A thread for my early waking friends who want a whinge

[fififrog]

A few weeks back there were quite a few of us with DCs about a year old, too young for gro clocks etc waking up TOO BLOOMING EARLY. Where are you all at now? DD seems to be getting earlier. Cough not helping but we had 4.55 this morning. I hate to say it but I actually enjoyed her being ill last week as she slept til 6.30 once. Some mornings I think "just a long phase we can live with it" but this morning I was in total despair. Will I ever be able to make it to 10pm without thinking I will regret staying up this late??! I know some of you will say stick with the messing around with morning nap, it will fix it, but to be honest I don't believe it will and I just want to WHINGE to people who will understand!!

Joy of joys the last 2 days have had 4.45am wakeups. How I'll cope in 2 weeks when I go back to work I don't know

Iwantcandy I don't how old your LO is. My DS has just turned 1 and we've had just over a week of c.5am-ers. SOOOO bloody hard.

Then magically yesterday he went to 6:15am again and today was 6am. He's been generally tricky - wanting to be patted to sleep etc and DH is much tougher so said on Sat "enough". He's been a bit better, but last night still didn't go to sleep until 8:30pm, despite being put down at 7:20pm.

I am an avid reader of the book The Wonder Weeks and this phase coincides with one of the fussy weeks, so I am hoping it'll pass soon. Until the next fecking one!

I too work and you somehow find a way to get through it. Sorry

Thanks for your words littlemilla. My Ds us nearly 9 months. I Had a lie in until 7.30 this morning however Ds was awake between 2.45 and 4am!!! Think the hot weather has made everything worse...

Hi ladies - vix am torn between wanting to give you a joyous hug and say "well done" and wanting to scratch your eyes out! Just kidding - well done, that's brilliant. That said, we've not done too badly to be fair. We had 0615 yesterday and this morning it was 6.35 which means that she's doing post 6am as often as she's done pre-6am. It's only 45 mins difference but frankly it makes the world of difference!

Both of ours slept until 6.35this morning which is unbelievable. I took a sleeping tab last night as have been struggling so I was totally out for the count for 7 hours. I feel like a new woman today. Probably back to the old knackered version tomorrow but you never know!

Meggy no need to be scratching my eyes out, it sounds like you are doing as well as us! This morning he woke up at 6am, I do think the hot weather will play havoc with them!

I have been hiding in misery. Since the blackout curtains have arrived, mornings have got earlier and earlier. She's now waking somewhere around 4 and often not really sleeping again. She hates the heat and was in zombie-like meltdown for most of the weekend. Have to have windows open so sodding birds waking her for good about 4.45. Add a new molar and hayfever (or possibly yet another virus mere minutes after the conjunctivitis cleared up) and you have the picture. Groan. I don't even remember what sleeping til 6 felt like. There is literally nothing we can do. I am just praying that like Vix one day our mornings will improve... Fingers crossed all your successes remain that! candy you will survive because you have to! On the up side, I now get to work 8.15 so leave at 4.45 - I used to only get in about 9.30.... Milla I too read wonderweeks, we're beginning to run out! I think we might be moving towards the next but although I do think it affects her mood and clinginess I can't possibly kid myself it's screwing up her morning sleeping any more.

frog - my deepest sympathy, it's just not funny is it? It's all very well saying "oh it's fine if you just accept they are early risers" which is what I've been jollying myself along with for the last YEAR but sometimes it all gets too much.

My parents are coming down for the bank holiday weekend and I'm going to lob DD at them every morning as soon as she wakes (hopefully we won't get to 4 as I feel that might be taking the pee-pee somewhat!) and we'll sleep in. They are also staying in our house and looking after both sproglets for us for a whole day and night whilst DH and I go away for a night away - it will be a sleepfest great to spend some time together without the kids. Can't wait! Anyway, hope you all have a lovely long weekend and here's praying for some lie-ins for us all - you know, anything after 06:01!!

Thanks, and hope you have a llovely weekend meggy. we've had some night wakings (not done anything and DH slept through) but two 5.55s in a row so I feel much more positive again :) amazing what seems good now. Thank heavens it's cooled down a bit, but I'm not looking forward to Sunday's super-grim weather...

