4:15am/4:30am Wake Up

[Dexy2020]

Hi
Don't suppose anyone can help, my little one is 6 months old has been waking between 4:15am and 4:45am for the last week and no amount of resettling seems to get him back off however he is clearly tired as he wakes up grumpy, he has anything between 2hr 30mins and 3hours 15mins naps during the day and goes to bed at 7pm, would maybe an earlier bedtime help? Bit worried about doing it incase he then gets up at 3/3:30 😂 he also wakes twice in the night and he has around 4-5oz milk each time, I think a later bedtime is just going to make him more overtired. P.s he has cut a tooth recently and seems to be a lot more settled teething wise so don't think it's that I'm not sure.....Very tired mummy xx

[SandysMam]

Try some baby porridge as the last meal, fill them up!! And accept it just happens with some kids. Fighting it only adds to the frustration, they will grow out of it and sleep longer. I on your other hand am up with the f-ing dog, no hope there!

[SandysMam]

Oh and you go to bed earlier. If he gets a good block from say 7-1am, 4 nights a week go to bed with him. Your baby doesn’t care that you want to watch a programme or need quality time with your DH, and getting this sleep rather than trying to be an grown up and stay up until 10pm will keep the wolf from the door. IMOE, this age, when the sleep deprivation really kicks in is the pivotal age for PND which I think is largely caused by sheer exhaustion.

[Feetupteashot]

Is it dawn? Worth black out blinds / curtains?

[Dexy2020]

Hi
@SandysMam Asleep for 20:30 most nights as I'm shattered myself however sleep is very broke i.e last night he went to sleep at 7 woke up at 22:30, 03:00 & 4:15 and takes me a little while to get back off to sleep after getting up to him (nights are shared however once he wakes I'm awake anyway 😂). @Feetupteashot His room is fully blacked out so no light coming through at all so not that unfortunately :( xx

[Feetupteashot]

You have my sympathies. Worth trying an earlier bed time but 7 sounds ok. We banned naps after 4pm I think but you're probably doing that too. Dream feed? I.e. wake them for bottle about 10? Maybe partner can do

[Dexy2020]

@Feetupteashot yes no naps after 4pm, only thing I can think of is that he's relying on his bottle to much to go back to sleep but not sure how to get out of it, he's fed to sleep at night but not in the day xx

[GenevaMaybe]

Here’s a list of things that can cause early morning waking in babies:

• hunger
  
• sleep environment is too cold, too bright, too noisy
  
• first nap of the day is too long

[GenevaMaybe]

Also I would not let him fall asleep on the bottle at night.

[Feetupteashot]

And with a dummy I think they fall out and they wake and you have to put them in again!

Hopefully just a phase and maybe your partner can give you time for some naps in the day whilst you get some rest X X X

[Dexy2020]

@GenevaMaybe hi thanks for your reply, I'm pretty certain it's neither of them things, I think your right about letting him sleep with his bottle, any tips on how to stop this please xx

[Dexy2020]

@Feetupteashot thank you 🥰 we've been taking it in turns with getting up with him so we can get an extra hour or so sleep in the mornings hehe, on my second coffee and feeling slightly more human now 😂☕xx

[GenevaMaybe]

Yes you give the feed but as soon as the baby gets sleepy you take the bottle away, burp him and then put him down awake and do shhh pat to settle. You just need to gently break the feed to sleep association.

[GenevaMaybe]

Also try not to do a morning nap any earlier than 8.45 or ideally 9 am and absolute max 1 hour long. Lunchtime nap is more important in relation to night sleep so for that one let him sleep up to 2.5 hours.

[Dexy2020]

@GenevaMaybe and if he starts crying do I offer the bottle again and keep doing the same thing? Xx

[GenevaMaybe]

He will cry, try and settle him without a feed. How much milk is he having in the day and has he started solids? What’s his overall routine like now?

[Dexy2020]

@GenevaMaybe He has 5-7oz of milk every 3.5 to 4 hours, he had baby porridge in a morning and steamed or pureed fruit or veg at lunch, he has 2.5-3.25 sleep split over 3 or 4 naps (generally 4 with being awake so early) he has around 30/45 mins for his 1st nap, around 45/75 for his 2nd, around 45 for his 3rd and 30 mins for his last, naps no later than 4:30pm and bed at 7pm xx

[Dexy2020]

@GenevaMaybe p.s naps every 2-2.5 hours x

[GenevaMaybe]

Ok you could try to work towards something like this
7am wake and bottle 8ozs
8am breakfast of porridge or mashed banana and toast
9-10am nap
11am puréed veggies with silly cup of water
12 bottle 5ozs
12.30-2.30 nap
3pm 8ozs milk
4.45-5.15 nap in the pram
5.30 puréed veggies with sippy cup
Of water
6pm bath
6.30pm bottle 8-9ozs
7.30pm bed
10.30pm dreamfeed 6ozs

I would expect one night waking between 2 and 4am when I would do as small feed as possible and straight back to bed.

[GenevaMaybe]

Silly cup is a sippy cup!!!

[Dexy2020]

Hi
Bit of an update on last night, managed to put him down awake after his bottle, it took 20 minutes of crying bless him :( gave baby porridge around 17:30pm before bed, he eventually went to sleep at 19:45pm then didn't get up until 4am for a feed (a whole 8 hours 15 mins!!!!!) had a quick 4oz then we got up at 05:20am :D xx

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

My baby does this, 4.45am every morning for the past week. I think ill try your tip and feed him a puree later (ive been doing it at 4pm). Maybe that will help.

From another very tired mummy!

[Dexy2020]

@Letsallscreamatthesistene aww no anything time wise that starts with a 4 is painful isn't it!! I also put my top I wore for the day tightly under his sheet above his head where he sleeps so he could smell me close not sure if that helped or not xx

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

At this stage ill try anything! Im starting to believe its a phase he's going through though, and I just have to wait it out 😭