Advice please - What would you do?

[bpac]

Hi All,

My DD is just over 4 years old. I have been having this problem with her for months and months now and i dont know what else i can try. Any advice would be really appreciated.

DD gets up really really early in the morning (4-5am) and wanders the house. On morning i might find her watching TV, another morning she is raiding the fridge, sitting at my computer. You name it, she has probably done it. She has pushed my computer chair over to the fridge to get to the higher shelves, same with climbing cupboards in the kitchen. I am really worried for her safety.

I have tried talking to her, reward charts, time out, taking away her favourite things, keeping her up later at night, putting a bottle of water next to her bed - short of tying her up and locking the door, i think i have tried everything!

I have asked other parents and friends IRL what they think i should do and i keep getting told this is really weird behaviour but no suggestions.

I have a chime on her door so i can hear if it opens but she has figured out how to open the door so it doesnt make a sound. I had a frog that sits at her door so when she walks through it croaks and wakes me up but she just steps over it now.

When i catch her, she knows it is wrong, she knows that she is only to get out of bed to either go to the toilet or come into our room but she does it anyway......

I am at my wits end. I work full time and i am exhausted.

HELP!!

[Rodeobull]

I would put a sensor above her door somehow like a shop sensor that makes a noise when she comes out because I think the only thing that will stop her is for you to spoil her fun basically.

My kids get up really early too but usually they hop into bed with me or turn the tv on and watch something, they have been known to have a feast, paint their nails and fight each other but that isn't the norm thank goodness.

How does she get out without the chimes making a noise??

[cluckcluck]

Could you put child locks on the fridge and cupboards so she can't access them ? Maybe if you make the rest of the house really unappealing then she might stop getting up early ?

[Rodeobull]

Good idea cluckcluck, I'd forgotten about that we locked the cupboard and fridge too, it worked well except when Dh would get his lunch out of the fridge and go to work and didn't remember to lock it again. grr

[headoverfeet]

Gosh my kids get up ~5am too but only to watch TV, I do set up thier breakfast so they only have to get milk from a kid friendly jug, if she is raiding for food than maybe setting her up a picnic wouldn't be a bad idea? You could pop out some safe activities for her as well. Other than flowing with the go I'd have to agree with the sensor idea xo

Me + DF
DS1- Sep '07
DS2- Nov '08
DD- July '11
Our family is complete!

Gestational Surrogate- FET#1 March '14

[amyd]

Can you put a baby gate on her room?

[headoverfeet]

I wouldn't think locking her room to be a bad thing if she is not safe wandering the house, pop in a baby monitor so you can hear her. A simple door knob covering might be enough.

Me + DF
DS1- Sep '07
DS2- Nov '08
DD- July '11
Our family is complete!

Gestational Surrogate- FET#1 March '14

[Purple Lily]

I agree with previous posters about using locks on everything to make it less appealing. Could you also hide a baby monitor in her room so you can hear her get up? I feel for you it sounds like a stressful situation

[michellek]

I put a baby gate across dd's door when we moved her to a big bed. she's only just 2 but I was so worried about her wandering the house on the warmer nights where we had her door open. Maybe that's an option?

Sent from my HTC Desire X using The Bub Hub mobile app

[LoveLivesHere]

Mount the sensor frog to the wall above her door.

Other that change the placement and method of alarm every night after she gone to sleep.