Sleep problem in 3-4 year old

This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all. Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

Nancy

On 31 May 2005 09:44:21 -0700, wrote:

This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all. Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

Nancy

We've found that room-darkening shades, or even completely covering
the window at night will produce longer sleep times for ours.

Nan

wrote:
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all. Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

Nancy

Seconding all the "make it darker" suggestions. It's made a big
difference for us, since DS is very sensitive to light, especially now
that the sun is up early early early. Since I didn't want to spend
money on new drapes, I got some old blankets and put them up behind the
curtains. Make sure the blankets are dark colored, however, or they
won't help a bit. Hit the Goodwill or a resale shop if money is tight.
Good luck! Nothing more disheartening than, "Mama, it's MORNING!" at
5am :-(

dragon

wrote:

This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all. Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

I'm not sure there's a lot you can do. Is he still taking
a nap? If so, you could cut that out. Otherwise, you may just
have an early bird on your hands. Mine weren't quite as bad
(usually got up around 6am rather than 5am), but the same thing
applied. Keeping them up later didn't do anything to make them
sleep longer, especially in the summer when the sun is up so
early.

Best wishes,
Ericka

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer?

If his bio clock is telling him he is wide awake, there is no reason to make
him sleep more. I mean, if you got all the sleep you need, would anything
anyone does make you want to sleep more? The only thing to do would be to
make him stay in his room or lay down quietly with you until you are more
awake. BTW, we do have this problem with DS. DH just tells him he can lay
next to our bed quietly or go to his room. Works.

"toypup" wrote in message
om...

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer?

If his bio clock is telling him he is wide awake, there is no reason to
make him sleep more. I mean, if you got all the sleep you need


What's that? Is it possible to get all the sleep you need? No one told me.

, would anything anyone does make you want to sleep more? The only thing
to do would be to make him stay in his room or lay down quietly with you
until you are more awake. BTW, we do have this problem with DS. DH just
tells him he can lay next to our bed quietly or go to his room. Works.

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all. Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

I would try giving a clock. Get a digital one, and cover up all the numbers
except the hour. Write down the number 6 (or 7 or 8). Put this over the
clock and say that when the number is a 6 (or 7 or 8) he can come through
to your room. Give him (quiet) things to do if he wakes sooner. If he comes
through before that time then you say "it's not morning yet" and take him
back again. Make sure there is a drink in there, he knows that he is allowed
to go to the toilet before that (assuming he's night dry) but must go
straight back to his bedroom before that.
You could also put something to eat if that might help.
After he can recognise the number you can remove the covering and he can
then have the entire time. It does help with learning to tell the time.

Things to do in his room might include:
jigsaws
craft eg colouring/stickers
train set (if big enough room)
books
getting himself dressed
lego
dolls tea set

That is basically what happens if #1 wakes up before 8. She sometimes comes
through and asks for something, but if it's before 8 then she tends to get
sent back again. Occasionally as a treat she is allowed to cuddle up with
us, but that's the exception rather than the rule.
Debbie

wrote:
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results. I have tried putting a lamp on a timer and telling
him that if he waits until the lamp goes on he gets a sticker for his
chart but this doesn't do the trick at all.

Hmm. A light on a timer worked wonders for us. What happens when he
gets up before the light goes on? Maybe you need to just keep sending
him back to bed until he follows the rule.

Also, how many nights have you tried letting him stay up later? I've
found that if I put a kid to bed later than usual one night, they still
wake up at their usual time, but after 2-4 nights of a consistently
later bedtime (and sending them back if they get up before a later
wakeup time) they will adjust their internal clock.

-Jan


Any advice, stories, words
of encouragement? Thanks in advance.

Nancy

wrote in message
oups.com...
This is my first time writing to this group and I would appreciate any
help if possible. I have an almost 4 year old who goes to bed around
8:30 or 9 PM and wakes up at the crack of dawn (like 5 to 5:30) Is
there any way to keep him in bed longer? Keeping him up later produces
the same results.

Try putting him to bed earlier. Sounds crazy, but I believe in the whole
"sleep begets sleep" theory. Is he napping? If not, he's getting about 9
hours of sleep a day and that's really not all that much. He may just be
wired to get up that early. Some kids are. Can you tell him to play in his
room quietly until a time more reasonable? Room darkening shades?

JennP.

Thanks for all the great advice. Hopefully some of it will work. I
guess I do worry about the amount of sleep he is getting. But he does
take about a two to three hour nap during the day. I guess I feel that
5 AM is an awfully early time to get up. I don't recall ever getting up
that early as a kid. I think 6 AM was tops. Once again thanks for all
the good advice. I really appreciate it. Nancy