8 mo early morning waking...

[ContentedMaybe]

I have read various other (older) threads re early morning waking which have suggested reading the Gina Ford Q&A, but I can't find it despite lots of searching...

Basically, DS is almost 8 mo. We are very fortunate in that he's always been a good sleeper and has been sleeping through the night from 6.30 pm - 6.30 am. I was really happy with a 6.30 start, as I'm a fairly early riser anyway. He'd then nap around 9 am for approx 45 mins and from 12.15 for approx 2 hours. This routine came about after I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, and DS just slipped right into it with ease.

However, for the past three weeks or so - not every day, but it's getting more frequent - he has been waking at 5.33 am on the dot. Some days, he will let out a cry and then drift off back to sleep until 6.30 / 6.45, but others, he wakes himself right up and makes playful sounds in his cot for 30 - 40 minutes before getting bored and crying because he wants to get up. My MIL suggested I just leave him until our original 6.30 get-up time, but if I do this, it seems to mess up his naps for the rest of the day, as I'm never entirely sure when he's ready to go down and he subsequently takes ages to settle.

I realise how fortunate I am but would love to return to that 6.30 start... any suggestions?

PS: He is eating well - 3 very full meals a day, 4 breastfeeds - and is just starting to crawl etc so is pretty active.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks!

[ContentedMaybe]

BTW - has has black out blinds and curtains in his room and so when I go in, it is still very dark in there... we do have a lots of birds in the garden tho, and they start squarking v early so it could be them disturbing him.:-S

[Iggly]

I would try leaving him unless he gets upset. You can always nap slightly earlier in the morning and have the usual post lunch nap - without wanting to sound flippant, it shouldn't be a problem? Routines can and should be flexible (I was quite militant about DS because he was a terrible sleeper but looking back it didn't make a huge amount of difference as things did change!)

[ContentedMaybe]

Thanks, Iggly. I've left him for about 30 mins or so, but could try leaving him to usual wake-up time as you suggest, I think the trouble is, once he's awake, I find it difficult to go back to sleep so get up just because I figure I may as well if I'm not going to sleep, but that's probably only encouraging the habit, isn't it! Think I'll try turning monitor off - I will hear him if he gets upset as our room isn't far away - and that way I won't hear all the playful noises and so may just drift back off.

I do try to be flexible about the routine, as I don't want to be tied to it, so perhaps leaving him and just adjusting naps slightly will help.

Someone suggested going in around 4 am and waking him up so that he then puts himself back to sleep and doesn't wake again at 5.30, but that sounds like a risky strategy to me ;-)

Thanks again.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

dd2 started this recently
she's been better since i cut her morning nap down. she was napping for 90mins from 8.30-9ish, and i now try and push her to 9am, and aim for 45mins. she's getting up at 6.15, which sounds early, but it's a hell of a lot better than 4.50.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

sorry, i see he already has a similar routine! still might be worth seeing if he's getting too much daytime sleep.

[ContentedMaybe]

Hi Charlotte

I have been wondering about that. I'm just a bit confused as to whether or not I should let him "catch up" on the sleep he's missed out on in the morning, perhaps that's where I'm going wrong. If he's up at 5.30, he's ready for a nap by 8 and I have let him sleep longer until his usual wake-up time of around 9.45, and he's then having another 2 hours at lunch. So perhaps I'm just creating a vicious circle and would be better off having a day or so of him being grouchy and over tired in the hope that it will even itself out into the night time sleep again.

I agree 6.15 doesn't seem too bad - I was quite happy with that / 6.30 before and it now seems like a comparative lie-in. ;-)

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

it might be worth a try.
but then for some babies (like dd1), sleep begets sleep, and they sleep longer when they're well rested
ideally they should come with labels so you know which variety you have

[Iggly]

We found that DS would sometimes go back to sleep after an early wake up if we left him. Still does at 20 months!

Also giving him an early nap if he doesn't go back is the best thing all round otherwise can make things worse!

