Early waking - AFAIK I'm doing everything 'right' but it's not working!! Any ideas?

[emeraldgirl1]

If I've got it right, the main ways to counteract early waking are an earlier bedtime and a morning nap that is neither too long nor short and not too early or late.

Despite it being very very difficult (and how do I avoid over-tiredness?????) I am managing to keep DD awake for her morning nap at about 8.45 (she wakes around 5 to 5.30am so this is hard to do as she basically wants to sleep again from 7am). Her bedtime is around 6.45 to 7, never later than 7.15pm.

She naps for about 1 hour 15 or 20 mins in the morning, then about another 1 hour 20 or 30 at lunchtime, from around 12.30 until 2.

I try to avoid her napping in the pm now as it just extends her bedtime, but she may occaisonally have a little catnap around 4.30pm if we are in the car.

She wakes up perky and ready to play any time from 5am to 5.30.

I could cope with this (maybe) if she weren't also still waking once or sometimes twice a night to feed (and currently multiple times ot cry as she is teething...)

I have tried feeding her when she wakes early but it doesn't help her drop off again. I have tried not feeding her. I have tried attempting to make her go back to sleep in both our bed and hers. I have tried putting on the TV. I have given up and just started playing with her at that time, despite that making me want to cry, because I don't know what else to do.

Any advice????!!

Should I be delaying her morning nap until after 9?? If so won't she get overtired and then refuse to settle?? (that would mean she had been up for 4 hours...)

She is 8.5m by the way...

Thanks anyone who can help!!

Have you tried Wake to Sleep? Worked a treat for us...

Oh and I have also started dressing her more warmly...

And our heating doesn't come on until 6am so it is not a boiler noise waking her...

And it is not an identical time each morning so I don't think I can blame an alarm clock next door or anything...

BlameIt - I did that for naps when she was a bit younger... does it work if she is not waking at a very specific time...? If she wakes any time from 5 to 5.30 what time should I try WTS?
Thank you!!!

Mine are a fair bit older now so I can't exactly remember but I can remember the frustration and desperation of the 5am wake ups…

I would think you should aim for around 4am. But maybe google to check this. YOu need to be at least an hour before there is any chance of waking up to ensure they settle back to sleep.

Good luck.

Thanks BlameIt - might give it a try. Worst that happens is she is awake an hour earlier... couldn't be much worse!!
Yes, it is SO frustrating, and I am just knackered starting the day at 5am... I'm trying to counter it by going to bed at 8.30pm but it's not very sustainable (I have to work in the evenings sometimes) and I haven't had a proper conversation with DH for about 6 months as I'm always heading off to bed...

Emerald girl I've just posted something
really similar- we have LOs of the same age!
What are they doing to us...are you going to
Try WTS? How do you do it? If it works
for you I might give it a go. I keep DS up
until 9 for his am nap (he's up at 5.30) but
Not sure if it's helped tbh!! Fingers crossed
They improve soon...x

Try to make the afternoon nap the longer nap of the day and don't let her sleep before 9am. Got this advice from Andrea grace. Worked for us dd was about 10 mths I think.

Cnix thank you... Her afternoon nap (straight after lunch) is sometimes longer than morning but sometimes not... Should I be waking her from her morning nap and if so after how long? Is an hour enough? Trouble is she's so so so tired and usually by 8ish too as she has been awake since 5.30!!! How long do you think before I break the cycle and isn't it bad to let her get overtired?

Sorry for bombardment of questions!!!

Shatteredmama, your name is v apt! Sorry you're suffering too, I do sometimes wonder if they are trying to kill us!!! So you have had no luck with the no-nap-til-9am thing??

Not much short term hope, but DS1 has grown out of the stupid early wakings. He now is usually just gone 6am.
Very rare he doesn't pop out of bed as soon as our alarm clock goes off at 6.15 in the week, so I assume he is awake and listening.
We had success with co-sleeping from that 4/4.30 am wake. meant I didn't sleep properly, but did doze for longer than I'd have got if I'd gone back to bed after the wake.
Hope you get more sleep soon.

Hm emeraldgirl - I don't let him go down
Until 9 as otherwise I just find it hard to
get through the whole day without him
getting too tired- I've pushed the pm nap
Later as well- to about 1.30/2. He's tired
but he manages ok in the morning. Today
he's woken up later but apart from bedtime
being 20 minutes later no other change..
Who knows really??! Hope it improves for
You soon. I think before I had a baby I
Naively thought he'd be sleeping 7-7 now!
Ha...x

My LO did this at 8mo. It persisted until I took away his morning milk and he started eating more as a result of this. After two days he started sleeping until 7-7.30am.

Hmm. My 23 month old still wants early. I think she just does. She's not sleepy and is very alert and ready to play so we try to go to bed earlier and take or in turns to get up early!

Sharon thank you... Do you mean breakfast time bottle ie when he first woke for the proper morning, 7am ish...?

Thanks everyone...

It is difficult to remember when DS had milk at that time but I think it was mid morning milk. He didn't drink much milk first thing in the morning but he would have some before a nap in the morning around 10.30am.