How to get 3 year old to sleep longer?

[Guest1234]

My (nearly) 3 year old wakes at 5am and will cry and scream til I get up with her.
It starts with the 7 month old waking for a bottle, so she thinks its time to get up. I tell her its too early and bubby is just having a bottle and will go back to sleep. She says ok, I walk out to feed the baby, 3yo starts screaming and crying. Tells me she wants to get up, she can't sleep any more etc etc. After all this I will put the baby down, go back in, explain to 3yo, she says ok, I go back to sleep, 3yo starts screaming and crying, baby starts crying because she is now wide awake and grumpy.
3yo is a feral all day, and I put it down to not enough sleep, but I don't know what to do. I would like for her to not wake at 5 and create the scene that she does, or if she wakes at 5 then I would love for her to have a nap, but again thats full of fighting and nothing gets resolved, not even after 2 months of the same battle.
I wonder if it has anything to do with her sleeping with the lamp on? Coz she also wakes up to 3 times a night, and none of this happened when she only had a small night light.

It's been the same battle ever since we moved 6 months ago. I would have thought she would have gotten the message by now?
I'm just over the moodiness and battles and I would love a sleep in (ha-ha 6am+ is considered a sleep in to me, how sad). Any one have any suggestions?

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[Faithy]

Are they in the same room?


Is the 5 year old warm enough? That's the main reason they wake up, but wounds like it's the noise that's waking her?

[UmmInayah]

My 3.5 year old is the same. Once she is awake she can't go back to sleep. It's hard but I would try not to reprimand her for it, because the same thing happens to me too. Once I am awake, I am awake. Maybe you could offer her some books or puzzles beside her bed to do so you can get a bit of a sleep in? Does she nap during the day? Maybe make her nap a little earlier (like 11 instead of 12).

[flicker]

sounds like she is in a pattern. 5 is just too early you poor thing! Does she have a day sleep? if she does maybe she is ready to drop it. does she still have a bottle?

my ds went through a stage of waking at 5am just before he turned three. I think it was mainly the birds waking him up, they were really noisy outside his window and he is scared of them.

he would pad into our room and i would put a dvd on and he would lie in bed half dozing until almost 7. it only happened for a couple of months, for some reason he is back to later sleeping? i think they are still little and maybe she is doing it for attention when she hears you get up with other bub. i am really worried about this happening!!

hope the pattern stops soon:hugs:

[overitand36]

i would be working on the baby rather than the older child

do you do a dream feed late in the night to get the baby to sleep longer, we feed at 10pm ish and she does not wake until atleast 7am

and for the older child maybe try one of those color light things changes color when it is time to get up if he wakes earlier he will then see its not time to get up yet and hopefully go back to sleep

[MicE]

Had the same thing with my 2 year old. 5am argghhgghh. I reintroduced a bottle if he woke before 6 and that seemed to keep him going till just before 8. If he wakes up his normal time, just before 6:30 then he is up. I tried the bottle to see if I could selfishly get more sleep but not to be.
Maybe she is just distressed because of the move? Is this anew thing or was it happening before?

Good luck! Feel your pain. I also enjoy my sleep in... 6:30. Life is sad;)

[Mrs Nietzsche]

My toddlers both wake at 5. Or if one of htem doesn't, the other one does (and usually wakes hte other one). It is a nightmare. Nothing I have tried makes any difference. The one thing I've not tried is a blockout blind.

THe bloody birds start up pretty loudly at 3am and it *is* getting light around 4 am so you can't blame them for thinking it's the start of the day.

[Guest1234]

Are they in the same room?


Is the 5 year old warm enough? That's the main reason they wake up, but wounds like it's the noise that's waking her?
No not in the same room, but the rooms are right next door to eachother. She never complains of being cold..and she doesnt appear to be cold either.



Maybe she is just distressed because of the move? Is this anew thing or was it happening before?

Good luck! Feel your pain. I also enjoy my sleep in... 6:30. Life is sad;)
The move happened 6 months ago, but I think she developped some habits when she was settling in. Before the move she would sleep in til 8am and only have the night light on (one that changes colours). After the move she wanted the lamp on and the door open.
We are back to having the door closed, but the lamp has to be on, she refuses the night light.

She used to get herself up and come sit on the couch with her big tombliboo..then it turned into her going IN and waking the baby..and after being told off a few times for doing so it has turned into her screaming and refusing to go back to sleep :freakingout:
Id be happy if she just got herself up and quietly played. I think I will try encouraging this.

She doesn't have a day nap. She cut those out just before her 2nd birthday. :(

[share a book]

DD has always been a 5am waker. I learnt to start my day at 5am.

[heeeeerekittykitty]

DD has always been a 5am waker. I learnt to start my day at 5am.

Same situation As above for me ! Ds is a 5:30 max baby , I've just miserably accepted it !!!

OP- my only suggestion Is could you possibly gently take the 7month old out of bed at 4:30 and give the bottle then, seeing as he/she ( sorry I'm on iPhone can't remember!!) is waking at 5am everyday for it anyway ?

Or ( this may seem extreme but to me its completely normal , I'm up and down like a yo yo all night anyway, i just do what I have to to survive !!) you could pop in bubs room from around 4 onwards , sleep on the floor or recliner chair or mattress and that way the second the bub wakes up you can jump in right away before the crying begins and hopefully your older child won't wake as early if not disrupted by the other child !

Good luck !

Xoxo