Please help me re very early rising!

[Natale28]

I've posted before about my early rising DS. He's now 8.5 months and is ready to start the day at 4.15 am! He is then shattered by 7 am and wants his first nap which of course throws the whole day out of whack.

He goes to bed between 6.30 pm and 7 pm. He naps for a total of around 2.5 hours per day consisting of 2 naps, about an hour in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon.

I've tried earlier bedtime, later bedtime (gets very overtired), white noise, shush pat, we have black out blinds, literally nothing has worked.

Is there anything else I can try?!

He eats well, has 4 bottles in the day totalling around 28-30 oz of milk plus 3 meals so I don't think he is hungry and he doesn't want milk when he wakes at 4.15 am.

My DP is very good and we are now sharing the early mornings because I was starting to struggle with it everyday even though we go to bed early.

Sorry this is long - does anyone have any suggestions? TIA.

[taxi4ballet]

Could you move back the bedtime routine by 5 minutes each day? Hopefully in a few weeks he will be going to bed an hour or so later, which might help.

[Natale28]

Thanks taxi I will give that a try!

[LimesMum]

I'm having the same problem!! Used to be 4 but now seems to be 230-3am Argghhhh!! Only thing that gets her back off is the buggy! Not great...

[Natale28]

You have my sympathies Limes - 4.20 am this morning and he was crying at 11 pm last night so I couldn't even go to sleep early. So fed up of trying to get him to go back to sleep, seems relentless! I never thought an 8.5 month old would be waking at this hour for the day.

[GeorgeTheGiraffe]

I'm wondering if it's all developmental? Dd is just coming up 8 months and in leap 6 according to wonder weeks. She's started waking earlier and earlier over the past week. Not as bad as your ds but we had 5am this morning. I'm dreading tomorrow! I'm seriously considering going to bed now (and hoping she sleeps through the night!)

[shmuf]

Afraid I've got no real advice but just wanted you to know ur not alone!we had same thing with DD.shes now 2 and things have got a little better as she usually sleeps til 5-530 nowadays. Just ordered her a groclock(bit young for u yet I think) so we'll see how it goes...
u truly hve ny sympathies!we seem to be going through it all again now with ds

[Natale28]

It could be George - I actually hope it is because then after the leap it shouldn't be as bad?!

Shmuf - thanks, nice to know I'm not alone - hopefully the groclock will help your DD when she can understand it. DS woke at 3.54 am today and he's still awake now over an hour later. So tiring! It's hard not to get down about the whole thing - especially when I have friends who complain about 6.30 am wake ups! I dream of 6 am wake ups!

[Natale28]

And still awake now nearly 2 hours later, how on earth he hasn't crashed out again I'll never know. Am I wrong to refuse to start my day at 3.54 am with an 8.5 month old?!

[whereisthewitch]

I'd be demented, my ds is 5 months and has been awake since 3.30, it's soul destroying. Later nights don't help, he still wakes at the same time.
I'm hoping he grows out of it, going by your post maybe not, I'm fed up going to bed at 8.30 I never get any time to myself (I have a toddler too who slept 8-8 from 12 weeks old).

[SlinkyB]

Same here op, I have a 9.5 month old who used to do 7pm - 6am, but since the clocks went back has been waking from 4.30am full of beans. He goes back to bed after play and milk, around 6.30...which is when my 3yo gets up for the day. It's exhausting.

My dh is actually better at settling him so has been trying to do that until 5.30, but it doesn't always work.

I can't keep him up later than 7pm as he hits his wall and screams the place down. And I'm ready for bed too...

[LimesMum]

What do people do with these early wake ups at 330-4ish? Are you trying to make baby sleep again or just got it it and get up?

I find that if it's pre 5am I try so hard to get DD back down but ends up a huge battle normally and on the rare occasions I have got her back off its only 40 mins max.

If it's 5am onwards I give her her early morning milk (bf) then put her in her cot in dim light and give her books and toys. I have to stay in the room otherwise she cries but I make her stay in the cot til 6 when I get her up and take her downstairs.