Hello all. I have a 17 month old and I was hoping you lot could sort her out . She has always been a terrible sleeper and always woken up early. However, she got a little better when we raised her bedtime to 8pm. Now, though she is still going to bed just after 8pm and consistently getting up before 5.30am (this morning was 5.23am for the precise clockers on here). I am despairing because it has been a struggle to sleep now for 26 months, TWO YEARS. Those of you with maths skills will be able to work out that pregnancy insomnia was also a problem. I have to think that 5.30am is better than the two hourly wakings until she was a year and the 4am wakings when she is sick... But I just want to sleep.

I called someone with a baby the same age as mine the other day at 7.30am and was informed that her and the baby were still asleep

Tis Iwantcandy. Name changed in honour of the 4+ stone I need to lose the tiredness isn't helping with that battle

Another 5am start here. Think I could cope with it except for the 10.30pm dreamfeed Ds still needs. By the time I've done that, resettled him etc it's usually 11.30 or 12 by the time I fall asleep cause I'm so overtired.

Anyone having success with blackout blinds?

candy... Er think, a categorical no on the blinds. Not to say they wouldn't help you. Why not borrow some if you can like I did, then at least you won't waste your money!

Hi Terry! I am weeping in sympathy. 5.25 yesterday, 4.55 today. We were sort of trying later bedtime but can't quite seem to do it. Now 7.00-7.15 and it was about 20mins earlier a couple of weeks back. She's now waking earlier! Don't know if it's because she's now overtired - post-nap is now a nightmare of screaming for up to an hour too - or because it's lighter earlier so the birds are disturbing her. We're thinking of putting bedtime earlier again. My mum reckons we need to go abroad and give her some jetlag! I think we'd need to make her bedtime much later to shake her out of 5.15ish, but I am not sure I can cope!

We went to Spain at the end of march and I thought great they're an hour ahead, we ll get an hours extra sleep. Er nope. It was like Ds has an alarm clock in his head. He still woke at 5am Spanish time each day and then 5am english time when we got back

On a positive note he refused his dream feed at 10.30 last night, woke wanting it at 1am then slept through til 6.30 plus Dh got up with him and I had a lie in

5.20am today but she came in with us and slept a bit more. Of course, that means DD and DH get more sleep and I don't since she wants to be pressed up against me and then I can't sleep for fear of crushing her in my exhausted state.

Ditto, thinkfast on the jetlag. DD knows what time it is everywhere. I was wondering about earlier bedtime. I just don't want to go back to 4.30am wakings.

Hi ladies, happy jubilee weekend/Trinity Sunday/whatever anyone else may be celebrating today!

In honour of Her Maj, my beloved daughter slept until.....you are not going to believe this.....0650! That is the latest ever in her whole 18 months. I did not believe it when I checked my phone for the time. DS then slept until 0720 - incredible. We are doing nothing different but we have had as many post-6am wake-ups as pre-6am wake-ups recently so maybe maybe maybe eventually they just grow out of it. She has been waking at 5.20/5.30/5.40 for over a year now so if she was finally getting out of the habit I'd be more than happy. That said, it would be absolutely no surprise at all if she just suddenly went back to 5.15 every morning....

Do you think this is wrong? Ds woke up at 5.15 this morning. I left him in his cot and put toys and books in with him and dozed in the bed next to him while he played and fussed til 6.30 when he started screaming the place down. Feel guilty he was basically left on his own but I was just so tired - he woke up at midnight and wouldn't settle for an hour

I've got an 8mo DD who wakes around 5am but its getting earlier by the day, and is then knackered and back in bed by 9am!! How do I get her to go longer? Do I put her to bed later (currently 1930 don't really want her up any later!). Her naps are over the place due to her waking earlier and earlier but it's roughly 9am, noon and 4pm. If we don't let her nap then she's too crabby to do anything with. I just don't know how to get out of this downward spiral!

Am back at work ft in 3 weeks and ideally want her up at 0630 so she's not then a total nightmare for the CM when I drop her off

thinkfast I've considered doing that too

Wifinappies am in the same boat as you. Ds is nearly 9 months and I go back to work in a week!!!!

