6.5 year old wakes EVERY NIGHT at exactly 2am

[MrsThierryHenry]

I'm rather proud that I've gently led him from only being breastfed to sleep about 2 months ago to now being able to cuddle him in his cot and let him fall asleep as he lies there. Also he no longer wakes 6-8 times a night, but twice (yippee!). It's been bloody hard work and I hope it lasts. So tell me, why is it that he now wakes at exactly the same time every single night? His first waking is usually around 11pm, then he always, ALWAYS wakes at 2am on the dot. He's more punctual than I've ever been for anything, and it's driving me nuts! Any advice?

i reall yhope you meant months not years

I'm guessing he isn't 6.5 years, though?

Oh grief, this goes to show how tired I am. Yes, you're right, I mean months!! (God, could you imagine 6.5 years of this?!)

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That's a really weird tip! How on earth did you come up with that one? (P.S I'll try it!)

Well since I'm here (though this is really no longer my cabbage patch):

At 6 months he shouldn't reeeeeaaaallllly need the extra milk, other things being equal. The waking is probably habit more than anything else. So try giving him a little pat, offering a drink of water and putting him back to sleep. He may not be impressed, though, so you may need to decide whether you want to do the full CC routine or not.

Yes, I think you're right about the milk, Frogs, and I've been refusing to feed him except about once a night when it becomes clear (after...oooh, about 1-2 hours awake) that he won't settle any other way. Water, though - haven't tried that one. I'm currently encouraging him to take sips during the day so he can get used to the cup (never got him onto the bottle, you see) so I think I'll try that in a few days, once he's happy to drink from the cup in the daytime.

cos he is ina paqttern
break the patterna nd youll be ok
( was a tania byron tip for night terrors)

Tracy Hogg (Baby Whisperer) recommends that one too. She calls it 'wake to sleep'

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No tips but imagining a 6 and a half year old in a cot lol

I don't think there's anything external disturbing him, yorkshire, if anything he's the one disturbing the neighbours when he wakes up.

I'm definitely not going to do controlled crying; I believe there are gentle and kind alternatives and the dramatic change in my DS's sleep patterns over the last two months has proven this to be true. The wake to sleep thing sounds good though; I'll definitely try that tonight.