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Fed up with 4am wake ups - desperately seeking advice please!?!

57 replies

LimesMum · 27/12/2014 20:32

I know I've been on here many times and probably sound like a broken record but.... We are still having problems with early waking!! We did have a brief period of improvement when she woke at 5-530 but this only lasted a few days.

So she wakes at 350 on the dot every day and screams to get up, nothing will settle her other than getting up for the day.

We have recently done controlled crying which has helped hugely in that she now goes down for naps and bed on her own without too much trouble and is no longer being fed in the night. I have been holding off feeding until 6am and doing cc but this morning I tried feeding her at 4 to see if it settled her, she fed like she was starving but made no difference, still wanted up. I even put her in the buggy and pushed for 20 mins but no luck.

So we stay up until 930 then have a nap (as per previous advice in here as apparently going for a nap before then encourages early waking).

She naps for 1.5 - 2 hours then naps again at 3 for 45-60 mins and goes to bed at 715-730 ish. Going to bed later makes no difference, I've tried that too!!

Any pearls of wisdom out there at all would be gratefully appreciated!! She has also become extremely strange with her eating habits, she has always eaten anything and everything and now just spits it all out after a spoonful and will do this with anything apart from yogurt or brown bread.... I think this is a separate issue tho?! Shock Shock Shock

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
HoggleHoggle · 18/01/2015 05:43

Oh no! We're also back to square one it seems, 5.20 again. Dh is in ds room now doing gradual retreat but no luck yet.

I swear other babies sleep through the night and stay that way???? At the moment we crack it then a month later after a cold etc we're having to do it again. It's so bloody relentless.

LimesMum · 18/01/2015 06:03

I try resettling /cc but only until 6 when I get her up. Not sure if this is the right thing to do?

Also feeling guilty that's she is only having one nap in the day but getting up so early, although it has been 2 hours the last 2 days.

Bless her she is trying her hardest to go back to sleep but she just can't for some reason. It's weird as she is fine at nap and bedtime, it's just this early morning she doesn't seem able to cope with poor sausage

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HoggleHoggle · 18/01/2015 07:24

I know what you mean, it's really hard to know what to do for the best with the nap. I thought yesterday two naps were best as he woke from his first just before 11, however by 3.30 he was still refusing to go down and it was getting too late really to get one in. So he ended up being up for ages.

I think we found the resettling much easier last time we were sleep training because he was waking at 4, so he was much more tired and receptive to going back to sleep. Now he's waking at 5.30 he really has more or less completed his night sleep so I don't think he's tired enough to go back down. We will persevere!

Hope things get better for you soon. Sounded good that dd is having a 2 hour nap even if it is just the one...that is what they need to be doing eventually anyway!

GinGinGin · 18/01/2015 14:36

Just wanted to post that we seem to be having some luck with the Gro Clock - dd is still waking around 3/3.30 but we can settle her back down (can take upto 30 mins) and then she's waking up around 5/5.30 so that's a huge improvement on the 2.30-4.30 getting up before!

LimesMum · 22/01/2015 05:30

How's everyone doing with the early wake ups? We are consistently doing 5am now but can't seem to make improvements beyond this.

I'm wondering when I just give up and accept she is going to be up at 5am rather than stressing and trying to re settle her for an hour which seems more stressful for everyone and of no benefit!!??

Do you think 11.5 months is unrealistic to try a gro clock??

We are off to nursery for the first trial on her own for 2 hours this morning, breaking my heartConfused Sad but that's another story Hmm

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GinGinGin · 22/01/2015 08:27

Yes, she's too young for a Gro clock as she wouldn't be able to understand that blue = sleep and yellow = wake-up. I'm afraid 5 might be the best you can hope for atm, sorry! Hope nursery goes well Smile

GinGinGin · 05/02/2015 13:14

Just wanted to post that we seem to be making progress with the Gro clock - dd is now getting up around 6 (fingers crossed!). I'm absolutely happy with that and she seems so much more content (possible because she's getting loads more sleep!). Anyway just wanted to post to show that there is hope (considering she's been a 2.30-5 riser since she was 4 months old!)

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