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Need to tackle an extreme early riser? Jo Frost has the answers

Read TV fave Jo Frost's parental advice here

Posted: 2 December 2009

Q: My son, almost 2, goes to bed at 7pm, sleeps all night and has two naps (approx three hours in total). However, he always wakes up at 5am. He shares a room with his sister and it disturbs her.

Supernanny says: Well done to your little one! He’s a good sleeper, by my calculations clocking up more than 13 hours in 24! Try cutting his naps, so he’s more tired when 
it’s bedtime in the evening. An hour in the morning and in the afternoon should be OK. Put him to bed between 7pm and 7.30pm. Then, when he does wake, say, “You need to stay in bed until mummy comes to get you.”

Change his nappy if needed – sometimes that can be what’s woken him. If not, put some toys in his cot. However, I’m afraid some children are just early risers! Try getting him an alarm clock designed for little ones, which tells him when it’s ‘morning’.

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My son is 2 and a half and still takes a nap, usually 90 minutes. He used to sleep from 7pm to 7am as well but this has changed to 8pm-5 or 6am in the past month. He might be full of energy for the first 45minutes after he wakes up but then he's tired. He is no longer a happy energetic little boy, but a grumpy, tired disobedient one. We've tried going without a nap and keeping busy all day but it gets to the point where he either falls asleep standing up around 5pm or the complete opposite of being totally hyperactive and literally bouncing off walls and not listening at all. He's even getting circles and bags under his eyes! Please help! Any suggestions to help him get the proper amount of sleep at the right time?

Posted: 20/01/2010 21:15

Maybe you could cut the nap down,my kids have always started doing this around 2 ish.My 22 month old is much the same.If she has no nap,she's so overtired by tea time,so I let her have just an hour at most and make sure she's up by 3pm.They might wake up grumpy cos they've been woken,but usually a cuddle,juice,snack,go for a walk if that's convenient,a favourite tv show,whatever you think will cheer them up and they have the energy to make it till bedtime,but still tired enough to get a good night's sleep.

Posted: 20/01/2010 22:12

i completely second jos advice, jacks now down to about an hour, much longer and hes up until after me! and no nap results in a horrible mood and then still a late night!

jack wakes around 9-9.30 so he then naps around 12ish wakes up has lunch we do something energetic and hes all ready for bed at 7!


Posted: 21/01/2010 02:43

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