Just wondered if I'm getting it wrong by doing this and wondered what others do?

[SlinkyB]

We have been trying;

Putting dummy back in and stroking head
Adding extra blanket in case he's cold
Putting musical on
Shush pat
Repeat all of above

My problem is that I'm always worried the 9mo will wake up the 3yo if he gets too loud. I don't mind being up around 5am with a happy baby who has three naps a day. I do not want a miserable 3 year old from 3pm onwards, who doesn't nap all day.

This morning though, I got up with baby at 5.10am, took him downstairs but kept lights v.dim and gave him bottle. He usually has a poo after, but I got bored waiting so put him back to bed at 6am and...he went back to sleep! So I went back to bed and got an extra 45 mins before ds1 got up (dh got up with them both around 7am too, so I had another cheeky 30mins sleep but I have been ill these past couple of days).

So will def carry on trying to give milk then putting back to bed

[SlinkyB]

Oh, we've also tried putting Anbesol on his gums in case it was teething pain.

Never read Wonder Weeks; what does it say about this stage then George?

[Natale28]

Where - yes it's definitely taking a toll now! It all went wrong re early rising when he was about 4/5 months old and has been a nightmare ever since!

Slinky - your DS sounds similar to mine, I can't keep him up past 7 pm as he just gets overtired then. If I get up with him at 4/4.30 ish then he is ready for first nap by 6.30 am which just throws the whole day off course. There is a Wonder weeks app which I find useful, this leap is 'Categories' and lasts a month or so I think. As DS has had this problem for a few months I don't think it's just the leap unfortunately but this is the earliest he has ever done it - 3.54 am is the middle of the night!

Limes - I usually try to re-settle as I think that if I get up with him that early then I am confirming to him that it's acceptable to get up then and play etc. However, when it all gets to much I often just get up with him as I can't bear it anymore! I spoke to a health visitor a couple of days ago who confirmed that it is too early and that I should keep trying to settle him until a time we deem appropriate as morning (6 am would be lovely!). I always check nappy, make sure he's not hot/cold etc, don't offer milk until nearer 6 am as he eats a lot in the day and I know he's not hungry at 4 am, then repeatedly try to settle but he cries every time I leave the room.

Sympathy to all - it's hellish! I was crying on DP this morning!

[fuzzywigsmum]

Just joining this thread. We're on 5 - 5.30 wake ups at the mo with a 9 mo. Fresh air in the afternoon seems to help a bit.

[Natale28]

We randomly had a 5.50 am wake up today which is the latest he has slept to in months. I have no idea why that happened as we didn't do anything different yesterday! Am not getting my hopes up though as it'll probably go back to 4 - 4.30 am tomorrow!

[fuzzywigsmum]

So one week after the clocks went back and still waking at 5am. DD2's having an hour less sleep a day and there seems no sign of shifting. Eugh. I can't do this all winter! I know there's various things i could try but dont know where to start. Also hard because DD2 shares a room with her sister and don't want to wake her. Also, from what i've read on MN early rising seems impossible to deal with. Any success stories out there?

[Iggly]

What time does he have dinner? Might be worth bringing that later. Also is he teething? My ds's canines came through at that age and it was horrible.

[DaftStudentNurse]

Would it be possible get an extra nap in, during the day?
The old adage of 'sleep leads to sleep' could be the winner in this scenario.
i would advise a relatively short nap in the afternoon, this should then see the child past the 6.30/overtired point. A 7.30/8pm bedtime should, in theory make for a later wake up in the morning.

I would try this for a week to let the body clock adjust, not give up after the first day following an early morning. And this is assuming that you have checked that it isn't a boiler or something turning on that is waking the child.
Good luck.

[fuzzywigsmum]

Iggly, not teething I think but at the tail end of a cold. Current routine:

5 - 5.30 awake and BF
Low key activity
7am Breakfast
9ish nap for an hour
10.30 BF
12.30ish lunch
1.30 nap - usually hour and a half
3ish BF
5ish Tea
6.30 Bath and BF
7 Bed

I know 5am is a lie-in for some MNers but I really don't want it to become normal!

