Early morning waking.

[StillNoFuckingEyeDeer]

DD2 is 11 months. She has been waking early for as long as I can remember, but recently it's been getting even earlier. The last 2 mornings she's been up since 4.
During the day she settles herself for naps, usually without any problem. She has a 40-80 minute nap (occasionally 2hours) at around 8:30/9 and another nap after lunch at 1-ish, usually for around 40-80 minutes again.
At night she is more difficult to settle. She either falls asleep BF or with me quietly patting her back. She often wakes briefly in the night and settles herself.
I've tried BF her when she wakes up and putting her back to bed, but she's wide awake and trying to climb out of the cot.
I was going to try wake to sleep, but I don't know how I'd get her back to sleep, since I often feel that me being there is just stimulating her more. Also, the mornings I was going to try it, she decided to wake even earlier....

What should I be doing?
Thank you.

I'm in the same boat as you so watching this one! Hopefully someone has some advice!

I think what you do depends on what she does at 4am? If you left her, does she scream? Lots of sleep people think leaving them for 10minutes is a sensible time for them to get back to sleep, i don't think they mean screaming though.
I think you need to stop feeding to sleep, great book called no cry sleep solution suggests something called pantleys pull off, to help this.
You also need if possible to help her learn to self settle , sounds like her sleep cycle is 40 minutes long, so helping her back to sleep after 40 minutes with ssshhhh-ing will help her do the same at night.
Some people think early waking is caused by over tiredness. Sorting day time nap often helps this, i am not sure of recommended number of daytime sleep hours for 11m, but think ds at same age was having morning and after lunch nap, after lunch was around 2 hours.
Some people think early waking is caused by first nap being too early? So maybe try to separate night time and first nap a bit more.
Some sleep experts suggest all sleep day and night is in darkened room, whereas others think day time sleep should be light?
Might be worth checking if her room is really dark at 4am because it is getting light and birds start singing (i know this because i am up feeding newborn!!)
I had an early riser and generally poor sleeper and thought no cry sleep solution was very good (Elizabeth Pantley) you would probably find it at library.
My poor sleeper is now almost 3, and goes off to sleep really well at lunch and bedtime and sleeps from 7.30pm -6.30am, i have friends whose children sleep later, but i am just pleased i don't see a five on the clock when i wake up!

I had this problem for ages with my DS.
I read that the earlier they napped in the morning, the earlier they will wake up! So I set about making him nap later......by 10 minute intervals every day. So started at 9, then 9.10 then 9.20...it worked but took some time!
He's now 3 and is up anytime from 5.45 (rarely and I class that as "bad" now) to 7.15.......
HTH

Thanks.
She self settles during the daytime with no problems. I do think that her super-early wakings come the day after we've been really busy and she hasn't napped, so is overtired going to bed.
She does go down for her first nap very early. It's a vicious circle. She wakes early, so I put her down for a nap early etc.
I think I'll start trying to stretch out the time to the first nap....

I have same problem! Do let us know if it works by making first nap later

Well I've managed to hold off on the morning nap until 9:15 the last 2 mornings. (it had crept forward to almost 8....).
I'll let you know how it goes, Rizzle

Watching with interest, my just turned 9 month old has been doing this for about a month now, usually up at 4:30. I have been feeding him and he goes back to sleep until 7ish. His first nap is 9-9:45 ish depending on when he gets up and makes no difference. Lunch time nap is usually 1.5-2 hrs and he is in bed by 6:30 (knackered) or occasionally 7.

Do I need to stop feeding him?? My other son went through this though was waking later eg 5:30ish, and was a lot older.

Hoping it resolves itself as in sept will be back at work and cannot imagine how I will do 4:30 wake up then...