Sleep training, final step

[ShannonC1310]

So my little one is amazing at going to bed and has been since he was born, he would put himself to sleep from about two and a half months and since then has only gotten better. However, he was getting better and better at sleeping and could sleep from 8pm all the way until 6:30am at about three months and then stopped there. He's now four months and our goal was to get him to sleep until 7am but he seems to have got stuck. I've tried putting him to bed later too but that seems to be when his body wants to wake up so regardless of how little sleeps he's had he'll still wake at 6:30. It isn't hunger either as I've tried giving him a bottle when he wakes up early but he isn't interested until at least 7 as that's usually breakfast time. Anyone know how I can get him to stay in bed for that extra half an hour?

I think you’re Unrealistic. Most babies and toddlers do wake up early I’m afraid.

But he does seem to want to go back to sleep, he can't be awake for more than half an hour without wanting a nap or getting fussy if he's up earlier than 7. If he comes into bed with us he goes right back to sleep which isn't a habit I want him to get stuck on so I think his body clock is just stuck at 6:30.

He hasn’t “gotten stuck” his wake up time is obviously currently 6.30am. He’s only four months old and I agree that you’re being unrealistic. I would say 6.30am is pretty good going at this time of year when it’s so light outside. Just pop him in bed with you if you want an extra half hour. He goes back to sleep then because he feels safe next to you.

6.30am is a completely normal wake up time for anyone... baby or adult! My husband gets up for work at 6.30am and we’ve already had our 9 month old laying in our bed playing with us for 15 mins by then. A bit unsure why half an hour would make a difference?

So he is 4 months old and sleeping from 8pm to 6.30am?
That is amazing, you should be so happy that you are getting a brilliant nights sleep with such a small baby! Let him be up at that time, have quiet cuddles and he might drift off or he might wake up properly but 6.30 is a reasonable time to be getting up with a baby.

10.5 hours sleep is amazingly good at that age! Mine sleeps 8-6 with one or two night feeds so about 9 hours of actual sleep and I know other mums whose babies won’t sleep more than 2 hours at a time at this age.

I don’t think there is any way you can make him sleep longer, sorry. Honestly, I would just be glad that you get so much uninterrupted sleep and accept that you’re going to have to get up at 6:30 for now.

Crikey. You're amazingly lucky.

I am a big fan of sleep training but at 4 months your expectations are utterly unrealistic.

Maybe I got my thoughts across wrong, I am amazingly impressed at how he's sleeping and I never actively tried to sleep train him he just started to fall asleep on his own without help which was great. I don't have any problem with what time he wakes up I will happily get up at 6:30 everyday with him. I just wanted to help him feel more rested because if he wakes before seven he is incredibly irritable and still tired. I was just curious if there was any way I could help him do that because I think it would make him a lot happier.

Mines has slept through from 8 weeks. (only after immunisations floored poor soul and nightmare as she dropped all nightfeeds) so not from luck. Her wake up times vary from 6.30 to 8am. She's always ready to sleep after a feed and some play but generally stays awake most of the day. Babies do what they want tbh so I wouldn't worry about him feeling rested. If he needs to sleep, he'll sleep.

Okay thank you for the advice, I was just worried there was something he was trying to tell me as when he was born he wasn't very good at sleeping at all and I thought maybe he needed a little more help. But as long as he's not unhappy we can get up as early as he likes :)

Definitely not the final stage. After years of dozing whilst children watch the final half of Open University Maths before Sesame Street, I think the final stage appears about fifteen years later when you have the joy of turning Bach to loud and throwing back the bed covers at 09:30 am to tell them it’s revision time. Such pleasurable reward for those early years.

Have you thought about some environmental things? The light comes in around our blackout curtains earlier now, and the heating comes on at 6.30 with clanking pipes. I'd try a good blackout blind and keeping the house really silent until 7 if possible.

That's very true it could easily be the light, the blackout blind doesn't quite reach the edge of his window so maybe that's what's waking him

I don’t think it’s unreasonable for you to want him to wake at 7, even if he is sleeping well! I wouldn’t push his bedtime any later. It is most probably the light of the sun waking him. Try to get that room pitch black! Also, are you using white noise the entire night? This helps. Best of luck to you OP.

If my 5 month old sometimes decides its time to get up at 5 am ... 6 am is my ideal ( I know it’s not hunger as will have recently fed ) he sleeps next to me in his snuz pod so I pop his polar bear in ( sleepy music and lights ) keep tucking him up. At 6 am I will get up but with 30 mins he is often asleep 💤 again ... would this work with your bub? X

Count yourself lucky and hope this good sleep lasts!