daddy leaving for work). One morning I let him in my bed and he slept til 6:30am. I know that doesn't sound late but for me it is. I'm now trying to break that habit. We've blacked out the windows, hubby trys to be quite, but even on the weekends he's awake early.
I leave him in bed til 6am, unless he really starts up. He's in bed between 7 &7:30pm. I get grieve from others letting him stay up that late (when he went to bed earlier he woke earlier).
My niece is in bed by 6:30 and does wake til after 7 am and she will play in her cot til someone gets her.
My boy is of and running in the morning.
Try to leave him as long as prossible. put toys in there with him. Try it all.

Anjinette - posted on 06/01/2010

Mikey did the same thing for a long time. I put an egg crate mattress in his crib, dark curtains on the windows and a fan (facing away from him for the noise). He is a very light sleeper. Once I did all that, he has pretty much slept until 8:30 or later ever since. He may not be comfortable or may be hearing something waking him. It could be a number of things. I tried all kinds of stuff and I don't know exactly which one worked, but I am not going to leave things as they are as long as he is sleeping so well.

Nisha - posted on 05/31/2010

P.S. He does occassionally go to bed late on special nights and no matter how late he is still up at dawn! So definitely a light thing I think...getting those blackout blinds tommorow!

Nisha - posted on 05/31/2010

River goes to bed at 730pm - always has done and it sfine through the winter months - he sleeps straight through - the blanket idea was something I thought about yesterday (although I was thinking black card with some blutack.

There's no way River would last any longer than 730 pm as he is knackered by that time, and I really wouldn't want him too as being a single mum, the evenings are the only time I get to cook myself a proper meal, clean up the house and do some work :)

Jessica - posted on 05/31/2010

Haha:) I'm sorry. what time to you put baby to bed? maybe she's sleeping too long? I put mine down at 9 and she sleeps till 830 usually. one thing that keeps mine asleep is I put a think blanket over the window to keep it dark till it's time to wake up. you could try cutting down on how much he sleeps? cut out a half our at a time, see if he sleeps longer? Just thoughts:) good luck:)

Nisha - posted on 05/30/2010

Thanks Cathy - River has all those things too, but he's just one of those kids that loves attention - once he's up he wants Mummy to come watch tv/play with him! Later on he will play by himself but never first thing!

Cathy - posted on 05/27/2010

My daughter sometimes does this also but she is content to play in her crib. She has some toys in there. A mirror that has lights and music and and jungle toy with lights and music. She knows how to start these and will do so often. Sometimes she sings too. Most days though she will go back to sleep after awhile. We figure she isn't crying or screaming so if it is early we just leave her be.

Nisha - posted on 05/27/2010

Yep the blackout blinds seem to be acommon theme amongsy everyone I've asked so will be getting down to Argos first thing!

Chelsey - posted on 05/27/2010

Sounds like my little girl lol. My husband usually goes to work around 5am so when she hears him go down the stairs she figures that it's time to get up too. Some days I can get her to go back to sleep by going into her room and laying her back down and telling her in no uncertain terms is mommy getting up yet, but usually that doesn't work lol. Have you blacked out his windows? Since we've done that, I've usually been able to get her to sleep until 6-630. Hope you get some sleep soon...me too hahaha