[Natale28]

Iggly - he has dinner at 4.30-4.45 pm ish then bedtime bottle at 6.30 pm ish. Is the dinner too early? I worry that he won't drink bedtime bottle if I make the solids later?

Daftstudent - he dropped his third nap quite a while ago and I really don't think I could get him to take one unfortunately!

He woke quite a lot last night but has a cough so that's probably why. He then cried at the usual 4 am and I had just dragged myself out of bed when he stopped crying and he slept til 5.30 am which feels like a huge improvement to 4 am! I won't get my hopes up just yet though!

Fuzzywigs - like you I'd love to hear some success stories! Anyone?!

When I spoke to the health visitor she said 'love I hate to burst your bubble but if he's never woke at 7 am then he probably never will!' Great!!

[fuzzywigsmum]

Daftstudent - I think you're probably right. The only time she's slept past 6.30am in the last few months was when we were on holiday and she'd routinely have a mini-nap in the car in the late afternoon and then go to bed about 7.30/8. Problem is, like Iggly - DD2 dropped that late afternoon nap in the summer - I'm not sure I'd get her down for it now. Worth a try though I spose - although not sure how DD1 will cope with DD2 staying up later than her.

Natale - sounds like we're very much in the same boat. Keep us posted if you have any imrovement!

[SlinkyB]

So, one week on from the dreaded clocks going back (only non-parents look forward to that "extra hour in bed" , right?) and instead of 4.30am-ish, ds2 got me up at 5.30am! Progress.

He is 9.5 months and his routine is currently:

5am-ish - wake up and won't re-settle, so get up for 7oz bottle and nappy change.
6am-ish - goes back to bed
7am-ish - gets up with noisyds1
9am - go back to bed (!) - he used to go for his 1st nap here anyway.
11.45 - lunch
12.30/1pm - nap/bottle
3pm - If he hasn't slept through bottle, he'll have another 5oz or so here.
4.30 - dinner
5.30 - 30min nap
6pm - bath
6.30 - 7oz bottle
7pm (latest really) - bed for the night

Does that look fairly average to everyone else? He is starting to drop the evening nap if he's distracted or we're out. If he's in the car he'll sleep.

Hope everyone gets a lie-in tomorrow. Oh how we dream of seeing 6-something on the clock !

[LimesMum]

So we aren't really making much progress here.... Still waking between 330-430 wanting to be fed then impossible to settle back after...

She just wants to be up!

I do my best at settling her with patting, stroking in her cot and normally can get her to go off with this but as soon as I stop she wakes and I can't stand there doing bit for more than 15-20 mins as my back is shot to bits from bending double over her cot!

I'm still trying not to get her "up up" as in lights on etc til 6 in hope that one day she might learn...

This is her routine at the moment although it keeps changing!!!

330-430 awake, bf then try best to settle but usually fail
6am get up
730 breakfast
8 ish back for nap in buggy for 60-90 mins
10 ish bf
1 lunch
130 nap - 40 mins
4 ish nap 30 mins
430 bf
530 dinner
630 bath
7pm bf, story, put down for bed
8pm normally settles by then

Any further advice most welcome!!!

[Natale28]

Not much progress today - 4.45 am but still better than 4 am I suppose. Sympathies to everyone else too! It's so tough starting the day at this time and makes for a very long day.

DS is 8.5 months and routine now seems to be:

4.30 - 5 am ish -wake, repeatedly try to re-settle til I give up and get him up.
7 am ish - 7 oz bottle
8 am ish - porridge
8.30 - nap of 1 hour
11 am - snack
12 pm ish - lunch
12.30/1 pm ish - nap of an hour sometimes 1 hr 30 min if I'm lucky
2.30 pm - 7 oz bottle
4.30 pm - dinner
6 pm - bath
6.30 pm - 7 oz bottle
Bed by 7 pm.

Any changes to this welcome! I have tried to delay the first nap as it used to be 7.30 am ish but I read that an early nap doesn't help early waking so I've been stretching that to 8.30 am in the hope it'll help!