4 1/2 yo wont sleep past 5am
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4 1/2 yo wont sleep past 5am
| Thu, 01-25-2007 - 9:49am |
Once in a great while he will be up at 6 but most of the time it is closer to 5. Seems like the later we put him to bed the earlier he is up. He only takes a nap sometimes, and is tired when he goes to bed. We have to really push to get him to stay up till 8. Even with a nap. But then he is up bright and early again. Most of the time it doesn't matter because dh is up at 5:30 for work when he is on his regular shift. Sometimes though it would be nice to sleep in a little. Or even have a chance to drink a cup of coffee in peace once in a while. I guess I could get up at 4.......Any suggestions.

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My kids all go to bed between 7 and 7:30pm. I have my "me" time at night. They all get up around 6:30am. If I want to catch up on sleep, I just go to bed at 8:00 intead of 11:00. IMO, you should not try to keep him up late so he will sleep later in the morning. I don't have any advice on how to get him to sleep later, b/c with my experiance, there is no way, lol.
Chrissy
Here is what we did with my SD when she was 3 years old:
We got a digital alarm clock and put it in her room.
Well I can't offer too much advice since I have a two year old not a four year old. I can relate to when they go to bed late and you hope they sleep in late and it never fails they are up at the crack of dawn or before!!!!
I'm like the others and would see if you couldn't try putting him to bed earlier especially if he is tired. Even if he still wakes up really early the good thing is you have all that extra time in the evening for you to unwind or go to bed early. =)
I do think that is a good idea about the alarm clock. I have a friend who has a 3 year old and she does that little trick with her little guy. He knows that he is not suppose to go into his parents room until the clock says a certain time.
Goodluck.
I agree with Jessie - he is old enough to play quietly in his room until you come get him. You could even make a little "picnic" basket with goodies that he could eat until you are able to make breakfast - granola bar, bottle of water, etc. Maybe get him some new coloring books or something else to occupy his time until you come get him - then tell him that he is not allowed to leave the room unti you come in. I'm kind of a Nazi about my kids waking me up - my sleep time is too valuable and they know not to come near me unless there is smoke or blood involved LOL. Good luck!
Paige
Well, I am in agreement with some things Jessie said....
Sleep begets sleep! If my kids go to bed earlier, they sleep later. In fact, my kids (aged 2.5 and 4.5) go to bed at 7:30pm and are up between 7-8am. Both kids still nap (my oldest for 1-1.5 hours and the youngest 1.5-2 hours)
Also, my 4 year old has rules about getting up. You can make them what you like, but for us, she is not to come out of her room before we are up. So if she gets up, peeks out her door and we are in bed, she goes back in her room. We have her clothes picked out the night before (this is mostly because she goes to Junior Kindergarten in the AM), but it gives her something to do when she gets up. She then turns on her light and colours, plays or reads. She has a desk with a Colour Wonder book, crayons, colouring books, stickers. She has a bookshelf full of books and she has toys too. We did get her a digital clock for Christmas and she is learning about that - mostly at naptime right now. She just knows the rules about getting up and follows them - especially when she has a little sister who is still sleeping. We also tell her she can not get up until the sun is up, which in winter is easier.
I am NOT a fan of TV's in kids rooms. I have many reasons why and I think 4 is way too young for a TV.
Great suggestions, but I don't think the food is a good idea. The child could choke to death and you would never hear it. After all, when they are REALLY choking, its almost silent. And it is unlikley that a terrified, choking 4 yr old will walk to your room for help. This is only my opinion.
Chrissy
If he refuses to mind you (by not staying in his room and by waking his sister) then you might want to consider punishment - either taking away privileges or favorite toys. Otherwise you will just have to accept the fact that he is going to control your schedule and your lives. He can't help what time he wakes up, but he certainly can control what he does once he is awake. A more positive system might be to promise him in advance that he will get a reward each time that he does mind you. It will get even easier for him as he gets older - if only you can make it until then! :-) Good luck!
Paige
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