? for Moms of Early Risers

[Jenn]

DD is 3 and wakes up at 6:00-6:15 AM everyday. She goes to sleep at 8:00 PM and her naps vary from none to 2 hours. depending on her activity level of the day.

My first question is do you think this wake up time is too early for her age? She really does wake up alert and I don't think that I could get her to go back to bed even if I wanted to.

Secondly, what do you do that early? I am NOT a morning person and I am always inclined to turn on the TV or put in a DVD every morning, so that I can catch another hour or so of sleep. I feel so guilty about it, because I really don't want her to watch so much TV, but at the same time, I am not ready to play so early!!!

TIA!!!

[firefly]

sounds about right. my dd is 4 1/2 and she get's up before me on weekends (my only chance to 'catch up' on sleep. we live in a one story and she comes into our room check's in so to speak and then usually get's a snack out of the fridge (yogurt) and plays and colors. she's able to turn the tv/dvd player on and put in a movie which she does do occasionaly.

we started off with long movies when she was about 2. (long being 45-60 min) she'd sitin our bed and watch it while we slept around 3 is when she got bored with that.

[alisong]

My DS is two and usually wakes around that time. Fortunately, DH and I are morning people, so we just get an early start on the day (and go to bed early). If it's a weekend day, we'll go for a run and feed the ducks, if it's a weekday we just potter around, have breakfast, and play with trains.

[LeighW]

My DD (3 yrs, 9 mos) has always been an early riser. Currently, she gets up between 6:00 and 6:30 am. Once in a while, she'll sleep until 7:00 or 7:15 am for a few days or a week but then goes right back to the early time.

She goes to sleep between 7:30 and 8:00 pm and rarely naps these days. Only an hour if she naps at all.

As long as your DD isn't acting overtired, she's getting enough sleep. There isn't much you can do to reset an internal clock. Trust me, I've tried!

DH and I have to get up early during the week, so it isn't such a big deal for us. If it's a weekend or we want to sleep in a little, DD is pretty good about staying in her room and playing by herself or "reading." The TV is downstairs and she isn't allowed to go down there by herself. (And she doesn't want to.)

You could try teaching your DD to play quietly in her room and leave a snack where she can get it (our kitchen is on the bedroom level, so I can leave something for my DD in there)--like a sippy of water and some dry cereal.

It took a while, but she understands that she's on her own if she wakes up "before wake-up time." Officially, wake-up time is 6:00 am, but we've been known to lie about the time as long as it's dark outside. ;)