whimpering in sleep at 4.30am...advice, please

[theotherhand]

My 20 week DS goes to bed at 7pm. Dream feed at 11 and he continues to sleep through till about 4.30 when he starts whimpering and getting restless IN HIS SLEEP. I always think I need to get him back to sleep and yet, he's always asleep and making these sad, crying, whimpering noises. This morning it upset me so I picked him up, then put him down and he woke up (and smiled!) and then went back to sleep - still made the noises - until I fell asleep. At 7am when DH got him up to feed him he was fast asleep.

What are these noises? What can I do to break the habit? He does them every morning on the hour from about 4ish. Is it worth doing the Whisperer Wake to Sleep?

It's probably just him dreaming. They make all kinds of funny noises in their sleep, I really wouldn't worry. IIRC, they have more dream-type REM sleep in the early mornings, so that's probably why it happens then.

If I were you I would leave him be - if you start waking him up or picking him up he might decide he quite likes being held at that time in the morning!

I agree - just dream noises as sleep is light at that time of morning! You can't really break it as a habit - in a couple of months, you could move to her own room and turn the monitor down so you only hear yells. We did this!

Her? I meant him, sorry!

Mine's the same. It's bloody annoying, especially as i never assume he's just dreaming and therefore always end up waking up properly just to make absolutely certain he isn't awake and needing attention. He's also taken to raising his legs up in the air, thumping them back down and then farting really loudly.