Baby waking at midnight no matter what?!

[glummum1988]

Hi all

I feel like I post problem after problem but this weeks issue is baby has been waking up at between 11:40-midnight every night no matter what I do.

Bubs is 7months but was 7 weeks premature so 5.5 months corrected. In the last few weeks she has started waking at around the same time regardless of whether I have fed her an hour ago, she's gone to bed early or later, had good day naps or bad. Once she wakes up she will sometimes go back to sleep with her dummy for an hour but then she's awake again but sometimes she won't go back at all until I put her in bed with me. I then stay awake until she wakes up again for her usual night feed at around 1:30am and then awake again at 5:30-5:45am (although I can get her back to sleep by cuddling her until 7am) so I am exhausted all of the time.
She normally naps well, 9am for around an hour, 12ish for between 1.5 and 2 hours, then 4:15 for 30mins. We have a good bedtime routine and she goes down with minimal fuss basically every night, sometimes with and sometimes without her dummy at 7-7:20. She's then dream fed at between 10-10:30 but then boom, midnight and she's awake for what seems like nothing more than a cuddle.
I know her wake windows seem short for her age but she is premature, but have been wondering whether I need to change these?
Does anyone know how I can start getting a good sleep out of her or any advice to try and get rid of the midnight wakings?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Vicky1989x]

I would consider dropping that 3rd nap and put her down slightly later for the 2nd nap and bring bedtime forward until she adjusts.

My baby was doing the same at 7 months (4 weeks prem) so I dropped the 3rd nap and she started sleeping much better at night!

[ShyTown]

I would definitely try dropping the third nap in favour of a slightly later lunchtime nap and bringing bedtime forward if you have to until she adjusts.

I’m also usually a huge fan of the dreamfeed but in your case it clearly isn’t working if she’s then awake again by midnight and then feeding again at 1.30. Have you tried leaving her to wake naturally then you can feed immediately to resettle?

[glummum1988]

I think I'm going to have to. Do you mind me asking what your schedule is please? I just can't work out how to do it!

[glummum1988]

@ShyTown we have tried dropping the dream feed but she usually wakes up around 11 anyway...and then again at midnight.

[Vicky1989x]

My DD is 11 months but her first nap is at 9:30 and her second nap is at 2/2:30 then bedtime at 7/7:30.

When I first dropped the 3rd nap I went with 9am and 1:30pm and bed at 6:30-7 until she adjusted.

[glummum1988]

Thanks for your help both. Bubs has been in bed since 6:20 so fingers crossed!

[ShyTown]

Fingers crossed for you!

If it helps at 6 months-ish mine would have an hour in the morning and 2 hours after lunch. And daycare commented she was a sleepy baby/toddler who had more sleep than all the others so I think even that was more average. We didn’t cut it down as clearly needed it because she also did a solid 12 hours overnight. Your LOs nap schedule is pretty much dead on what my youngest is having and he’s 9 weeks.

Good luck for a restful night for you both.