https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:45:36 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1903808 Thu, 16 Oct 2014 15:10:22 +0000 JoJoGirl 1903808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Haha. I think we're headed in that same direction. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1903776 Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:55:29 +0000 Smurfette 1903776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: I have come to realize that she just has low sleep needs. Clearly she isn't our child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1903769 Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:53:44 +0000 JoJoGirl 1903769@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Wow, that's nuts. A is so sleep-deprived from getting up so early every day, she falls asleep as early as 6:45pm when we put her down :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1903754 Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:45:15 +0000 Smurfette 1903754@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: Nope she goes to bed at 8 no matter what. We put her down at 730, cause she takes 20-30 mins to fall asleep. Very rare it is faster. We have put her down at 7 when she has a bad nap and it is still 8 before she goes to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1903743 Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:41:13 +0000 JoJoGirl 1903743@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Question - the blog says if we put her to bed later and then she sleeps later, we should be able to push her bedtime back earlier without affecting her wake time. Have you guys done this? Or you just put her to bed later now permanently? I need my free hour in the evenings :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901788 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 11:02:31 +0000 Smurfette 1901788@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: Yeah that is tough. I would try the earlier sleep and then work on pushing it back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901776 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:57:12 +0000 JoJoGirl 1901776@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Also I read this; <a href="http://childsleepscience.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/early-or-late-bedtime-which-is-right/" rel="nofollow">http://childsleepscience.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/early-or-late-bedtime-which-is-right/</a> and it sounds like I'm supposed to put her to bed early for a few days to help her catch up on sleep and then start putting her down later..?? Haha I don't know either. Thanks though :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901771 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:55:32 +0000 Smurfette 1901771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: Poor girl!! She is waking up so early, hard to stay awake. I don't know what you can do. I am sorry!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901768 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:53:19 +0000 JoJoGirl 1901768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Usually around 12:30-1. She's been falling asleep at the lunch table the last couple of days. :( She often sleeps for 2-3 hours, so I started asking the teacher to wake her after 2 so it doesn't take away from her night sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901726 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:37:39 +0000 Smurfette 1901726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: Later. When we switched day cares, and R's nap time changed, she started going to bed later and then started sleeping later in the AM. It took a couple weeks but she did start sleeping in later. What time is her nap? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901721 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:34:07 +0000 JoJoGirl 1901721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Back meaning later or earlier? We've tried moving it earlier the last 2 nights. Yesterday morning she actually slept til 6:15am but I think that's because she didn't nap at ALL that day. Last night we put her to bed early again and she was up at 4:45am :( We tried moving it 30 mins later last week and she got up early too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901719 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:32:07 +0000 Smurfette 1901719@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: What time is bedtime? Have you tried pushing that back? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1901692 Wed, 15 Oct 2014 10:02:15 +0000 JoJoGirl 1901692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Okay I need to resurrect this thread.... once again has anyone had luck getting their toddler to sleep in? Our 17 month old is now getting up at 4:45am. :( We're 6 weeks into this mess. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1896468 Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:29:08 +0000 Bubbles 1896468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is a 5.30 to 6am sorta guy (and for us anything after 5.30 is an improvement!), and there is no way in hell he is going back to sleep once he's woken - especially once he sees me or DH. </p> <p>He's not a toddler, he's only 9.5 months - so maybe this is too simplistic for toddlers (I really hope not - although I guess the novelty will wear off at some point!), but what we have done is to set up a bubble fish lamp (like a smaller version of what they have in sensory rooms, about a metre high) in his room. It is connected to something called a WeMo, which means we can turn it on via iPhone (you see where I am going here!). We never have it on during the day as I don't want him to get bored of it, but as soon as we hear him stirring in the morning we switch it on from our bed, and it buys us another half hour or so of sleep while he lays there gazing at his fish! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1896433 Fri, 10 Oct 2014 09:06:44 +0000 mrs. wagon 1896433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: I don't want her to cry before falling asleep (she's totally happy and says goodnight, i love you, I no cry until we leave and shut the door, then she cries for 20-45 minutes no matter how many times we do or don't go back in to say goodnight again. Then she wakes once or twice, sometimes at 10pm and always around midnight, screaming and runs around the room, etc. Cries for about 15-30 mins then falls back asleep. I'm wondering how to reward her for this... a new star in the morning if she doesn't cry? I don't think she'll EVER earn her first star!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1896163 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 23:49:42 +0000 MamaCate 1896163@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: for the stars, what is the behavior you want and what don't you want? If you can think about the behavior you want to encourage (quiet resting before sleep?) rather than discourage (crying?) than it is usually easier to tie the positive incentive to the desired behavior. Does that help? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1895049 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:27:49 +0000 mrs. wagon 1895049@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh. You guys might know that we've been dealing with wakeups as early as 3:30am lately (baby girl, 3:30am is STILL NIGHTTIME and absolutely not acceptable). We literally tried everything and concluded that it was just a phase, and thankfully we were right. Lately she is waking up between 5 and 5:30, and we're very very happy with that! </p> <p>We went to a friend's house and their daughter had glow in the dark stars on the ceiling which LMW fell in love with. I ordered some and I want to put them on her ceiling, and then I read in the reviews that one mom used them as incentive for napping-- every day her son took a nap, he got another star stuck on his ceiling. I'd LOVE to use these as incentive too, but how do I do it?? Every night you don't cry before you sleep, you get another star...? But she is totally fine and happy until after we say goodnight and close the door. The only way I can think of using them for incentive for no crying at bedtime is to take a star AWAY if she cries, which is the opposite (negative connotation) of what I want to do!