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Original poster

10 month olds 4:30 starts are killing me, please help

55 replies

sososotired · 03/07/2014 06:12

My DS has never need great at sleeping but for a few months we had only one night waking and starting the day at 5:45 since I've been back at work he is waking 6/7 times a night and gets up for the day at 4:30.
He has 1 two hour nap with his childminder from 10:30-12:30 and then in bed asleep by 7.

Anyone with advice or a similar experience? I'm shattered!

OP posts:
captainproton · 03/07/2014 06:16

Me too. I think once the nights draw in and my little man's teeth start coming through it will get easier.

I really hope so!

Solasum · 03/07/2014 06:18

Sounds like reverse cycling to me. Are you bf? My DS was just the same when I went back to work. It took a month or so to settle down. Normally he will go to 6.30 or 7 now though, with only the occasional 5.30 like today. It is rubbish though, isn't it.

I did everything I possibly could the night before, all clothes and bags ready etc to get a few extra minutes, and brought him into bed with me with some toys and doze. What happens if you just ignore him at 4.30 though? Have you tried?

JellyMould · 03/07/2014 06:20

The CM needs to push the morning nap later.

tiddleypompom · 03/07/2014 06:21

From my own experience I'd say he wasn't getting enough sleep in the day, and is awake too long after waking till bedtime.

We broke the early waking by introducing an earlier nap (9am-10am) which he has in the buggy, and then an afternoon nap (2-3pm) before bed at 7-7.30pm.

This really works for us & has pushing waking back to 6am.

Possibly difficult if he has a CM but that's what I'd do. If either of my two boys (2.9yrs & 16mths) are overtired by bedtime they have poor sleep and/or wake early.

Good luck!

Ilovecake80 · 03/07/2014 06:26

Going to bed at 7 seems ok. nap seems early however if he's waking that early will need it. I would try and move that to after lunch time 12-2 or 1-3. Sometimes they just go through a phase of waking possibly teething. It won't last for ever. I know there are loads of thing to do when baby goes to sleep but leave it just do essentials in week washing up having a shower etc. get in bed for 8 at least to help with the tiredness.

Original poster
sososotired · 03/07/2014 06:34

We've tried just leaving him but he will play by himself for 10/15 minutes and then just cries till someone gets him up, I've tried feeding, rocking, lying in bed with him but he just won't go to sleep!

Does anyone think putting him to bed at 6:30would help?i agree that he needs more sleep (as do I) before he would have one 3 hour nap from 12-3 but the early waking a have broken this habit :(

OP posts:
Solasum · 03/07/2014 06:52

Worth a try on the bedtime. I moved bedtime fron 7 to 6, and DS always goes to sleep then, and his wakeup time did not get an hour earlier. Thsnk goodness. I reason that the extra hour must do good.

MummyTheGregor · 03/07/2014 09:27

Same here. So following intently.
Ds2 is 10mo next week.
Hv suggested cry it out.... which I know is controversial but nothing else is working (blackout blinds, calpol, shhh-ing, bottle (he's ff)..... so at 4.30 am till 6am I listened to him cry and gave up.... I did go back in from time to time but it seemed to make it worse.... the boys git tenacity! I used to let ds1 settle himself but never had to wait longer than 15mins before he went to sleep si don't think I will be doing that again. .... zzzz

NeatFreak · 03/07/2014 09:34

My dd is 12 months and had been waking really early for ages. I'm not saying it has magically gone away but I did the following and it seemed to help:
Got rid of gro bags and used sheets/ blankets instead. I also put less clothes on her as I think she was getting too hot
Double lined her curtains to make it darker
Kept her windows closed as I think the birds were waking her with their dawn chorus
I take her outside around 6pm every night for fresh air
Try to feed her a while before bedtime (I still bf and she was too used to feeding to sleep)

She still wakes early fairly regularly but seems to be genuinely hungry so she comes into bed with us and I feed her- she went back to sleep until 7.15 this morning, which was bliss but made us late!

MummyTheGregor · 03/07/2014 10:55

Same here. So following intently.
Ds2 is 10mo next week.
Hv suggested cry it out.... which I know is controversial but nothing else is working (blackout blinds, calpol, shhh-ing, bottle (he's ff)..... so at 4.30 am till 6am I listened to him cry and gave up.... I did go back in from time to time but it seemed to make it worse.... the boys git tenacity! I used to let ds1 settle himself but never had to wait longer than 15mins before he went to sleep si don't think I will be doing that again. .... zzzz

Solasum · 03/07/2014 11:36

Crying it out takes a few days to work. Short term pain for long term gain?

