This isn't about frugality, food, drink, chickens or politics. It isn't even a topic which belongs on this 'ere site!
However as a relative new comer, welcomed by you, I feel I can ask for some advice as I'm sure there is a wealth of experience out there and as the topic suggests I could do with a bit of help.
Darling son of 19 months has for the last two weeks decided that waking up and wanting to start his day between 4.30am-5am is acceptable. It clearly is not.
He goes down at 7pm, sleeps all night then wakes and that's it, no settling, no talking him out of it, he wants up and that's that.
We alternate who does the early start every morning, however both end up awake anyway. So tired, we both work and now I'm at my desk, it's only 9am & I'm ready for a rest! (Is there a 'yawn' icon?)
All usual tactics tried, black-out blind, drink near cot, books to amuse, supper before bed so not wake from hunger.....
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, or any ideas on energy foods for me & lovely man!!
Sarah-J said:
We alternate who does the early start every morning, however both end up awake anyway. So tired, we both work and now I'm at my desk, it's only 9am & I'm ready for a rest! (Is there a 'yawn' icon?)
Will this one do, Sarah-J
Sarah-J,
Our daughter and hubby have purchased a lovely clock, which is illuminated for 'night-time' or 'time to get up'. The night-time one has starlight sky and moon, and the day-time alarm tells the child when it is okay to get up.
This sort of thing:
http://www.smarterproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Kidsleep.....Clock.html
Not sure if your little boy is old enough just yet to understand - but maybe worth a try!
Good luck .... I know how tired my daughter can be .......
I remember the days when 6.30 was a mercifully late awakening. We put a light above the cot. A toddler standing up could just reach the pull cord, and it was short and not a strangling hazard, either directly or by end of tether parents. Toddler could reach the light, reach cup left by side of cot, books, and learn that she could amuse herself and that parents regarded it as sleeping time. There was also a clock on the wall to try to teach when calling out for us was ok.
We all survived, somehow.
Good luck!
blog: Devon Garden
I found the best way when mine got into a horrible routine was to totally wreck the established routine and totally exhaust the little darlings with a trip or outing somewhere and then to restablish a good routine - well that was the theory and worked most of the time
LOL you two bullies!
Same rules apply - if I go down for emoticon piracy, I am taking you THREE down with me (this growing into a harem )
Sarah-J, I am long past your particular issue. Back then our solution was like Joanna's. Exhaust the little bugger. I used to place ours on the back seat of the car and drive around for 30 minutes or so. It mostly worked. But the only answer to inevitable early starts is to adjust your own daily pattern - go to bed at 10 and up at 5. I do it quite often to mesh in with the working day of my colleagues in Bangalore and the Philippines.
Then again, I do not watch TV and TV may be a conflict for you.
Never knowingly underfed
This time of year when it starts being light in the mornings little ones can wake up, see the light and decide it is time to get up. Make sure the room has lightproof linings to the curtains. If you already have them, take child out into the fresh air during the day and wear it out utterly...also, is he still having an afternoon nap? If so, cut it out- he'll be vile and whiny for the first few days but after that he'll sleep longer at night. The clocks will go forward soon, so 5am will become 6am and bedtime will go forward too, try perhaps having upstairs play and read quietly time, then bedtime 30mins later than it is now, might push waking forward half an hour or so and when the clocks change you'll be at 6.30, which isn't so bad- he is sleeping for 9/10 hours without waking and that is a good night's sleep ... one does just have to go with the flow a bit and go to bed early to keep up, it's annoying as you feel you have no life of your own, but you might have to do it for a while to catch up on your sleep too...the idea of a clock so the toddler knows when it is ok to come in and wake you and meanwhile read/play quietly is a good one, just don't leave felt tip pens where the child can get to them- trust me, a toddler coloured completely turquoise beneath its pyjamas is no fun....They do go through phases of not sleeping so much, just like they go through phases of not eating so much, once the days are warmer and he can get out and about and do some running, he'll sleep like a log for more hours...good luck!
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
Thanks for all your tips & comments.
We managed a lie-in until 5.10am! Lately I've been going to bed around 9pm, last night we were tucked up by 8.45pm and asleep by 9pm so I feel I've had a good 8hrs (face looking less like a bag of spanners & more like my own!)
Hmmmm got an extremely rare girly night out Saturday, will I stay awake past 9pm?!!!!!
This week is panning out well so far, 6.15am wake up is much more acceptable! Lets hope it continues.
Saturday night out on the razz with the girls was good, ended up at an Indian restaurant stuffing our faces (my idea of fun) and managed to stay up past 1am, woke with thudding head mind
Hangover or no hangover, I was determined to cook Sunday lunch; Roast Chicken with stuffing, dauphinoise potatoes with carrots, gravy and good old Yorkshires.
Ahhh felt much better afterwards
Today is a lovely day so far in sunny Yorkshire, I feel like there's spring in the air and a spring in my step.
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