I haven’t slept past 5:30am in 4 months.
My 2-year-old, Leo, thinks 5:12 AM is morning. Every single day. I was so tired I started crying in his nursery floor at 5am Tuesday.
So I decided to track everything for 7 days – exactly when he sleeps, wakes, naps.
Here is my real log.
My 7-Day Sleep Log (Real Data)
| Day | Bedtime | Woke Up | Night Wakings | Nap Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:30 PM | 5:12 AM | 2 (11pm, 2am) | 12:30-1:15pm (45min) | Overtired |
| Tuesday | 7:45 PM | 5:05 AM | 1 (1:30am) | 12:45-2:00pm (1h15m) | Woke crying |
| Wednesday | 8:00 PM | 5:22 AM | 0 | 1:00-2:30pm (1h30m) | Best night |
| Thursday | 7:30 PM | 4:58 AM | 1 (3am) | No nap – refused | Meltdown at 4pm |
| Friday | 8:15 PM | 5:35 AM | 0 | 12:30-2:00pm | Later bedtime = later wake |
| Saturday | 7:45 PM | 5:10 AM | 1 | 1:15-2:15pm | |
| Sunday | 8:00 PM | 5:40 AM | 0 | 12:30-2:15pm | Win! |
What I learned:
- Later bedtime = later wake time. 7:30pm bedtime gave 4:58am wake. 8:00pm gave 5:40am. Counterintuitive but true for us.
- No nap = disaster. Thursday he skipped nap and woke earliest (4:58am) + meltdown.
- 2 night wakings still normal at 2. I thought something was wrong, but pediatrician said it’s normal.
What Finally Helped (A Little)
- Blackout curtains – 100% blackout, not sheer
- Toddler clock that turns green at 5:30am – he now waits for green
- Capping nap at 1.5 hours, not letting go over 2 hours
He still wakes at 5:30am, but not 5:05am. That’s a win for me right now.
If you’re on the nursery floor at 5am, you’re not alone.
Read next: My Daycare Cost Breakdown: $1350/Month in 2026 – I Tracked Real Expenses for 30 Days