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

wrote in message
ups.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.

Get some good shades. If the room doesn't brighten, he might not
get up so early.

Have him hop in bed with you for a while until you are ready to get up.

Send him back to his room if he gets up too early. It might take a
while, but at almost 4, he is old enough to be taught not to wake
you up right away.

Provide some quiet activity that he can do by himself in the morning
if you aren't up yet.

Bizby

wrote in message
ups.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?

What are your reasons for wanting to keep him in bed longer? Is it because
you don't think he's getting enough sleep or because he gets you up earlier
than you'd like?

If it's the first, I'd try putting him to bed earlier and see if that helps.

If it's the second, can he play quietly in his room for a while so he
doesn't disturb you? Does he have books, puzzles, etc in his room?

Lucy

In article . com,
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


If he is literally waking at dawn -- when the sun comes up -- try room
darkening shades.

He's probably old enough to be able to function a bit by himself before
he wakes you. My kids weren't much older than this when I started
leaving "grazing" types of breakfast foods out, and told them they
couldn't wake ME until a specific time.
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

dragonlady wrote:

In article . com,
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

If he is literally waking at dawn -- when the sun comes up -- try room
darkening shades.

He's probably old enough to be able to function a bit by himself before
he wakes you. My kids weren't much older than this when I started
leaving "grazing" types of breakfast foods out, and told them they
couldn't wake ME until a specific time.

Ditto. Mine soon learned not to wake me up before a certain time
unless there was an emergency of some kind. And #2 who needed less
sleep than #1 and I did also learned (at about 3) that she could get
up and play quietly by herself at nap time as long as she didn't wake
either dd#1 or dd#3 or me.

My oldest when she was 5 would get up and get dressed and have
breakfast with her dad. He left for work pretty early.

I had one (dd#2) that the later (8-9pm) I put her to bed as a baby
(before 1 year) the earlier (5:30-6 am) she would get up and v.v. If
I put her to bed earlier (like at 7), she slept later (until 7).


grandma Rosalie