7 month old waking at 5.30

[Liloosmum]

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?

Mine goes through till 8am, she wakes a little earlier but just coo-s in her cot till i get her fir her breakfast. Recently she started waking and grisling earlier so i added an extra cube to her lunch and her tea and it worked.

ds is on three meals, 2 puddings, three ff's and 1 snack per day. i don't think another cube would help

What time are you guys going to bed? I have worked out that to ensure 8 hours sleep I need to be in bed by 8pm. I might achieve that next week as DH is away working so will probably eat with DS at 5. I won't exactly have a life of my own in the evenings, but might be safe operating heavy machinery/driving a car/manouvering around town with a baby buggy.

cruisemum mine is on 3 meals aday,two puddings and 3 bottles too and she is 7.5 mths old. You would be suprised at what an extra cube or 2 does. When mine starts to wake hungry earlier, i don't up her milk intake but i do up her solids and she goes back to not waking earlier again.

My friend today (baby same age - 9 months) advised trying a short nap again in the afternoon. Say 20mins around 4.30pm. She said something about making the deeper sleep happen later in the night. I don't think it will make any difference but who knows.
Cruisemum my dd is on the same food as you. And has a nap at 9.00am (45mins) and 2hours at 12.30pm. Arrrgghhh who knows.

i will try anything!!!. tomorrow he wil have more solids and i will try for late pm nap.....i live in hope

I am more or less convinced that they need a short nap late afternoon. I have to take my dd for a walk to get her to do that usually, unless she falls asleep during her milk.

She is on 3 meals, 2 puddings and 4-5 bottles a day (she seems to really like her milk) and I'm sure that when she wakes coo-ing that she hasn't woken because of hunger.

We were out today so dd has only had a 25min nap at lunch instead of 2 hours. Plus she had a full bottle before bed. Both highly irregular. Lets see what the morning brings. Mmmmmmm.

Oh pants! Less day time naps made it worse. She was awake at 5am on the dot ready to start the day. I wish I could sound proof her room.....

tislip - tbh i don't thnk anything makes any difrerence! ./ 5:40am today {{{{sigh}}}}

Rislip

4.50am!! I am having my first weekend away since DD was born this weekend and DH is in charge. What's the betting she's wakes at 7 both mornings...

sydney - oh crikey . That is bloody early!!!! did you get a chance to catch up later in the day? my ds ws 5:45am today but i woke at 4:45am and could not get back to sleep I hate that!!!!! am constantly running on empty these days. not great as it is half term and dd is a very energetic 9 year old!!! mayve i can rest when they leave home

I am almost scared to type this for everytime things go well and I post on mumsnet things go downhill...I think it's a mumsnet curse. Anyway a few nights ago we decided to just ignore her when she cries during the night..obviously not IGNORE her but just let her cry & see what happened. 1st night she woke at 9.30pm..but think that may have been the noises from our room!!! Our bed is so creeky...anyway..left her 20mins was asleep then she woke around 4.30..10mins later asleep & woke up at 6.40am!!! So following night did the same & she only woke once at 4am..cried on & off for 40mins then asleep until 6.45am!! I can't believe it she is having a nap in the morning at 9.30am for 30mins & then 1.5-2hrs at 12.45/1pm. I just think she had been getting used to being cuddled again, so we got tough & it seems to be working. The plan is to leave her 20mins then assess the crying if she seems to be getting worse then we will go in & see whats up otherwise we will just leave her to learn how to sleep. I hate it but I know it's for the best. Let's hope the good nights continue!! I love getting up to the sound of dh alarm...1st morning we were all dissorientated??!! when it went off we didn't know what it was!!

My DD just the same. Wakes about 5.30 every day and is back to sleep again by 7.45. Her daytime naps are generally dreadful (45 mins max, 3 or 4 a day). I cope with the early mornings by reminding myself that I should be grateful she's sleeping through as a couple of months ago she was waking 3 times a night. She does go to bed early (6.30 pm) so I do get a bit of evening, even if having an early night. Have just started weaning though (DD is 5.5 months) and that has thrown a spanner in the works as she keeps waking around 9 with stomach ache - or perhaps it's the elusive teeth! Who can tell...

amysmum - i want your baby! !!! i don't go to ds in te night anymore unless he is getting distressed (rarely). but he sitll wakes at 5:30/6am
eldy - hellishly early isn't it. . he does nap quite well generally though so i cannot complain. this is only a recnent thing though. until about a month ago naps were appalling! so for you there is hope

Cruise, really sorry to hear you are so tired at the mo -
any chance you can rope dp in to get more kip?

amijee, congrats on the new job

daddyj - unfortunately, not all daddies are like you!!! . my dh did get up on saturday morning with ds (first time EVER ) and when i came down, there was breakfast all over his clothes, he had one toy to play with and he had not been washed! I didn't mention it though as i was greatful to have layed in until 7:30am

or even 'grateful'

For a second I thought your dh had breakfast all over him and only one toy etc

Well, it's a start!
And as I say to my dw, when you leave us chaps in charge you have to be a bit
lenient...steep learning curve and all those excuses.

5:30am wake-up this morning and this time I could tell by the cries that I had to go to
her immediately. Good thing I did: she had twisted herself around and had got her
head uncomfortably close to the bars!
I usually play with her until 6:30 before waking dw for the boob feed but I cheated
and handed her over at 6:15 . Collapsed on bed until nearly 8 - just made it to
work in time!

lol when i re-read my post! that's exactly what it sounds like daddyj! . 6.10am today...yaaaaay!!!

oh and just fyi daddyj - i never give my dh more than one toy at a time...he tends to throw them out of the pram

I hope he won't find this thread one day..

Good to hear you had a better night. I am hoping for similar 'lie in' tomorrow.

dw is going back to work tomorrow and dd will have her first full day of nursery
so I am curious what tomorrow night is going to be like.
Will not say anything more lest I jinx it!

5.22 today {{{yawn}}}. didnt go to him till 5:50 as he was just grizzling, dadada-ing! knackered already

Oh that's a baddie cruise. Make yourself a nice pot of coffee. It's so infuriatingly (is that a word?) random isn't it? We had some 5ams on the weekend and this morning and quick cry at about 5.30am, literally a minute as leg was wedged weirdly out of cot, and then she went back to sleep till 7am-ish. Do you think when they are more active they will be more tired???? please...