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7 month old waking at 5.30

200 replies

Liloosmum · 20/05/2007 20:05

My 7.5 month old DD wakes at 5.30 nearly every morning, coo-ing quite happily for about half an hour and then crying to be fed. She used to go back to sleep again until 8ish, but now plays for about 15 minutes before crying and wanting to get up. We give her her last bottle at 7pm and put her to bed around half past. My DH is convinved that it is because she is hungry, but I am not because I think she would wake up crying if that is why she is waking.

She has just started having a longish (1-2 hour) sleep at 9 and then another sleep for 45-60 minutes around 2-3. She is usually really tired and crotchy from 6.30, but we make her wait until 7 when she frequently falls asleep during her last feed and we usually wake her up to put her to bed.

I am not sure if I should just accept that she will wake up at that time and it's unreasonable to expect her to be able to sleep longer, or if she would sleep longer if I changed/cut short her naps, especially the morning one. I know she already sleeps longer than a lot of babies her age, but my nephew sleeps every night from 7.30pm to 7.30-8am religiously !

Sorry for the long post, but I am new to this and wanted to make sure I put as much info as possible!

Any thoughts?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
cruisemum1 · 20/05/2007 20:47

mine too

cruisemum1 · 20/05/2007 20:48

we have adjusted his bedtime to as near to 8pm as poss and it makes no difference. surely he needs more than 10 hours sleep?!

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 06:43

5:24am today - uuuurrrggghh

yogimum · 21/05/2007 07:03

mine too! he's nearly 10 months and has been waking between 5 and 6am. He used to sleep till 7. I'm just not convinced all children need 12 hours! He also sleeps longer in the morning and really at this age this nap should be getting shorter. I should try to let him only sleep approx 45 mins. We live in the country and the birds and chickens are soooo loud!

rislip · 21/05/2007 07:33

mine too! I've tried to alter her bed time, darken her bedroom, limit naps in the day etc, but nothing works. At least she doesn't cry when she wakes up,but she can coo for about 1.5 hours. Maybe I should just get ear plugs.

Hope you find a solution.

xx

deaconblue · 21/05/2007 08:22

Mine 5am today. I think it's just coz it's so light at the moment. We should all pray for dark gloomy mornings which miraculously turn into lovely sunny days at 9am

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 09:25

so glad to be in such good company !

lilysma · 21/05/2007 09:40

Mine's up somewhere between 4 and 5 and won't settle without a feed, even though she has done a few weeks ago . She's 6 months btw. Not sure if it's the light or what...

Liloosmum · 21/05/2007 09:42

We kept her up until 8 yesterday. She fell asleep during her milk and was really difficult to wake up (fast asleep, lying on the sofa!) She didn't sleep very well, cried every couple of hours. I didn't have to go in to her, but I still didn't sleep very well. She woke up at 5.30 screaming! I went in to her and she had turned 90 degrees and had rolled over!

She wouldn't calm down without her milk, so I fed her and put her back to bed hoping that she'd go back to sleep, but expecting her to coo for 20-30 minutes and then want to get up. And she went to sleep until 8.20 .

I don't know if keeping her until until 8 did it, or if it is just because she didn't sleep very well.

I'm going to try and let her have a short nap this morning, hopefully a longer one after lunch, but that'll probably be short too and she'll need another short nap later this afternoon and we'll see what happens!

OP posts:
cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 10:31

liloosmum - how old is your lo?

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 11:03

i hate the three nap days! my lo wakes so early he falls asleep early and needs a 2nd nap early and that won't tide him over till bedtime. what a chore!

Kif · 21/05/2007 11:15

that's good! It really is!

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 11:33

kif - what is good?

23balloons · 21/05/2007 11:41

ds2 did this and was always an early riser until he had cut all of his teeth then I think he settled down and slept a bit longer. He is now 4.5 years and I cannot get him out of bed to take his older brother to school. He will happily stay there till 8am now!!

A while after it was no longer a problem for me I remember reading somewhere that babies who have their longer nap early in the day (ds2 used to nap 10-noon) are so exhausted by 7pm that they drop straight into a deep sleep which causes them to wake earlier. It suited me for ds to nap early and he seemed to want to but you could try getting you lo to sleep later in the day and in theory she will take a bit of time to drop off at night and wake later??

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 11:54

liloosmyum - doh .just read thread title so I know your lo's age. It's the early morning to blame!

Mumpbump · 21/05/2007 12:06

I think it just takes time. Ds used to do this. Now he is walking and running at 15 months, he is more tired and sleeps through until at least 6am most mornings which is more manageable. We also put him to bed later, first at 19:30 and more recently at 20:00. I think he started sleeping a bit longer around 1 year when he started walking. I guess some babies just need less sleep that others, but I know it's not much comfort to you when you have such an early start.

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 12:47

mumpbump - i truly believe that my ds needs mor sleep at night as he wakes crying not cooing. i just cant figure a way to tag his first nap onto his night's sleep iyswim! if he got up later, nis first nap would be later and then he would only need 2 daily naps instead of three. today he napped at 8:15am ad now napping again by 12noon as he just couldn't last until after lunch. hehas gone to sleep without food (has had milk though) as he was sooo tired after being awake only 2.5hrs (he is 8mths). my dd slept 12 hours at night and had two pretty regular naps of around 1.30hrs per day. I know....I know....thye are all different!

Kif · 21/05/2007 13:07

I think the 5.30 a.m. thing is a body clock thing. He's a good sleeper in my book cos he goes to sleep and stays that way. My Dd was a 6am riser for 2 years - could set your watch by her.

and cos I'm pathetically grateful when 6.5 m.o. ds does 11pm-4.30am

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 13:12

kif- don't be . my 8mth old ds was waking every 1.5 - 2hrs until a month ago

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 18:56

my ds was soooo tired tonight after waking at 5:24am this morning that i had to bring his bedtime forward an hour. He was flat out by 6:45pm. Lord above knows what time he will wake tomorrow ....

nickiey · 21/05/2007 19:03

Oh ive found a gang i can join, my ds is up at around 5.30 also.

I have bitten the bullet nd started taking him into bed with me when he wakes and feeding him whilst i doze.

He wont be doing this when he is 20!! (please god!)

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 19:05

i do that already! not into co-sleeping but equally not into waking at daybreak!

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 19:06

wot time does your go to bed? Nap?

yogimum · 21/05/2007 19:12

just wait till they are teenagers, we won't be able to get them out of bed!

cruisemum1 · 21/05/2007 19:31

bring it on!!!!