[gentlemantobed]

Reading with interest as my 10 month old waking up for the day 5-5.30am.
He has NEVER been a good sleeper and does also wake 3-4am but i BF and he returns to sleep for that much needed extra hour.
He never wakes and chats/plays - always cries immediately so hard to leave him for long...
Once we're up he can go for 4 hours before needing a nap (40mins usually, occasionally does a double 40min).
So i'm thinking has he's actually had enough sleep for him...?
Also, after also reading the Healthy Sl;eep Habits book - the best out there i think - i'm fearful of 'waking a sleeping child' to cut down his naps.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

gentleman, i think weissbluth mentions that he does endorse waking them from their naps to keep on a loose schedule of 2 naps and an earlyish bedtime - it's hidden in one of those little boxes. i think he also states that dc this age need somewhere between 2-4 hours' daytime sleep, which is a big variation. sadly it appears dd2 is somewhere down the lower end of the spectrum .

[ContentedMaybe]

Hi gentleman

I too think the Healthy Sleep Habits book is great, albeit a tad repetitive. I really like the way he doesn't take a one method fits all approach while at the same time relaying the importance of daytime sleep for development etc. It really gave me the confidence to work at the nap schedule at the right time so as not to put too much pressure on either DS or me.

Have you tried putting DS down earlier than 4 hours after he gets up? Mine can go 4 hours after his lunchtime nap, but maxes out at 2.5 / 3 hours in the morning without a sleep. If yours was able to take an earlier morning nap, perhaps he might then he might start to sleep longer at night... Ha ha, check me out, offering advice when I started this post because we share the same problem ;-)

I slept in the spare room last night b/c my husband was snoring, and so I didn't hear DS's little noises on the monitor as I left it in our room. That said, I still woke up myself at 5.45m so it looks like I'm getting into the same habit as him! I left him til 6.30 and we've proceeded with the day as normal, with him going down for a nap slightly earlier at 8.30, and he went straight off. Think I'll let him sleep for no longer than an hour and see if that helps to regulate the night sleep a little more.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks again for all your advice tho. It's much appreciated. I'm pregnant again so need as much sleep as possible myself! :-)

[ContentedMaybe]

PS; I think CharlotteBS is right about the waking a sleeping baby box. I remember some reviewers moaning about him being a bit contradictory because of that very issue, but it probably makes sense if you're trying to get two decent naps in...

[gentlemantobed]

Thanks ladies.
I read the book a few months ago and actioned the 2 naps a day strategy but i guess my timings have slipped.
Perhaps i do need to be brave and experiment more with the morning nap.
This morning he was up at 5.30am. Yawning by 7.30am but kept happily playing til 8.30am when i started our 'naptime' routine with the aim of a 9am put down. As usual screamed for 20 mins then slept for 40 mins.
So this afternoon i couldn't face another controlled cry and instead just took him out in the pram. So a poor quality nap...
I might have to take it right back to book basics and start the routine as soon as he starts yawning at 7.30am - worth a shot but just hate the thought of him then screaming for an hour as not actually ready for a nap.
I truely can't believe how hard this whole nap thing is!
P.S Contented - well done on the move to the spare room for quality sleep! even if you do have your own internal alarm clock issue!! At least what sleep you did get was probably of good quality!

[ContentedMaybe]

Gentleman, hope today goes a little better... I wouldn't worry too much about taking him out in the pram, I'm sure sleep on the go is better than no sleep at all, and it's best to try to get tougher on the schedule when you're feeling ready and able to do it, contending with crying is really hard so you have to be in the right frame of mind.

DS woke up after an hour's morning nap yesterday morning and then slept for almost 2 hours at lunch (woken by thunder and lightening). Bed at 6.30 and then I first heard him this morning at 6.05. I left him and he went back to sleep until 6.45! I am trying not to get over excited, but I wonder if not allowing him to catch up with the previous night's "missing" sleep in his daytime naps, allowed him to sleep longer over night. We'll see how it goes today.Fingers crossed :-)

Hope you're all enjoying the lovely weather.