10 month old wakes up at half 4 every morning

[Kellie137]

Help! I’m exhausted my 10 month old won’t sleep last half 4! He’s like an alarm clock, he just won’t go back down, on the ocassions I’ve given him a bottle he still won’t go down. I’ve tried putting him to bed an hour later so he goes down at half 8 not half 7 and it still makes no difference. He’s still tired because he naps about an hour and half after he wakes. I’ve cut his nap down in the afternoon so he no longer sleeps past 3 but it makes no difference. What Can I try? I can’t bear to leave him crying at half 4 because he doesn’t self soothe himself. When I was at home all day It was plush because I didn’t have to be anywhere now I’ve gone back to work I don’t get home til 9 at night and I’m exhausted. He has plenty of food and milk throughout the day. Any advice. Tia

Have you tried feeding him and then bringing him into bed with you?

Yes he still doesn’t settle he just sits up and tries to crawl up and down the bed so end up bringing him downstairs as don’t want any accidents with him falling off 😩

I treat is as a night wake up! My 1 year old often does it, but does it a lot less now. I will literally sit and rock her until she goes back to sleep if it’s in “nighttime” hours. I think she knows now it’s bloody boring trying to get up when I tell her it’s nighttime! It can take up to 3 hours which isn’t ideal though. There’s a sleep regression between 8-10 months which could be your cause at the moment though

Not been there myself but you could try disrupting his sleep cycle. Basically you set an alarm for just before he wakes up, and do something that disrupts his sleep but doesn't completely wake him up, like shifting his position. That will help shift his sleep cycle and help him go back to a deep sleep. You need to be consistent with it for a week or two but hopefully it'll work for you. It sucks that you need to wake up but might give you a bit more time to sleep.

I know it might be hard because he will be very tired, but could you push the first nap back a bit more? Apparently sometimes if the morning nap or first nap is too early after the wake, wee ones just use it as an extension of their night sleep and like a cycle it encourages the early wake.