4 month old 5.30am wake up - what would you do!

[lazzaroo]

dd2 seems to have decided that 5.20am is a reasonable time to get up. It's been over the last week or so, but is like clockwork every morning. I feed her but although she'll take some and fall back to sleep she'll wake 10-15 mins later and not seem to want to go back to sleep.

She wakes loads in the night too. I tried this morning to get her bcd to sleep but gave up after 40 mins of pacing but I know that is she is awake too long before going back to sleep she'll be tired all day. She only naps for 40 mins at a time.

She has last feed before bed at 6.30ish and is asleep by 7.30.

Do I just accept it as the start of the day or try to do something to change it?

I've got exactly the same with 7m DD. I was thinking of getting her a paper round.

I had the same with my 4 month old. (Now 5 months) we put him to bed a little earlier (odd I know but it was advice we were given) and then continued to treat the waking up as night time still. Just out him back down after offering some milk, snuggled him in, white noise on and eventually he stopped waking at 5. Thus morning was 6.39, he had a chat to himself for 20 mins but is now back asleep. Just takes time for then to get that it's still night and they will stop in the end. Xx

Sounds like the well known 4 month sleep regression. Usually lasts a couple of weeks, but in DD's case, lasted until.she was 18 months - that's now and she seems only just to.have started sleeping through-ish to 7 ish.

Is she not having any milk from 6.30pm until 5.30am?

DS is also 5 mo and always wake at around 5am. We go and pop his dummy in and he normaly goes back to sleep until 6am if we're lucky....then it's definitely the start of the day! He is singing.cooing to himself at 6 no matter what we do! But he does go to bed at 6.30pm so we are v lucky we have the whole evening to ourselves before doing a dreamfeed at 10pm.

I think they go into a v light sleep cycle at around 5am, so do whatever you can to get another hours dozing and hope they'll grow out of it? It's hard at this time of year as well cos it's so bright....i think biologically we are probably supposed to be awake at 5am as a species (to hunt??)...it's only our society which has decided to hang dark material over the windows and sleep until 7am!

sorry not much help but feeling your pain!

Oh gosh no, should have been clearer...when I said she wakes loads in the night too I meant to feed. I lose track! She's often not hungry when e first wakes! She used to wake early with wind but would then re-settle. My dd1 was an early waker & I was hoping those das were behind us. My DH works away most of the week so with numerous wakings in the night, then a 5am start and a busy 3 year old to entertain....I'm shattered! She's ebf ad refuses bottle so can only get 2hour break at most.

I had thought about regression but also worried if I just wait for it to pass it never will!

Here we are again. Like clockwork. I'm seriously struggling. Up all night with her constant waking. She won't settle in cot. I don't sleep if we cp- sleep, she has to be on me. Can't catch up on sleep in the day as she only ever naps for 40 mins.

I don't know what to do.

Yes. Accept it and make the best of it if you can. bubba is only little. Well, that's what I did- twice. Everyone's different.

Yes been there done that and eventually it does go back to a later wake up but it may take a couple of months. Hope this gives you a bit of hope that its short lived

Ok, so I'll get used to it (again!). It's never as bad once I'm actually up and getting on with things.

Out of interest, those of you with early risers at this sort of age. What time did you put them down for first nap. Yesterday she went back to sleep at 7am.

7 month old dd gets up at 6, I just got used to it now. If im lucky she nods back off alone but not usually.
She has a feed, goes on her activity mat, nappy changed, breakfast at eight, gets dressed then first nap at 8.30.
She makes her own routine

That's what I made the mistake of doing. I used to stretch his first nap out as far as I could til 9:30 am but my lo was doing this early wake up phase at about six months old so he was able to stay awake until then. Your four month old may struggle. Try distraction techniques to keep your lo awake. At that age babies only need three naps a day so if you are putting your lo down too early for their first nap then they may manage to sneek in more than three naps before bedtime.

I'd be happy with 6! It seems so much more reasonable than 5.20! Dd1 was an early riser for months and rarely sees past 6.30 now.

Anyway, regarding naps, she only ever sleeps for 40mins so always has more than 3 naps! I worry about making her stay wake too long as she'll just be grumpy all day! 2 hours awake is about her limit at the moment.