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Please tell me what to do!

8 replies

minniebear · 06/05/2016 06:34

I'm really getting down. 6m DD2 has never been a great sleeper, and she's in with nearly 2yo DD1 because we only have two bedrooms. She wakes at 5:10 every bloody morning and it's driving me insane. She inevitably wakes DD1, who ends up knackered for the rest of the day, I'm knackered too and I end up with no patience, my temper's really on edge and I inevitably lose it with DD1 and feel awful for it. It just feels like a cycle.

DD2 is formula fed. She wakes at about 12:30/1am and takes a 6oz bottle then, and then I've been giving her another 6oz bottle at 5:10 when she wakes up. This has gone on for a while now, and I wonder if she's waking for the bottle out of habit. She then has four more 6oz bottles through the day.

She has a morning nap of about an hour at around 9/9:30, and then a lunch time nap at about 12:30/1, which I wake her up from (she would sleep for hours In during the day and she goes into a really deep sleep and is hard to wake, but I get her up after two hours so she's tired at bedtime). By about 6pm she's shattered, and she's in bed by 6:30/7. She self settles for naps and bedtime-I put her in the cot and she goes off to sleep, which she always has done.

We use blackout blinds and white noise. I've tried following her schedule and letting her have the marathon naps she wants during the day, but it doesn't change her 5:10 start.

At 5:10 when she wakes up, she's completely awake, sometimes does a poo, but up and shouting, blowing raspberries etc. If I leave her to it, she eventually gets cross and cries, bringing her into our bed doesn't help.

She's had a cold lately, but I don't think that's made it any worse-it's been going on for months. I know some babies are just naturally early starters, but she's so knackered all day as a result, and DD1 isn't naturally an early riser.

Any tips gratefully received!

OP posts:
lalath · 06/05/2016 07:29

You probably don't want to hear this but my son was the same with 5 am wake-ups and nothing changed it. Different bed times, naps, etc made no difference at all. He grew out of it eventually.

Any chance you can go to bed earlier yourself, so you get more sleep? That's the only way I got through it.

minniebear · 06/05/2016 07:55

I'm going to sleep at 8:30, but at least your son grew out of it! How old was he when it stopped? Do you remember?

OP posts:
lalath · 06/05/2016 08:39

About 2 I'm afraid . . .

Ratbagcatbag · 06/05/2016 08:43

Same as lalath unfortunately but dd was awake anytime from 3am
Onwards. Nothing I did made a difference. I just used to get up and snuggle on the sofa with crap I'd recorded and then have coffee before going to work. She's now three and wakes anytime between 5:30 and 6, she's probably 10 times in her life slept past 6am and never ever past 7. She was 22 months before first sleep through and still only sleeps through a couple of times.
I found no cry sleep solution ok at times but I just accept dd is an early riser.

winchester1 · 06/05/2016 08:56

Another one the same her dc2 wakes at 415 every morning and always has. One thing we found though is dc1 (same room) is getting better at sleeping through her noise. Also we now put toys and a book in her bed so.she plays a bit before going to sleep and when waking up and will often entertain herself for 30min in the mornings. We encourage dc1 to have a weekend lie in and/ or nap on a Saturday which helps as well.
Kids are 15months and 2.7yrs.

minniebear · 06/05/2016 21:00

Wow ladies...you guys are heros. 5:10 doesn't seem so bad now! DD1 happily plays in her cot when se wakes up, so hopefully DD2 will do the same when she's bigger. Thanks for listening to my rant.

OP posts:
Sparrowlegs248 · 08/05/2016 18:55

Ds is 9months and wakes anytime between 5+6 and wakes about 5 times a night prior to that (bed 7, wakes 9.30 then every hour or two)

I envy you your one wake up and 5.10 start! Wink

Gingernut81 · 09/05/2016 20:54

Oh, DD is exactly the same, I was hoping there might be a magic solution but obviously not 😢

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