This morning, my 19mo son wouldn't stop crying at 5am as he was thirsty. I could tell from the dry-throat sounds he made. Once he drank though, he was completely awake. He tried to lie down in my arms but you could see he realised himself he could sleep anymore. So he signaled me that he want to go outside the room. Started crying when I still tried to get him back to sleep. Usually I am good at it but today he was just completely up. Maybe it was the water. But I did the right thing right? Well he's all up and energetic while I am super tired. Any tips? Should I have played with him in his room in the dark to avoid him waking up more?
If you didn't want him to be awake, you shouldn't play with him at all. Minimise activity to get him to calm down and speak to him in a soft tone. Children do listen. Most times.