6 week old awake for the day at 4am. Help!

[appleeater]

My 6 week old ds is waking up every morning at 4am and we can't get him back off to sleep.
He sleeps well during the day for naps and goes down awake in his cot at about 8pm and settles himself to sleep no problems. He has a dream feed at 10-11pm and wakes again for food at 2am and usually goes back down with no fussing. But, he wakes every morning at about 4am. He doesn't cry, but he snorts and snuffles and whimpers and generally makes a racket until one of us gives in and picks him up(though this often doesn't help!) We've tried leaving him and he will make these noises for 40 mins and still not get off to sleep. We've tried feeding, dummies, nappy changes...and nothing works!
Help! I can't start my day at 4am! Should we be keeping him awake longer in the day? He feeds every 3-4 hours and sleeps for about an hour or so between each feed.
Any suggestions gratefully receieved!

[singsong]

We had a phase of similar problem. I don't think we did anything different but it just seemed to get better over time as ds got bit older. In the mean time I was taking some early nights or daytime naps myself.

[bumbly]

6 week old - my 15 month old wakes up at 4am lots of times and will do for years to come

i think you are expecting too much

6 WEEKS!!!!

way too early a afraid to expect littl eone to sleep through

think too much pressure for folk to have sleeping walking talking

advice: take littl eon into bed for you and see if settles better then...then put back into his own bed

[kwaker5]

If he is not crying or upset, I would just leave him. I remember my DS went through phases of being awake but OK ('chattering' to himself, etc.) in the small hours. I can remember lying there awake until he went back to sleep, just incase he needed me, so it didn't mean more sleep for me! However, in the long run, I think it was his way of learning to settle himself and now he's a great sleeper.

[RubySlippers]

at 6 weeks is totally normal

please don't feel you are giving in my picking him up - he would probaby settle much more quickly with a feed and cuddle and 4 am than leaving him

at 6 weeks it sounds like he is doing amazingly and i think your expecatations are a bit off

[llareggub]

DS used to be like this. I have hazy memories of watching early morning television and mumsnetting while he fed/gurgled happily, wide awake on his play gym.

You just need to get used to him having no concept of day or night at the moment. Sometimes he'll sleep when it is night time, but that is more coincidence than design!

Catch up on sleep when you can. This time will pass, I promise! DS suddenly "got it" at 13 weeks or so, but it is only since he was about 12 months or so that he slept reliably through the night.

[waiting4bambino]

I've been getting up between 4 and 5am for the past 8 mths!!! My dd 8.5 mths has always woken around that time and is ready for play! We go downstairs where i feed and change her etc, and then after about an hour, i rock her and we both kip on the sofa for about an hour and a half! Not sure how this is gonna work when i go back to work soon! But would love to stay in bed till 7am! We co-sleep by the way..

[appleeater]

Thanks for advice. Maybe I am expecting too much, but I obviously don't expect him to go through the night yet!!! Have no probs with him waking at 4am, I'd just quite like him to go back to sleep after he's fed... Also have been worried that something might be wrong, he might be upset, uncomfortable etc.
Will try bringing him into bed with me tonight and see if it helps and also try to go to bed earlier myself and resign myself to 4am for a while!

[llareggub]

I'm sure going to bed earlier yourself will help, 4am is horrible!

Before you take him into bed, google "safer co-sleeping" so that you can make sure you have considered the possible risks. Co-sleeping is a great way to get some rest, but you do need to do some preparation.

You probably already have, sorry if you have!