How to CRACK 5am waking, PLEASE!!

[CravingSunshine]

DD2 is 8months and wakes for milk every morning at the same time or earlier. I don't leave her to cry because she wakes DS1 (23m) and her nappy might have leaked etc.
I've tried putting her to bed 20 mins earlier and cutting back on daytime sleep but no success so far.
She will usually go back to sleep eventually in her own cot and I wake her at about 0715. If she's not tired enough to nap at 0930 then she might have a catnap closer to 11. I try and get her down at 1230-2.30 so she naps at the same time as DS1 and that's it for naps.
She eats well and has about 7oz formula at bedtime.
Has anyone any pearls of wisdom on this? I'm SOOOO tired....

Hmmm mine is 7mths. If he routinely slept through and only ever woke at 5am I would be delighted. It must be very hard with two and you have my complete sympathy but.... I fear its still within the realms of normal....

niggle, you're right there are those who have it worse and she is a little angel but if she could just , just, just sleep for that wee bit longer then I'd be enraptured. DS1 is a bit better but he's still a 0630 man. Can't get over how many friends' kids wake earliest 7 and never had an early waking prob.

Have you tried giving her a dream feed? My D.S 8months goes to bed at 7pm after 7oz formula, I then get him up ( he stays asleep) at around 11pm and he takes about 5oz. I then wake him at 8am for the day.
Also on the odd occasion that he has woken early, if I can't re settle him to sleep I bring him into bed with me and he plays with some toys but I won't feed him before 7.30am ( not being mean but I know he's not really hungry and can last til then)
We had a spate recently of D.S waking earlier and earlier every morning, but stuck to the regular feeding time regardless and thankfully now he's back to the 8am's
Consistency really is the key, Good luck!

i had the same with my DS (a shock after the wonderful sleeper that was DD!) no miracle cures i'm afraid.

he really only started sleeping through better once he was weaned and dropping milk feeds at around 10 months (now sleeps to 7am every day at 16months)

My 10 mo DD sometimes wakes at 5am but I shush/pat her back to sleep so pretty sure its not hunger related. She shares a room with her twin brother but luckily he sleeps like a log and she never seems to wake him.

Have you tried to settle her without feeding? If your DD is definately waking out of hunger then will she take any more milk at bedtime - 8oz? And is she eating enough - 3 meals, including protein- during the day?

Agreed ceeveebee. Perhaps she's waking at 5 now BECAUSE she knows it's breakfast time. Can you try to hold off with the milk until later?

Thanks for your replies. I used to dream feed but she's eating so much and doesn't wake in the night that we cut it out. I don't think she's madly hungry at 5am. I've tried putting a dummy in (she doesn't use it to go to sleep) and sometimes it works but not recently. I guess the 5am feed takes the edge off & settles her back to sleep. I've upped her bedtime milk to 7oz tonight. Let's see.
The annoying thing is she did 7-7 for the month of August so i know she can do it but has now reverted to early waking.

Hiya,
Had the same thing with dd but at around 6mths. What worked for us was a combo...

Maybe she is dropping the morning nap. It's quite early but possible. Could try and make it shorter. For what it's worth dd started cutting down to 25 mins or so morning nap and no more than 90mins afternoon at that age.

Is your dd fully on solids? we stick to a rule of lots of protein at lunch and protein with plenty of carbs such as pasta at tea time, plus a carb snack before bath(usually toast). This really helps fill them up and stop them getting hungry early morning.

However, your dd's waking may have nothing to do with naps or food- she may have just got into the habit of a feed at that time. You could try watering down that feed if you don't think she needs it- making it gradually weaker and not worth waking for each morning over a week.

...or could try wake to sleep if you have nerves of steel!

mewkins thanks for the advice. I'll have a think about what you've said. She's having a meat protein meal at lunch and tea at 4.45 is veg but usually potato in there somewhere or cauliflower cheese. I have to do tea early as she sometimes sicks up her bedtime milk so it's a tricky balance in terms of filling her up but ensuring her tummy can take it all.
It didn't actually occur to me that hunger could be waking her at 5. Really? I thought she was too old for that given her solids intake.

I reckon if it was proper hunger that was waking her then she would guzzle her milk....if she doesn't seem that bothered then phasing out the milk by diluting/ offering water should hopefully get her out of the habit of waking for it. I read on one of these threads that if you get into the routine of an early morning bottle then they will start to feel hungry at that time as they get used to it! so the trick would be to make sure they're full when they go to bed and get them out of the routine of having milk at 5am....easier said than done I know!

IMO it was just a phase that both ds's went through at about this age.

One lasted longer than the other but they both improved without us making any changes.

have finally reached the conclusion that there is nothing you can do to stop early morning waking. they just grow out of it. sometimes they will go back to sleeping through to a decent hour and just as you think you've cracked it they will be back to 4 and 5 am starts. I think its largely teething related as they tend to grow out of it completely by the time all the teeth are through.

hate to be the bearer of bad news but DS has just stopped waking at 5am....he is 3...;-(

we tried everything..in the end he just grew out of it

There's nothing you can do. DS still wakes at 5 (4.30 some mornings) and no amount of fiddling with naps, bedtimes or food has made any difference at all. DD 3yo is now starting to sleep a bit later and will go to 6am some mornings. If they're larks, they're larks.