Too early!!

[Jumblesmum]

HI, i'm new to this board but just wondered if any of you experienced mummies out there could offer some advice/help!
ds is now 9 and a half months and has, over the last month, been waking earlier and earlier in the morning - currently at 5.45 . His usual waking time was around 7 which was great! He has also started crying as soon as he wakes after naps and if i try to leave him he gets hysterical! He used to sleep thru from 7.30 til 7 ish but now wakes me once a night for no reason at all (when i go in he just lays down and goes back to sleep if i pat his bottom. Also only sleeps for 30mins at a time during day - usually 3 times. Please help, as u can see i have no time to myself and i go back to work part-time tomorrow (i teach, so more kids - yay!).

Jumblesmum - If it's any consolation to you my 8mth old dd does this too. She got up at 4.30am this morning! She has been off night feeds since she was 4mths, but in desparation we gave her a bottle at 4.30am and she went back to sleep! She was still sleeping when I left for work at 7.15am! Don't want to start night feeds again, but if it means a better sleep before work then so be it!

However, Ds (3.9yrs!!) gets up at 6.30am anyway so my DH (off work today) had an early start despite the baby sleeping. Ho hum... some kids are just early risers. My kids sleep an average of 10 hours a night and that seems to be all they need. I know 5.45am sounds horrific, but you can catch some good programmes at that time.... or give me phone! I'll be up!

Hi, my dd is 10.5 months. She's been going through separation anxiety for a couple of months now and does exactly the same as yours. As yours goes back to sleep when you go in and comfort him, it sounds like he wakes up and doesn't know where you are so is scared. Unfortunately, it can go on until he's 18months or so. Luckily for you, he does go back to sleep, my dd refuses to go back to sleep! Hope that helps you understand it a bit.

FWIW I used to treat anything before 7am as a night wake. Using whatever method would settle, and if they wouldn't settle then I would stay in the room (darkened, no talking, pretend it's midnight) and the day would not start until 7, and then I would be happy to open the curtains and say good morning.

With both of mine, that did the trick within a couple of days. Honestly! It was a piece of advice I found originally on MN and SO glad I did...

As for naps - really it would be better if he got one hour and a half chunk of course, but he is still getting that sleep during the day. This is the time for separation anxiety as he now knows you and he are separate people. (and I think they begin to understand the concept of still exists when out of sight) Do reassure him.

Perhaps you could go into him just before he wakes as his half hour is coming up, and as he stirs, gently pat his bottom and see if you can settle him back to sleep? Sleep patterns do settle eventually...

Good luck with the back to work!

Catbert - My poor wee babies have to get up at 6.15am 3 mornings a week due to DH's and my work. I agree though, anything before 7am should be classed as during the night!

What time will you have to get up in the morning for work Jumblesmum?

I too used to think that anything before 7am was too early. However living in Cyprus this has changed anything after 7am is a lie in. we have to leave the house at 7am every morning for School they start at 7.25. So we get up at 5.45am. Unfortunatly this means that DS 10months has got into this routine. So now I class anything less than 5am as waking in the night!! Never thought i would say that I love my sleep.

You guys are great! Thanks for all the tips, i'll give them a go. He is definately suffering from separation anxiety, which i understand and am sensitive towards him about. We'll just have to see what the future brings! Work is turning out fine - except of course leaving my angel..... Am up for work on the days i go at 6.30 anyway i guess!