How to get a baby to sleep in later...?

[ASomers]

I have a 5 month old who generally sleeps well at night. She is usually asleep by 7 but wakes every morning by 4:30. Today she was wide awake at 3:30! Because of these early mornings, I go to bed when she does. This means I'm often in bed between 6/7. I don't mind this as I've got used to it and it means I'm getting enough sleep. However, it means I don't get any time with my husband in the evening.

I should note that I do try my best to give her a later nap to move her bedtime later. Best case scenario, she'll sleep from 3ish until 5ish but this is a challenge. I can't put her down for naps. I've tried many times so naps are either contact naps, in the pram or sling naps. Even after waking from this nap, I know she won't have long before being really tired and ready for bed. It's like a nap won't cut it, she needs night sleep.

Any similar experiences/suggestions appreciated.

My DS wakes from his last nap around 18:30, sometimes 19:00. He goes to bed at 21:30, normally wakes up at 08:15 every day but he is currently still asleep so assuming he's having a sunday morning lie in! Can you do the same, try to give her an extra nap later on and gradully move the time back.

Anything before 6:30 has always been treated like the middle of the night here, so even if she woke at that time I would resettle in the dark, even if that meant holding her to sleep and then putting her back down.

It would never occur to me to get up at 4:30 but I’ve been lucky in that she doesn’t scream the minute she wakes up. Can you leave her to see if she’ll resettle herself or hold her to sleep until a sensible time in the morning?

First of all,I feel your pain as one of my 4 DCs was like this and I was also forced to adjust to his schedule.
One thing you can do is to not put the light on,don't interract,don't do anything that will make him/her think that's actually beginning of the day.
At 5 months they may have fairly good idea about dat/night diffrence but still not fully aware about it.
I always co slept so the cuddle/feed was usually doing the trick apart from the moments when he began to be more talkative and was babbling away when awake at night.
So if your DC is not unwell then I would just try to give them cuddle and wish for the best.

Treat it as a night waking (which is what it is) and do not allow her to get the better of you even if she appears wide awake. So feed and rock back to sleep... for however long it takes!!

I agree - 4am is not getting up for the day... that's night waking. By getting up with her you're teaching her body clock this is the start of the day. Keep all of the lights off, don't interact with her, feed her/rock her/shush and pat or whatever you do to get her to sleep, but don't leave the room with her until an appropriate wake up time, whatever that is for you. I don't even make eye contact with my baby son or put a night light on before 7am 🤷🏼‍♀️

Also just re read about the naps. Fix the wake up and she won’t be so tired in the afternoon

Thanks everyone. I agree. I feel like a complete utter failure for being so stupid to start getting up so early.

Please don't feel stupid or silly OP!!
I'm sure your doing a great job💐

You’re not a failure!!! How did this morning go?

@Fatas we actually had a terrible night of lots of waking which doesn't happen that often thankfully. She was wide awake from 1-3 so slept until 5:20. I kept her in the room in the dark and I fed her lying down at 6 and she slept till 6:40. I stayed with her then until just before 7. So better morning in the sense that I got up with her later but probably mostly to do with having less sleep overnight.

I'll aim to get up with her after 6:30 from now on, even if she's wide awake. Hopefully consistency will eventually pay off

Thank you and @motherharyy for being kind. I was struggling from lack of sleep and feeling like a failure!! Feeling better after a walk. Xx

@ASomers I call that progress, despite the night wake ups- they all do it, funny babies.