My 6mo wakes at 5.30 EVERY day, what am I doing wrong?

[Chocolateporridge]

He's not hungry, not crying, not in pain, he just lies there being noisy and bashing his mobile. He doesn't even cry when we get him up and change him at 7am. This has been going on for over a month.

He naps at 9.15 for 45 mins, 1pm for 45mins and 4.15 for half an hour (rough times) and feeds at 7am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 7pm and he's usually asleep for the night by 7.30.

Is there something in his routine I can change to encourage him to sleep a bit longer?!

[Ducky23]

Can't help but my 6mo ds has been doing this since 4mo, although most days it's 4/4.30am .

I thought it just must be 4mo growth spurt/sleep regression but it's not improved.

Have started weaning and thought id have a miracle cure, unfortunately not!

[MyPastLife]

Sorry but he sounds kind of perfect - 5.30 am after sleeping since 7.30 pm sounds like a gift - at least, it would have been in our house (unhelpful I know)

[Kahlua4me]

I think your routine sounds perfect too. He is getting a full 10 hours every night.

I know the early mornings are hard, have been there myself, but you are getting evenings to yourself and a nights unbroken sleep.

[WhatKatyDidnt]

Sounds amazing

[inaboxwithafox]

5.30am is common, especially in the summer when it gets light early - black out blinds?

Bear in mind that your little one has slept for 10 hours by then, that's pretty good. And if he isn't crying then he'd obviously just naturally awake. It sounds like he's just left to his own devices until a reasonable time so what more do you want? It sounds like there are two of you in the morning, could you take turns to get extra kip?

He will change as he grows but he might always be an early riser. DS regularly gets up at 5.15am (think launching out of bed, rampaging around asking for milk and cartoons/porridge etc) then sometimes he sleeps til 6am. 6.30am is a treat for us. And he has the same routine every night, if he is ever late to bed he is still up early, I think it's just the way their body clocks work.

[Plonkysaurus]

This carried on with us until ds was nearly two. Probably not what you wanted to hear, sorry! But I found it easier to accommodate him than expect him to change.

I actually only know one baby who slept the clock round regularly. Early waking is completely normal. Ds now (2.3) wakes between 6 and 7, and barely naps during the day.

[stressbucket1]

You could try dropping the 4.15 nap and going for an early bedtime that might work. My 3 year old DD wakes up at 5.15 every day though some kids are just early risers. If he is happy in his cot babbling just leave him for a bit

[Bellebella]

I think it sounds fine, he sleeps for 10 straight hours. Maybe take out on of his naps but my son used to wake up early.

What time are you going to bed? When my son was small I would be in bed by 9pm because I knew it would be a early start, thats the way it has to be with babies sometimes. I would also sometimes nap with ds.

[JemFinch]

Normal I'm afraid. I'm still trying to reset my 4yo twins but they are just early risers.

[cathpip]

You have a 6 month old that sleeps through, enjoy!

[Fugghetaboutit]

Normal for children to wake up early

[Chocolateporridge]

Thanks so much. I'm really glad that he sleeps straight through the night, I think I was just spoilt by his sister who used to nap an hour in the morning, two in the afternoon then sleep from 7.30 til 7!

I might try dropping the late afternoon nap, although he does seem to need it, and see if that changes anything, but looks like I'll just have to resign myself to becoming an early riser!

I can never seem to be in bed before 10.30 because there's so much to do when the dcs are asleep!

I'm also a bit concerned that he'll wake my dd who's four, when they start sharing a room!

[Flyinggeese21]

Looks like you have a fab routine there! I wish I'd achieved this when my son was a baby.

[poocatcherchampion]

If he doesn't need you I suggest you put in ear plugs and leave him to it :)

[Artandco]

I used to wake mine before I went to bed and dreamfeed (11pm), then they would sleep though.

Here bedtime was 9pm, dreamfeed 11pm, wake 8am. Plus x3 naps

[SomewhereovertheRainbow02]

My DD was exactly the same. I enjoyed the free time in the evenings but was always up from about 5am. Shes still an early riser now at aged 8. Although we do get a lie in until 6am now

[Orangedaisy]

It's been said further up but just to over emphasise the point-you are bloody lucky, I'd kill for that. Dd (14 months) is up 3 times a night and starts her day at 5.30am....

[CurlsLDN]

Sounds unfortunately normal, of you Google 'baby waking at 5.30' you'll find lots and lots of people saying the same! I think this is when they pass into light sleep, so they are likely to wake for tiny reasons.

My ds has had various phases of this in his life so far (he's now 12months, usually sleeps 7-7, his daytime routine was v much like yours at that age)

He has been waking at 5 or 5.30 for the past few weeks. I got a gro blackout blind, closed his bedroom door (video monitor on) and dressed him up a little warmer (sleepsuit instead of long sleeve vest inside his gro bag) he's now waking at 6.30 again. No idea which of those things helped him to stay asleep as I introduced them all at once, but might be worth trying any of them!

[Twinklestar2]

My now 10 month old was the same. He's just started doing 7-7. Hang in there!

[wigglylines]

DD woke about 8 at that age. She went to sleep about 10pm at the earliest though, so we got sleep but no evenings to ourselves.

How would you feel about moving the routine later so his day is 9-7 or similar?

[Chocolateporridge]

Poocatcher I already sleep with earplugs in and can still here him blowing raspberries and letting out the occasional squeal, dh on the other hand sleeps right through it

[Chocolateporridge]

Thanks curls I'll give those things a shot.

[Chocolateporridge]

And thanks Twinkle, it's good to know there's still hope.

I have fibromyalgia which is definitely aggravated when I don't get enough sleep, and I can't really nap with dd around so my night sleep is precious (although isn't everyone's!).

Thanks for all the comments, it's good to know that he's not doing anything unusual and that he won't be damaged for life by less sleep than his sister, which is another one of my irrational worries!

[PickledOnionSoup]

I agree with what other people have said that 5.30am sounds OK, especially if he's had a long stretch of sleep. I guess you could try putting bedtime back gradually by 60-90 mins in the evening and then having black out blinds to see if you can encourage him to sleep later in the morning. My DS went through a very long period of 4.30am starts, that was a killer!!

[Chocolateporridge]

Oh pickle that's awful, so early! We've got travel black out blinds so I'll try them. Our curtains have blackout linings but it doesn't properly block the light.