Has anyone stopped early waking by changing naps?

[artifarti]

DS started sleeping through (7-6) at 7.5 months but within a few weeks started waking at 4.30/5. This coincided with teething, early mornings and a lot of physical development (crawling etc.) He's nearly ten months now. It doesn't seem to be about hunger and if I feed him and take him into my bed, he gets excited and smacks me in the face repeatedly until I give in and get up. We put up blackout blinds a couple of weeks ago and that has made some difference - but only until 5.30 (I know, I know, I'm lucky that he sleeps through at all...)

A couple of people have said that if I cut down or even stopped his morning nap it might help (I don't think he can go until lunchtime without a nap). He currently goes back to bed at 8.30/45 and sleeps for up to 1.5 hours (and the same again or longer after lunch).

Has this worked for anyone? I currently try and nap when he does and so am loathe to cut down on my his sleep if it's pointless.

[MissM]

Artifarti my 18 month old wakes at 5.30 as well (and 4, and 2, and 11 - but that's another story). We tried dropping his afternoon nap and then limiting it to only 45 minutes. We had thought about dropping his morning nap, but he like your DS he can't make it through to lunchtime without it. To be honest nothing seems to have worked. I have every sympathy - am feeling like a zombie today and came on here to ask for help - and sorry I can't give you more cheering advice!

[artifarti]

Thanks, MissM. Sigh. It's a long day, isn't it?! Does your DS wake that early in the winter too? I am holding out the hope that it's just the light/birds.

Mind you, he might be testing the morning nap theory today for me, as he has been awake since 5.20 and refuses to nap. Nearly seven hours awake . Tried feeding him to sleep and pushing him in the buggy. Nope. Currently banging on his highchair with a spoon and shrieking. Aaarrrgggghhhhh!

[MissM]

Now that is grim! Fingers crossed he'll have a big nap this afternoon. To be honest I can't remember the winter very well as DS has barely ever slept well so it all becomes a blur after a while. His room has blackout blinds which don't seem to make a difference to what time he wakes up. the only time he has recently woken beyond 5.30 is when we had a holiday in Spain and the house had shutters, which meant the room was utterly pitch black and silent. So short of moving to Spain, I can't offer any better!

Yes, it is a long day. I greeted 7am this morning with a heavy sigh - in the old days that used to be an early wake-up for work

[aboveaveragemum]

hello artifarti! here we are, back on the sleep board again (arrgh!). My lo wakes very early too, sometimes at 4.30am but recently has been pushing it back to 6am again - nothing I did, but he only sleeps for 30 mins in the morning and 1hr ish between 2pm and 3pm. Maybe limit how long he sleeps rather than cut naps out? Dunno, might help?

[aboveaveragemum]

sorry, that should have been 1pm and 2pm

[artifarti]

aboveaveragemum - you did namechange! Hurray!

Yes, just when I think it's safe to leave the sleep boards... I swear I'll be on here in 14 years' time saying 'Help! My DS is 15 and I can't get him out of bed until midday - what can I do?!'

I think, as with all these things, it's probably a phase. I am trying to cut down his morning nap a bit - if only so we can actually leave the house and go to a playgroup occasionally!

[Orissiah]

My 12 month old LO wakes before 6am while teething and after 6am (generally 6.30am) when not. In our experience, napping had little effect. At her childminders' she only naps 30 minutes a day as she is too excited; on weekends with us she sleeps up to 2 hours. She still sleeps to the same time in the morning regardless so I don't bother reducing her weekend napping.

But when the days are lighter and the birds are louder, she definitely wakes up before 6.30am. In winter or when the mornings are darker and quieter, she can lie in till 7am (or even later). We have blackouts.

I think it's a seasonal thing. We all sleep less in Spring/Summer compared to Winter, don't we? I certainly stir around dawn and then sleep much more lightly until my alarm goes off at 6.30am for work or until baby wakes me up.

O