cycles of early waking - a developmental issue?

[ExistentialistCat]

I'm posting this here rather than on the sleep forum because I'm not sure it's a sleep issue per se...

8 month-old DD generally sleeps very well but has spells of waking anywhere from 4.30. These spells usually last for 3-10 days, then we get a spell of a week or two of sleeping 6.45-6.30. She has a morning and afternoon nap in her cot, self-settles without any problems and is generally a cheerful little soul.

So why these early wakings? They're knackering but what's even worse is the feeling that they're somehow my fault.

I've come up with a theory: Could the early waking be related to mastering new skills? I noticed that she learned to roll onto her tummy after the first recent spell and sat up after another one. Now we're going through early wakings again - perhaps she's gearing up to crawling?

Is this outlandish and far-fetched? What are other people's experiences? Do I need to stop searching for whys and wherefores and just accept that this is what she does?!

Wow, sounds interesting! I expect it's just her routine - if she's sleeping for over ten hours on her good nights, maybe she's just so well rested that she wakes up early for a few days and then goes back to the long nights when she needs the sleep? If it were me sleeping that much (ha ha) I know i'd probably do the same.
Although it could be connected to her learning new skills, maybe she's just awake for longer so that she can master them? I don't know, children are strange creatures, i'd say just go with it, i'm sure she'll settle down eventually.

Ime definatly related to new skills. Ds, 15m, goes through phases like your dd. We had a really long one from when he started pulling to standing to when he started walking! When he cracked it his sleep improved dramatically (till the next thing!) and loads of other developmental stuff happened all at once...like it had all been stuck behind his walking skill, waiting to get out!

There are well know sleep regressions at four and nine months i think. Slurr other developmental spurts. The mner angeldog knows lots about these. She has recently reassured me that the past weeks madness in our house is down to the 64wk developmental spurt! I found it reassuring to know that it has been noted in other children, isn't my fault...and won't last for ever!

plus not slurr, sorry!

i would say developmental as well, all of my four boys have been like this and my 5mth old dd has just gone through the 4mth sleep regression and also her sleep was off just recenlty and she has now just learnt to sit up.

repeat the mantra this too shall pass.....

Yes, it's often developmental - and often related to brain/neural system development instead of / as well as physical (the mental development always comes first). You can read about the predictable developmental spurts in The Wonder Weeks.

There's a spurt at 37 weeks which causes the sleep regression at 8/9 months (sleep is usually messed up in the month or so before the spurt - for how long depends on the individual child).

16 m.o. DS used to do this during mental development spurts but doesn't very often now .

I hope this is true. My 7mo DD has just started pulling herself up & waking at 5am everyday. It is exhausting! I really really hope you are all right and it will pass!!! X

DD is nearly 11 months and is doing this. She did it at about 9 months too. Horrific.

Yes, there's another spurt at around 46 weeks which causes the 11 months one (then again at 55, 64 and 75 weeks - 13, 15 and 17 months respectively).

Of course, early waking can be caused by various other things - too light (my DS was waking early till I put in extra blackouts recently), noise, overtiredness from too few naps / too long gaps between naps / too late bedtime, but the OP's problem does sound developmental.

What I've always found is that if DS is wide awake in the night (which also happens during developmental spurts), he'll be up for 1.5 hours before getting drowsy again. There's supposed to be some biological basis for 1.5 hours being the length of most babies' 'activity cycles'. If his early waking was more than 1.5 hours before the usual getting up time, I'd treat it as if it were still night, leave the lights off etc and he'd go back to sleep after being awake for 1.5 hours.

Sometimes that meant he'd only sleep for 15-30 mins before I got him up at the usual time, but I found it took the edge off his grumpiness and meant we could stick to his usual nap pattern. I also got very good at having 15 mins extra sleep myself. :) OTOH, if it was less than 1.5 hours till getting up time, I'd just get him up.

HTH

4.30am, 4.30 is when I got woken today, and that's after being woken at least 3times in the night. My DD isn't one for staying in bed either, she likes to get up. I'm a lone parent, I am exhausted by this every night. Ugh. Thanks for letting me moan. So so tired yet again!

I'm in the midst of this with 8 month old DD just now. Thankfully she's just cracked crawling but she's decided she wants to practice clapping too , and would quite like to stand up in her cot. Hopefully she either learns how or abandons her attempts sometime soon - I'm shattered!

Thank you for the replies. 4.30 this morning here, too. Ouch ouch ouch. And that was after DD1 was up with teething pain at 3.

I am comforted by the idea that it's to do with development, as I don't know what else I could do with DD2's sleep routine - I've covered timing of naps, bedtime routine (including feed), self-settling, dark/noise/temperature... I've even used a sleep consultant (Andrea Grace) who was lovely but basically told me that there is nothing else to be done other than leaving DD2 to cry. This isn't much of an option as it will wake DD1 and I'm not sure it's helpful for these sporadic wakings.

I don't much rate The Wonder Weeks - seems like a bit of a cut and paste job to me, and the idea of things happening exactly at week 62 (or whatever) sounds dubious. I know I'm in a minority with this view, though, and I think the general gist that development will probably mess with sleep is a useful message to take away.

It's quite nice to hear there's lots of us out there.

I'm a bit sick of hearing of my friends perfect children who sleep through until 9am and have done since they were a month old (as if!)

I suppose we just need to plough on through and stick with it?! Like you I will not be leaving my DD to cry it out - just not an approach I want to take. I'll try thinking about how intelligent and developed she is as some comfort at 430am next time! X

Yes, I'm comforted by it being a developmental thing too, as it means the end will come at some point. (When? When she can drive?)

DD is currently waking at about 4.15, but will go back to sleep after water in a bottle. Then the day begins at anything from 5.15 to 6.30. Once she wakes that second time there is absolutely no way she'll go back to sleep.

Hmm I suspect some name confusion might arise at some point

Hopefully nobody joins MN with musical mammaries.

Is this a new name or temporary Eurovision one?

As, seriously, when I see your posts, even I think they are mine for a second, don't really want people thinking someone else is me-great name though!

Sorry, I thought it better to mention it casually on thread as I thought PMing about it would be a bit heavy-handed and throwing weight about you see, didn't mean to make anyone uncomfortable

I have visions of us all closely examining our fingernails and whistling

Sorry

:) it's me, I get anxious about impending violence

Surely the way to handle this is a fight to the death with nice ham and pombears?

Nope, nothing to do with Eurovision (except ABBA of course), been this name for a while. I can change it, no problem!

You can come out now Fran.

Aww thanks. I would change but been this name for 5 years and its sort of me. Plus UNESCO no inspiration.

UNESCO? Silly phone, I meant 'I have no'