Early waking, anyone had success in getting it later?

[Sparrowlegs248]

Ds is 16 months, never been a great sleeper. Since 12 months we've done gradual withdrawal and a few weeks ago stopped bf overnight.

He has always been up early, but recently it's gone from between 5&6 (mostly closer to 5) to 4something.

He no longer wakes 'in the night' so is sleeping through from 6.30-7.30 (was always 6.30 but trying to get it later) to wake up around 4.15/4.30.

I had been not bf until wake up at 5 (but this was with a 2/3am wake up), but tbh at 7months oregnant I have started feeding him when he wakes. Maybe this isn't helping but can get me an extra hours snoozing (he doesn't go properly back to sleep)

Any tips on how to stop such an early wake up? I can just about manage 5.30........

It's usually tweeking the timings of daytime naps that affects early waking.

It could be a sign the morning nap is too early. It might be a sign its time to transition from 2 to 1 naps per day. Bedtime obviously also has a significant impact on wake up time.

It is unlikely to be hunger waking him at this age. But breastfeeding is about much more than milk. It might be that he's entered a stage of lighter sleep and he needs extra reassurance to sleep - so cosleeping and/or feed helps him.

One other thing, what's he likes when he wakes. Into toddlerhood it's useful to get child used to occupying himself in the cot for a bit. Not for ages (that ends up being counter-productive) but he should be able to manage 15-30 minutes singing / talking / playing and not screaming to be fetched. So ignoring could work for a bit.

Thanks again fate.

The things you mention are all issues tbh, the naps and the bedtime. He was regularly having one nap, but was poorly and we are mostly back to two now. Today he had about 45 minutes 10.45 - 11.30 (after waking 4.15, bf dozing til 5.15) then about 50 minutes waking at 5, which I know is late but he fell asleep in the car, wouldn't sleep before then. Bed asleep at about 7.40 I think so later than usual.

Is it better to have the late nap and later bedtime do you think?

I think I need to get back to not bf before 5 or 5.30. I did it for a week or so and am pretty sure he was waking mostly after 5 after that.

Re what he's like on waking, tbh I haven't tried leaving him in the cot, he's still in our room, we wait to see that he's actually waking rather than just stirring, then he comes into bed with us for bf and snooze if we can.

3.15 managed to get him to snooze in bed, bf. Need to stop bf I think. Got back into the habit when he was poorly.

I hate the thought that you might give up bf because you are backed into a corner about it. Tandem breastfeeding is lovely, you don't have to give up.

If breastfeeding to sleep works, honestly I'd just go with that.

It's not really working though, that's the trouble. I'm getting a real aversion to it as he just wants to suckle for hours. If it was a feed then back to sleep I'd probably ne OK, but he was attached from 3.15-5.15 this morning, every time I tried to unlatch him he woke up and squirmed and then properly wakes up.

I'm happy with the morning feed, it is lovely, but I can't carry on being awake from 4something a.m. Or indeed 3.15 today. I'm exhausted and end up bloody crying a lot.

Could you try upping his solids? Maybe try offering something filling just before bed like toast or porridge.

Thanks Lala, he eats loads as it is. He actually slept 7pm - 5.30 am last night, which I'm more than happy with!! Just had a total snotty meltdown about having a nap though, overtired.

This need to be hanging off the boob from about 3am killed breastfeeding for me with both my boys, sadly. I chucked it in at 17mo with both because there was no other way of getting them over these hellish mornings, even with 'ideal' 12-2 naps. They would scream and scream and scream until I either gave them boob, or they passed out asleep again after two hours, at which point they needed to be up and getting ready for nursery. I gritted my teeth through the latter scenario for a good couple of weeks with each, theoretically to keep boob to between 7am and 7pm, but it never came close to working. They'd just conk out if/when I finally gave them boob at 7am, then resume screaming when I had to move them to go to work. Then when I got home from work, they'd wrestle me into a corner to get onto the boob to try and get a quick pre-dinner kip in and fuck up my evening.

Extra food makes not one iota of difference. This is textbook breastfeeding for comfort and to support sleep.

Once I chucked in BFing, they both improved. Not vastly - DS2 has only just started making it through to 6am at the age of 2.4yo, and even then not consistently - but at least I'm not having my nipple chewed on from 3am onwards and they are definitely better rested and happier/easier to deal with in the mornings.

Thanks Elpheba that's exactly it!! Though ds only bf on wake up and these times we night but am cutting the nights out again and probably the wake ups too soon tbh.

I've gone beyond all my expectations with bf him to this stage.