If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

Can you share any success stories on what you've done to get your Toddler to either go back to bed or play in their crib and not scream at the top of their lungs to come and get them!



My DD is still in her crib (she's 2) and is now getting up at 6 a.m. every morning screaaaaaaming for me.

I have tons of stuffed animals in her crib but that "distraction" is no longer working.

Have you left any other toys in the crib and if so what kind?

Help! I'm tired!

I just started laughing after reading all the responses picturing all of us making that horrible ... ohhhh noooo please go back to bed face and then dragging ourselves to our Toddler's room thinking boo-hoo me ... I want more sleep

Message edited 9/14/2011 3:54:18 PM.

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

I would love some answers on this too. DS used to be okay playing for a while in his crib, but not anymore! I leave him with different books every night, a matchbox car or two, a bunch of stuffed animals and his baby tad. Wish it still worked

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

DS wakes up usually b/t 6:15 - 6:45. We have had the Baby Einstein aquarium in there since he was little and he'll play with that or at least turn on the music. Also, before I go to bed at night, I usually try to put a couple of books at the foot of his bed so when he wakes up he can look at those for a while if he wants. Sometimes I wake up to hearing him saying "Niiicceee" as he pets the fuzzy animals in one of his books

Depending on the day or his mood, he'll sit in there till after 7:00 or later - though he'll start calling for us earlier usually. But not screaming, just calling out Momma & Daddy.

I wish he'd sleep later, but no matter what we do - put him to bed later/earlier - he still ends up waking around 6:30.

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

I gave up! My dd (2yrs old) gets out of her toddler bed turns on her light, opens the door (we have a gate up infront of the door) and will stand there yelling MOMMA I WAKE UP over and over again. She gets up anywhere around 5:30-6:30am The only thing that I do for my sanity is let her into my bed (which I know I will regret) sometimes I may get another half hour out of her till she starts asking me to turn on the tv.
We are always up no later the 7am even if she goes to bed late!

The real kicker is she refuses to nap during the day now too

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

My boys are up around 6-630 everyday...its actually my oldest that wakes early, and wakes the rest up I tried the clock where the sheep wakes up, I tried a regular clock with my oldest son, and told him to stay in until 7....still, nothing works It doesnt even matter what time he goes to bed

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

I'll be forever thankful to the person who has the magical advice to solve this problem. My dd is up by 5:30 every morning. I feel like nothing helps except I hold her in our bed which is such a bad habit.

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

I think if your kid wakes up at 6, you're very lucky! We consider that a good day in this house.

No advice-- we just deal with the early wake ups. I hope once we move to a bed, I can crawl in with her and get her used to staying in bed longer rather than coming in with us until we feel human enough to get out of bed.

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

I also have no advice..DD is up every morning at 5:00am.. It is tiring..I have tried the Tv, Books, Toys..Nothing works..

Re: If your Toddler wakes up TOO early

DS does the same thing. Up between 6 and 630AM. I put him to sleep at 7 though. Even if he goes in later he still gets up early. Nothing we can do. I bring him in our room and he watches one show so I get about another 20 mins or so. Sometimes he'll play in our room or go back to his room. When he's done he goes to the gate at the top of the stairs and yells "open! Eat! Open!"
Then we have no choice.