Hey wifi, I wish I had any useful advice! At 8mo my DD was sleeping til 6 or 6.30 but was awake and screaming for an hour at about 3.15... At 7mo she had been through a 5.30 phase which worked it's way out by not letting her nap before 9am, but it sounds like you're doing that already!

thinkfast I do that every morning. I used to bring her in after 4.30 but for the last few months she has to stay in her own cot or she's off rampaging around the house. I ignore her til 6am unless she's clearly upset rather than bored, frustrated and shouting. Yesterday we ignored her from 4.40 until 6.00 so I win by 5 mins!

DD has had 2hr naps the last two days, yesterday I had to wake her at 3.30 and she'd also had 1/2 hr in the car in the morning! clearly she's shattered!

I bought backout curtains thanks to you wonderful ladies and DD slept until 6.30am today. Please, all cross your fingers and hope that this is the trick and she will do this again.

Right. Will have to get some blackout blinds. 5.40am

thinkfast - do I think it's wrong to leave your DS in his cot until 6.30am? No I think it's absolutely right. These bloody annoying early waking children have GOT to learn that anything pre-6am is totally unreasonable. I don't how they will ever learn but learn they must!

wifi - it's actually worth trying an earlier bedtime. I know it sounds totally counter-intuitive but sometimes if they are over-tired they will wake earlier. Try 7pm for a few days and see what gives. Of course, if everyone else's children on here are anything to go by, it'll make sod-all difference but you may be the lucky one who actually finds a solution.

Terry so glad the blackout curtains made a difference.

Have just got back from a night away with DH. SOOOOO nice to have a day and night away without the kids and they were both brilliant for my parents which made life easy for all. It was also really nice to be able to wake at 6am and then slide back to sleep until 8am with no hideous child-induced interruptions! DD has slept to post-6am for the last 3 days.....let's see what tomorrow brings......

Good luck for tomorrow morning everyone.

Hello ladies, may I join you?

9mo ds2 seems to think its perfectly acceptable to start the day between 4.30 and 5.45am and I can do bugger all to stop it .

We recently went on holiday torture camp for a week and because of ds's early waking (he's not quiet) by 5.15/30 every morning we were out walking with the pram. The cottage was attached on both sides and as those people were also on holiday it didn't seem fair to wake them too. I've got some lovely pictures of sunrises though!

I had a massive bit of a wobble on Friday night and I think dp realised how worn down I am with this lack of sleep so he did the early wakings over the 4 day BH (and he snuck off for two naps during the day which I have never managed ) I think he now understands a little of what my life is like atm, (I'm a sahm and he works silly long hours so get very little respite)

Nothing seems to work with ds2, two nights of cc with ds1 cured him of any sleep problems and from about 11mths went from 7.30-7.30+, he's 3.5 now. Cc for ds2 in the morning does. not. work. I've tried short naps, long naps, earlier/later bedtimes, every bloody thing! He still has a feed at about 1ish which he drinks like a rugby player downing a pint so I don't think it's time to knock that on the head yet.

Does anyone know of/have any experience with the 'wake to sleep' method? From what I've heard you set your alarm for 3.30/4 and wake them but put them straight back to sleep, but that's all I know. I'm going to research it a bit more but I'm a bit nervous in case I wake him at 4 and the little bugger thinks that's the start of the day

Just reading this thread is helping, so thank you, all my friends have babies that sleep wonderfully and I think they don't believe me when I tell them what ds2 does

Hey everyone

Just wanted to poke my head in and say hello - seems we are all in a painfully similar situation, and I am weirdly relived to hear that there seems to be no solution to having spawned a lark!

DS is almost 2, and has always been a sleep fighter. Finally got him going through the night at 16 months (CC, broke my heart, but it was that or leaving him on the church steps). He's been an early waker (between 4am and 5am) on and off since he was born. Boob and a cuddle used to get him back to sleep at that time, but those days are long gone, so now it's just a case of gritting teeth and getting through until the lunch time nap (which always involves a walk or a car ride then transfer to the sofa, it's never simple is it?). He's in bed by 6.30pm too, so hardly a late night.

I have no advice, just my condolences to you all! Maybe we have a team of rocket scientists on our hands?

Those of you about the return to work - yes, it's scary stuff (some days not sure I should be behind the wheel), but work is a break from the agony of a 15 hour day with a small person! Trust me, you'll relish it within a few dya sof being back!

x

Ds is definitely waking up hungry - I can hear his tummy rumbling! He still has a dreamfeed about 10.30 but it doesn't seem to be enough to see him through til 7.....