9mth old waking at 4am daily

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My 9 month old has always been a poor sleeper - more frequent night than the average at each age + poor napper during the day (short naps and only when on the move). The last 4-6 weeks she has been sleeping well for most of the night (7pm-4am) however when she wakes at that point she is up and ready to start the day.

I have tried:

More naps
Fewer naps but for longer
Leaving in the cot at 4am
Earlier bedtimes (6-6.30pm)
Later bedtimes (7.30pm)
feeding and rocking back to sleep (this doesn't work)

How can I get her to sleep longer!? Even a 5-5.30am wake up would be more manageable.

If she wakes around 4.30am then naps are generally 7.30-8am or 8.15am/8.30am max. Then 12.30pm-1.30pm or 2pm max. Bedtime at 6.30pm or 7 absolute latest.

Other days she will only nap in 30min stints and ends up having 3 of those.

Any ideas? She is mostly formula fed now but also has 3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks. When I feed her at 4am she generally takes 150-200mls so does seem like she is hungry.

Anyone?

Could you reintroduce dream feed at 10pm instead if feeding at 4am?
Does she have black out blinds
Do you get up with her a 4am or keep it dark, she stays in cot etc as it's still night time
Structure to day time naps really helps with night sleeping

Thanks for the reply. I did consider doing that but felt like I would be going backwards re-introducing a feed we have already dropped. But maybe we don't have much to lose?

I would definitely try a feed at 4am. That’s still a long stretch without milk for a young baby with a tiny stomach. I know someone will be along to tell say that they shouldn’t need milk in the night at this age but I think the amount of babies on here that are still having them prove otherwise. My DS has an early morning feed at 5am untill 10.5 months. I’d always rather an early morning feed and then back to bed over a super early wake

I hope you find a solution but my son has been through phases of this. Even now at nearly 3 a 4.45am start is not unusual and he doesn’t nap. I found it easier once I made my peace with it and stopped searching for a solution. Generally the only solution to all his sleep ‘issue’ has been time. I agree anything before 5 feels hideous but find life is usually better after caffeine and sugar

Oh goodness do t start feeding at 4am then that will become his normal wake up time! "

Was just going to echo Hollowvictory. Give the first milk at the time you would want her to wake up. When we gave my DS milk as soon as he woke he woke earlier and earlier going back to 5am ish. We started waiting until 6am to give him milk, then he started waking later, then we shifted the milk half an hour later again, and then did the whole thing again. Might have been his cycles naturally changing anyway but after that he didn't wake until 7ish. He was older though, about 13 months. We sometimes give tangerine or something not filling that he really likes when he wakes if he is crying.

We had this OP with our little girl at 9 months, we reintroduced a dream feed at 10pm and for the most part she will now sleep through 7pm ish to 6am ish we are still doing the dreamfeed 6 weeks on as she always finishes it so we figure must need it, have felt like you mentioned that it's taking a step backwards but it's working so it's worth it for now while we are getting back into a routine of me back at work :) give it a try it may work for you too x

I wouldnt feed her in the night. Try a supper (baby cereal or toast before bedtime bottle with a later bedtime. Ds nearly 10 months does
7am bottle
7.45 breakfast
10.30/11 bottle
1pm lunch
4pm tea
6.45 supper
7.45 bottle
If he wakes in the night i will put his dummy back in but i dont pick him up or talk to him and he will eventually go back off.
I hope you can gradually get her back on track.

Just to clarify I am currently feeding my baby at 4am when she wakes as she seems really hungry but no matter what I try she will absolutely not go back to sleep at that point, even if we stay in the dark etc etc. That's what I mean. She is then up for a few hours, has her solids breakfast and then first nap is around the time when other babies would be getting up for the day if you see what I mean.

Sorry OP I read that wrong. I’d then try as others have advised to reinstate the dream feed. It could be that she is stirring out of feeling a bit hungry- but because she’s now sleeping a good Chungking uninterrupted from 7-4, the pressure to go back to sleep is much lower, and she feels ready to get up and go go go

Chungking= chunk

What even is that that auto correct did 😂