Early rising

[gigi556]

Ok, I've posted about this before and tbh I'd sort of given in to just going to bed early myself and dealing with it but these early risings are getting ridiculous. As a friend said to me, "that's the middle of the night".

My one year old woke up for the day at 4:30am. It's usually 4:45am. Today I didn't breastfeed him as I feel it's pointless if he's not going back to sleep. He goes to bed around 7. Naps well during the day etc. His room isn't completely blacked out but it's very dark. We actually bring him into our room at this time which is very bright (no blackouts) which I know doesn't help but I don't think I can hold him in the chair in his room while he doesn't go back to sleep. I can't put him back in the cot as he just stands up and cries at the side. We tried putting him to bed an hour later over a 2 week period and he sometimes slept until 5:30. It wasn't consistent and it didn't feel worth losing our evening over since for that early a wake up we still need to be in bed by 9. I don't know why I'm posting really. I'm just frustrated as I'm sick of this. I guess it's parenthood but I don't like getting up on someone else's terms!

I'm also wondering if anyone had any luck with CC or SOMETHING to get their baby to sleep later.

Bump as I'm in the same boat

Don't give up on the blackout. DS (11 months) was waking up at 5:00 am until I taped tin foil over his windows. He had blackout curtains before but now it is completely dark and I have had to wake him up the last few mornings because he's overslept.

It's worth a try, at least it doesn't cost much and you can rip it down if it doesn't work. Apparently you can make the tin foil wet and it will stick to the glass, but I just taped it to the plastic bits. It does look like we're growing something suspicious from outside though!

@househunthappening I'm trying that once dd moves to her own bedroom!

@saratustra it's really good!

Stick it to the plastic frame of the individual windows rather than the outer frame of the whole window if that makes sense. You can still open the windows then and I've found leaving the larger windows each side on the breather and the little window at the top open the room is nice and cool even in this weather.

You mention day naps are good... what is he doing? My one year old wakes at 5:30/6am, so not exactly a late riser, but it's much more manageable than 4:30! We only let our daughter sleep at lunch time, usually from 12 - 1:30/2pm. She is then very ready to go to sleep between 6:30 and 7pm in the evening. How well does he eat during the day? You should resist any night feeds in the night, and as you did this morning, hold off for for as long as possible giving a bottle when he wakes, so you're not rewarding the early wake up. Only give him a bottle at a time you are comfortable waking, e.g. 7am, and be consistent so it becomes a routine. I also try to resist responding to the morning cries... not always easy, but sometimes she does end up falling back to sleep for another half an hour or so when i do. I can usually pick out the difference between the cries though, and if she wakes up extremely hungry, then i know there is no hope and will give her a bottle.