Tackling 5am wake up, BF, 16 months old

[5amLife]

I'm still breastfeeding and ready to be DONE. Toddler isn't too fussed in the day, goes to sleep without the boob on an evening. However, he wakes up between 5 and 6am, daily. Tired as hell. Breastfeeding puts him back to sleep, it's the only thing that works, he then sleeps another 2-3 hours and wakes up incredibly happy. Like all smiles and cute chat.

We tried not BF at that time for a week. All that happened was that he started his day at 5am and all 3 of us were total zombies. It was actually horrible.

I'm starting to hate breastfeeding but if the flipside is starting my day at 5am with an overtired toddler, I'm not sure what's better.

He goes to sleep between 8-8.30pm. Wakes at 5am for boob, then back to sleep until 7.30-8am. Lunch time nap of 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I have always and still get up at 5am with a 2 hour nap and bedtime and 6:30. We have "quiet time" in the mornings, stories, cuddles. She plays while I have a cuppa. I find this worked well for us once we adjusted. The rule for breastfeeding is only while we are in bed. Once you're out of bed no more milk. It took a couple of weeks.

What happens if he does have a feed or a cup of milk before bed?

Problem is he is extremely tired for the day. And a slightly earlier bedtime just means he wakes at 4am and the same thing happens! We can't do a 6.30 bedtime but we have tried 7-7.30

And he will not nap longer. He has never in his life done a 2 hour nap (past the first sort of 8 weeks newborn all over sleep phase). So what happens is he wakes at 5.30, falls asleep randomly, then the next nap is too late and max 30 minutes, then a nightmare at bedtime.

Same thing. He goes to sleep just fine. If I'm there, he breastfeeds. If dad or the nanny do bedtime, he has a cup of milk, brushes teeth and a song and he goes to sleep with no fuss.

It was worth a thought at least

If you read the No Cry Sleep Solution I’m sure it has a section on early waking. Good luck