NeatFreak · 03/07/2014 12:40

I thought of cc but I know that she wakes during the night and self settles easily but not at 4-5 am so thought there must be a reason for it, whether it be hunger, thirst, bedroom too bright or just wanting a cuddle. Whatever the reason, I couldn't do it. If she woke during the night as well I'm sure I'd feel differently

Original poster
sososotired · 03/07/2014 17:20

We tried CIO and stuck to it for two weeks at the end of which he woke every 30 minutes sobbing so not an option for us!

We are trying an earlier bed time and slowly pushing that nap back

OP posts:
JessicaFletcher2014 · 03/07/2014 20:46

I would think its the nap that's the problem. If he could do an earlier morning nap and then one later in the afternoon. Ideally he should not be awake for more then 4 hours before his bed time. My girl is an early riser and we consulted a sleep consultant as I couldn't take it anymore! Its a work in progress.

museumum · 03/07/2014 20:50

My 10mo old definitely needs two naps. Maybe even 3. He naps at about 10 for an hour then about 1 or 2 for an hour and occasionally again at 4:30/5 for half an hour.

I can't believe your baby is going from 5am to 10am without sleeping and again from 12:30 to 7!!! I would guess he's overtired.

Mamabear12 · 04/07/2014 18:18

Get black out blinds. Make room completely dark. Works wonders for early risers.

SusannahD · 04/07/2014 23:06

Yes get blackout blinds or blackout curtain liners, if you haven't already got them. Argos do them pretty cheaply.

Original poster
sososotired · 05/07/2014 07:50

He has it all :) black out curtains with an extra liner! Earlier bed time combined with a later nap resulted with him getting up at 4 for to mornings :(

OP posts:
NoisyBrain · 05/07/2014 08:33

We have a similar issue with our 10 month old DS at the moment. I feel I shouldn't moan because he sleeps through most nights, but the 5am starts are painful.

He had two good naps yesterday, 2 hours from 8.45 (early I know but he was SO tired I couldn't keep him up any longer) and an hour and a half in the afternoon from 1.45. Asleep in his cot by just after 7.00. Up with the lark at 4.50am. We've recently moved his bedtime forward from 7.30 but so far it's made no difference.

Admittedly DS's room isn't pitch black - he has blackout curtains but they only keep out so much light. We have a Gro blind which we'll try again, but it was a right faff getting it to stay up last time we tried and it makes ventilating his room a bit tricky. It's already the warmest room in the house!

Sorry I don't have any useful advice, just posting in solidarity. I mentioned the early starts in passing to my GP the other day and she said her 5 year old still gets up at 5am and some kids are just early risers. Not what I wanted to hear!

zombielady · 05/07/2014 08:52

Same here! Had same prob with ds and now dd. Was so hoping I would get a good sleeper this time. My main problem is getting through the day without taking my shit' mood out on everyone, especially ds. Just makes me so mardy and weepy! People who 's children sleep do not understand! Sympathies to all exhausted mums!

Original poster
sososotired · 05/07/2014 18:57

I agree 100% zombie people with sleepers just don't understand!

I'm feeling like a horrible mum at the moment we had a 4 am start so I'm pretty tired and I just t

OP posts:
Original poster
sososotired · 05/07/2014 18:58

Told DS off for not falling asleep which scared him and made him cry!

I'm really hoping for a miracle!! Good luck to all who are in desperate need of sleep!!

OP posts:
NoisyBrain · 06/07/2014 07:49

Put the Gro blind up yesterday and DS woke today at...5am. I would have thought that any effect of a darker room would be instant, no? Or does it take a little while for them to start waking later?

Solasum · 06/07/2014 09:34

Will these early birds go back to sleep after a hit of activity? DS woke at 6 this morning, but then went back to sleep 7 to 9.

NoisyBrain · 06/07/2014 14:26

I don't think so - DS isn't ready for a nap til about 3 hours after waking. I even tried treating this morning's 5am start as a night waking. I gave him some water and his dummy and rocked him for a while in the dark bedroom but he was not going back to sleep. Guess we'll just have to hope he outgrows this phase...

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