Making a rod for myself?

[Newatthis]

My 4mth old DS is going to bed at 8-8.30pm and waking up for one feed. He usually sirs on a couple of occasions but he will normally settle back to sleep without a feed or being cuddled now, if I hold his hand briefly. (Am trying to wean off this by putting a comforter in his hand instead.) He then wakes up at 5.30am without fail and I cannot get him back to sleep in his cot. He is not hungry and even if fed he won't settle. Once cuddled however he goes back to sleep but wakes up if I put him down. I have taken to cuddling up with him in my bed as I then get to sleep more till 7-7.30ish. Is this going to get him into a bad habit? Should I just get up at 5.30am (although he would have fallen asleep by 7am anyway)Help!

Hello Newatthis, personally, I think it sounds as if you have found a good solution, and that 4 months is a bit early to worry about 'bad habits'. Certainly what you are doing is preferable to getting up at 5.30 a.m, now that sounds like a VERY bad habit. His sleep patterns will probably still be evolving, so everything might change again soon, and if he takes to the comforter, you might just be able to substitute that for taking him into bed. I'd say you're doing well...but I haven't been the most disciplned or efffective sleep-trainer myself!

Noooo! Don't get him up at 5.30. I think you've found a brilliant solution and doing the perfect, loving thing that makes you all happy and gets you lots of sleep. He's doing incredibly well for 4months, I would have given my right leg for a baby like yours at that age. I think holding his little hand briefly sounds just lovely. And I don't believe in bad habits in one so weeny. They change all the time at this age.

Don't get up!!! Snuggle! It's a NICE habit!

At (or was it by?) 6 months old over 60% of parents end the nights with their babies - you're not the only one. I just wish my dd would go back to sleep she decides to roll/crawl/stand anything to avoid going back despite being knackered

Enjoy the cuddly time

I wish mine would have slept like that. I would say enjoy the cuddle time and you seem to be handliing it well.

Mine is more like ninja, we plunk her in the middle of the bed and leave her to do somersaults until she is really really tired. It will happen eventually.

I used to do exactly the same with my dd (I think I even had a thread with a similar 'am I doing wrong' tone!) and she sleeps ok apart from the usual teething/cold scenarios.

My problem now is that she won't sleep in our bed and wriths around the England.

PS - agree on how lovely cuddling is, v scrummy when 4 month old as well xxxx

obv should be FOR england...

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Thanks for all the support. I guess it just feels like a cop out and that I should somehow make him sleep in his cot all night. But then I get confused with the fact that he does for most of it. Maybe I've just picked up the message that it's bad to cuddle up with them from a different generation. I guess the decisions of parenting don't get any easier. Is it likely he will just eventually sleep through the 5.30 bit? At what age would it become a habit do you think?

Hi Newatthis,

I've just read this thread and sounds exactly like my ds who is 5 months. he used to sleep right through but has started waking 4.30-5.30. I would pick him up and bring him into our bed and he would drop off to sleep straight away. He wasn't ready to get up and not hungry so I think that he was waking out of habit. Spoke to my health visitor about his and she says that I should try to leave him without picking him up or trying to settle him as this may wake him fully. Have tried this and it seems to be working but it would be better if he didn't wake at all. It then it dawned on me that the heating (which is quite noisy) comes on around that 5ish and the slightest noise from that may be waking him when he comes into his light sleep.

Hope this helps

The only bad habit you could possibly be starting is if you confuse your little one by taking away the source of his comfort and then offering him it again when you are tired.
Co-sleeping is wonderful and natural and there is nothing wrong with a baby faaling asleep during a feed.
I think you are doing a great job so far. Don't fall for the routine obsessiveness that we are bombarded with. Enjoy your baby and the cuddles whilst you can.

Newatthis, my dd is nearly 3 and she still walks in and climbs in bed with me at 5-6-7, (whenever she wakes which has been 6-7 lately-- ALL touch wood), and we snuggle. As others have said, it's a nice habit and as long as you are o.k with it, why worry!
It's a thing i will always miss when and if she stops!!+

Sounds like my ds at that age, and now he is completely different and has done several other things in between. Ignore the rod for your own back - it's your back, if you are happy and he is happy who cares!