6mo early riser... earlier or later bedtime?

[Gerty1002]

My 6mo DS gas recently started waking super early and wanting to play! His bed time was 7pm and he would wake from 4:30am-5:30am and be chatting away, often taking an hour to get back to sleep. He doesn't want fed - he's generally not even that fussed on his morning bottle.

We moved bed time to 7:30pm two weeks ago and allowed him to nap later but he is often falling asleep with his bedtime bottle! His early wake ups are very slightly later, but he was still up at 5am today and would only go back to sleep after I gave up after an hour and coslept. He then slept til 7am.

Is he overtired and needs an earlier bedtime? Or later? Or is it just developmental and something that will pass...?

TIA

[addictedtosugar]

The other variable to consider is number of naps, and can you move those slightly to make for a later bedtime - or maybe even drop a nap al together?

Sympathies. DS1 was a chronic early riser. The local park opens at 7am.... Yours is too small at the moment, but he got the hang of a color changing clock very very quickly. Now aged 4, he will still wake around 5.10 (I hear him go to the bathroom), but stay in bed til the clock changes green (occasionally hitting the button that will tell him"the time is now five twenty six am")

[Gerty1002]

Definitely can't drop a nap, major eye rubbing and grumpiness after two hours awake. Would love it if he was old enough for the clock! Thanks for the reply.

[BotBotticelli]

My DS went through a stage of regularly waking for the day at 5am around the 7 month mark. I think it's a developmental thing. It lasted a few weeks for us and then he stopped doing it. Now he is 15mo and sleeps 7pm - 0630am most nights. i didn't do anything to make this happen he got there himself around the 10 month mark I think.

How i coped with the early mornings was going to be by 9pm latest, and trying to rest, if not nap (i am rubbish at napping during the day) when he slept.

This will pass. Might mean he's about to do something new and momentous, development wise?? Sit up? My DS's sleep always goes batshit crazy for a few days before he masters a new 'skill'...

[Gerty1002]

He's been sitting up since 20 weeks but he is very much on the verge of crawling and I think he does just want to practice all the time. Unfortunately he has medication which we need to give to him at 10pm and 6am so can't really get to bed earlier. I should really try to rest more but he's so full on when he's awake that I need to cook/clean/wash bottles etc when he's asleep so it's tricky. Hopefully it will pass fairly soon!

[MistyB]

Earlier bed time is worth a try, stick with it for a few weeks to see if it helps.

[Gerty1002]

I should mention he takes his meds while asleep so I dont have to get him up at 6, and they can be given up to an hour later. I might have to go with the earlier bedtime, it's a pain as DP only gets an hour with him in the evening (unless he does bedtime routine which is not often) as it is and I'd like DS to eat dinner with us. Willing to try anything at this point, though.

[addictedtosugar]

Could DP do the 10pm meds sometimes to allow you an early night?

OK, so the naps aren't an issue, but could you try to make each nap start 10 mins later (so if he naps 3 times a day, his last nap would start 30 mins later than normal)

Or try an earlier bedtime for a few weeks. Also think about the clock change coming up - they spring forward, so if you did nothing at all, I think his waking time would change to 5.30-6.30. To make this work, you need to change everything by an hour. So breakfast normally 7am, make it 8am. You would basically be doing the opposite of everyone else - who wants to get child onto new time, and your desperate not to change anything!

[Gerty1002]

Ooh I didn't think about the clock change! So hopefully the time when he wakes up will be sensible but I'll keep to his 7:30pm bedtime, but it will sort of be an hour earlier just for that day... hmm might wait it out until then!