</p> <p>I'm thinking for the mornings we can get one of those clocks and if she waits until it turns green, she gets a new star. But honestly, the mornings aren't so bad for us (Wagon Sr. usually wakes around 5 to go for a run anyway so he just takes her in the stroller with him)... it's really more the evenings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler/page/2#post-1895028 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:19:27 +0000 Smurfette 1895028@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: very true. You win! or lose! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1895023 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:18:01 +0000 JoJoGirl 1895023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: It's not 5:15am. The end. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1895021 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:17:36 +0000 Smurfette 1895021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JoJoGirl: 615 is still so early!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1895013 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:15:17 +0000 jetsa 1895013@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: DS is 12.5 months and sleeps 7-5 if I'm lucky. He takes 2-30-45 min naps at home or 1-2 hour nap at daycare. He's happy and healthy so I'm refusing to stress about it being less than normal. He's also never needed a lot of sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1895003 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 11:07:11 +0000 JoJoGirl 1895003@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Ommmggg. Soooo lateee. That's awesome. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894954 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:28:24 +0000 Smurfette 1894954@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: my kid has slept 12 hours a handful of times. I am lucky if we get 11 hours. 11.5 is jumping up and down happy. She takes one nap and again super happy if she takes 2 hours.<br /> @JoJoGirl: Awesome!</p> <p>I put the nightlight on a timer, so it went off at 5am this morning. She woke up around 615 and laid and talked off and on to herself till almost 7. I thought that she was going to go back to sleep, but she never did. She had pooped this morning, so I think that woke her up. Fingers crossed it will do the trick. As soon as I walked in her room this morning, she pointed to the light and said lite, lite....so she noticed it wasn't on. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894946 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:23:50 +0000 looch 1894946@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, my son was the same, the later you made bedtime, the earlier he would wake up.</p> <p>I just dealt with it, but I did all kinds of research about sleeping later. The Baby Whisperer has a method, but it involves waking your sleeping baby just enough to reset their internal clock a few mornings, which in turn helps them sleep later. I was too chicken to try it, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894930 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 10:16:51 +0000 Anagram 1894930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO woke up at 5:00 am this morning, after going to bed at 7:45 pm--she is definitely not getting enough sleep for a 14 month old. She used to go to bed at 7, but we're slowly pushing bedtime back in hopes of getting her to sleep past 5:30, and in anticipation of Daylight savings time coming up soon.</p> <p>It was only day 1, but what a major fail! And why isn't she more tired and wanting to sleep 12 hours like a "normal" baby her age? At daycare, she typically sleeps an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon---at home, it's closer to 1.5 hours each time. I don't think it's too much day time sleep.</p> <p>We're going to keep pushing the bedtime until we get to 8 pm, so then when the time changes it will be back at 7 pm for a while. But I'm not really sure what to do to get her to sleep longer. DH tried for 20 minutes, I tried for almost 30 minutes--she just wouldn't go back to sleep. We finally gave her milk at 6 am, but that didn't help either- she was just UP. I feel like she doesn't get enough sleep total and it bothers me. But she also screams--and I mean SCREAMS, instantly upon waking and it's impossible to sleep through.</p> <p>Any tips? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894655 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 08:26:45 +0000 MamaCate 1894655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>An update from me: this thread was really helpful to make me think through what might be different for LO lately and what is motivating this behavior, as well as what options to try. </p> <p>My theory is that LO was content to lie in her bed and wait for her clock until two weeks ago when we went on a "sleepover" at a friend's house with older LOs (4 and 6). They are allowed to play quietly in their rooms until their alarms and I think that is what LO wants. So our trial plan for today is to turn on the yellow part of her light 30 minutes before the green instead of 15 with the understanding that she is allowed to get out of bed and turn on her light and play quietly in her room but cannot leave the room until the light turns green. So far so good and it is 6:25.</p> <p>I am also open to incentives like a sticker chart or screen time or a combination. I am really hoping to avoid a later bedtime as long as possible as I also solo parent at night a lot and there is no one else to do the dishes or divide and conquer, so I am protective of that time.</p> <p>Good luck to everyone! :goodluck: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894528 Thu, 09 Oct 2014 07:02:28 +0000 JoJoGirl 1894528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, after 10 days of working with this clock, we may have made progress this morning? It's currently set to 6:10am. This morning she woke at 5:35am and stood in her crib looking around until 6:05- she's NEVER done that. Then started crying and at that point it was only 5 minutes until the clock turned to daytime. Maybe there is hope?? :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894161 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 17:23:56 +0000 Anagram 1894161@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Cherrybee: Mine wakes up and starts screaming immediately, too. There's no waiting to pick her up--I mean, neither of us can sleep through it. She screams SO loudly, I worry about our neighbors (we are in a condo building). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1894018 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:02:59 +0000 Mrs. Tiger 1894018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: we do this to. We started when one day I was gone for work (I leave before 5am) and DH woke up and found the front door unlocked and open, with DS1 hanging out on the couch. He could have just left! Now he calls for us and if it's too early I'll turn on his light and he can read. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-did-you-handle-your-early-rising-toddler#post-1893959 Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:39:05 +0000 plantains 1893959@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaCate: I start the dishes etc. while she is up. She 'helps' quite a bit so it is quality time for all of us. DH does the bath while I finish up in the kitchen and then we both sit on the couch with wine and watch a couple of shows. We go to bed around 10.30/11. </p>