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Early mornings

17 replies

MrsCameron · 09/06/2019 05:53

Hi there I’m looking for advice about my daughter’s sleep/waking pattern. She’s is 14 months old and by all means she is not the worst sleeper now (she has had her moments) . She usually goes down about 7pm in her cot on her own, which she has done from 9 months old. She never totally sleeps through, can sometimes be unsettled through the night and still have an early morning bottle of milk, which then usually gives us another hour or so sleep.
The problem has become the early morning bottle getting earlier and earlier and then 5 am starts 😴, which result in her becoming tired and grumpy earlier in the evening. I relented last night and put her to bed at 6.30pm, as I read that it can be more beneficial to put them to bed earlier and help them sleep longer. However today we started the day at 4 am 😩
The times when Iv kept her up later, in hope of a ‘lie in’ has made it difficult for her to go done because she’s overtired and caused her to be extra unsettled through the night.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this ?
I know this doesn’t seem like the worst situation but after 14 months of it, I’m really struggling now 😔

OP posts:
IssyM · 09/06/2019 06:00

No advice just solidarity! Exactly the same situation here, same age, same times 🙄. On my second cup of tea already.

userabcname · 09/06/2019 06:08

Yes my 2yo is very similar. The earlier I put him to bed, the earlier he awoke! All I can say is that it does improve with time - he does still have the odd 5am start but mostly it's 6am which honestly feels like a glorious lie in. Also simply exhausting them in the day really helps - I guess she's mobile/walking (?) so lots of walks (where she walks if she can), crawling/walking round the garden, softplay, swimming....tire her out! Also I don't let mine nap too much in the day anymore otherwise bedtime gets stupidly late (or, at least, the time he falls asleep - bedtime is always the same). Is she down to 1 nap yet or 2? Whichever it is, don't let her nap too late in the day so there's a good stretch between nap and bed.

LearningMum · 09/06/2019 06:23

Morning ladies thank you for your replies.. I think being a first time mum I just don't know what to expect with every stage. So I take comfort from your messages.
Yes she is walking, constantly on the go.. She has 2 naps in the day still, the last one is usually an hour 2-3pm and she is shattered again by 6 pm, especially if we're up at 5am.. maybe I am being unreasonable to expect anything else 🤷🏽‍♀️

PFB2 · 09/06/2019 07:21

Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you but I have been where you are. DD1 woke at 5 for a very very long time. It didn't matter how much I tired her out in the day, she'd wake up at 5. Only difference being she wasn't grumpy at all, she would wake up raring to go. I tried every suggestion to fix this. I tried putting her down earlier, stuck with it for a couple of months to give it a chance to work but it never did. I tried putting her down later, she just ended up waking up at the same time but grumpy from sleeping less. I tried giving supper before bed, I tried going into her room and waking her before I went to bed, then putting her back down (I read it suggested somewhere), I had a completely blacked out room for her. Absolutely nothing worked. One day I heard a sleep expert on the radio and she said about early risers "sometimes nothing will work and you just have to accept things the way they are". Honestly, that piece of advice helped. I'd tried and failed to fight it for such a long time that somehow accepting it was a weight off my shoulders. When she was 2.5 things improved. She started sleeping until 6, then 6.30 when she was almost 3. Then I gave her a groclock and she'd stay in bed until 7. She is 5 now and she knows the in our house, the day starts at 7am and she'll never get out of bed before then. Things will improve but it may take time. You have my sympathy as I know how relentless the early starts can be. Sorry I can't be of more help.

LearningMum · 09/06/2019 07:46

@PFB2 thank you for your reply .. maybe you have just saved me from a whole load of stress and frustration in trying all suggested methods I'm currently researching 🤦🏽‍♀️. And I just have to accept it for what it is. My LO is also very happy in herself all the time , even on first awakening. So I guess for that I am grateful. 🙏🏼

norbert23 · 09/06/2019 07:52

Same here for a very long time! She's now 4 and is always awake by 6:15 and in a happy mood, the thing that pushed her from 5am wake ups to 6 was the fact she stopped napping. I know it's no answer now but eventually it will get better as she has less daytime sleep. I just adjusted my own bedtime so I'm fast asleep by 9:30/10 and no matter what time she wakes up at least I've had a good stretch. Best of luck - she might be better after all the sunny summer mornings are done x

jackio2205 · 09/06/2019 08:21

Hi, I agree with @PFB2, sometimes, in the words of current love islanders, 'it is what it is'.
My DD does the same, but I dont break our previous 7am habits, I don't start breakfast earlier or anything. Sometimes i bring her into my bed and we watch little educational videos on youtube but other than that i still do breakfast at 8.15 (i keep to nursery times) and naps the same.

Someone once told me, sleep is like a proverbial bear, dont poke at it, just let it be, totally get that. If i/someone else cant sleep, dont fight it, make it work for you, maybe go to bed earlier and then when u wake up, do ur ironing while LO is quietly playing or whatever? Xxxx

LearningMum · 09/06/2019 15:55

Great advice. Definitely need to get myself to bed earlier ! Although it's hard because feels like the only bit of 'me time' but needs must. LO comes first ❤️ me time is finished lol xx

tinker1317 · 17/06/2019 05:46

Total sympathy for you here. I have just posted for the same kind of advice. My DS is exactly the same, this morning he has been up since 5am, this has been going on for months. I have tried everything I can to get him to sleep longer and nothing works. He does get really grumpy in the day as he's tried but he just won't sleep. New baby is due in a few weeks so I'm resigned to the fact that I won't sleep again 😩

LearningMum · 17/06/2019 08:01

@tinker1317 how old is your son? It's painful isn't it hun..
My DD is 14 months, I'm considering dropping one of her daytime naps? Have you tried that? Xx

SnowWhite26 · 18/06/2019 06:26

Hi. My 3 and half year old woke 5-5.30 after trying everything till about 20 months when it became a bit later now at 3.5 its 7-7.30 and even her baby brother who she shares a room with can't wake her (sometimes she stirs in early hours but as soon as I take her brother out she falls asleep again) Her brother is 9 months and he either wakes chatting in night and has a tiny bottle of milk but prob will sleep till 6ish or will sleep through till 5-5.30. I have decided to get him off bottles at night as its just habit. This morning I heard him at 5.15 and got him up at 5.45 and he was desperate for a bottle but that never setles him back to sleep. So i got him up and fed him hes now playing. I dont want bottles and bed to be linked. I must have babies that like to be in bed by 6.30-7 and wake by 5.30. Its hard but easier to except it as others say. At least i have evenings. Its so annoying when people say our day doesn't start till 7! How the hell does that work when your baby wakes early haha!

Ifsomeonehadtoldme · 20/06/2019 10:56

We roughed it out and sat in the nursery cuddling him after giving him water so he knew his routine was no earlier than 6:30 for milk. Had to similarly close the night time milk bar at 11.5 months on HV advice as he was having so much night milk he wouldn’t entertain textures solids. It was horrendous for three nights where we gave him water and cuddled him but he quickly adjusted.

Good luck; my 3.5 year old is currently a lark. It’s exhausting with a five month old! I think I can usually relax second time as I actually know these are phases. Doesn’t always help though!

LearningMum · 20/06/2019 11:59

It's nice to know I'm not alone ladies, and that the phase will pass ❤️ thank you x

tinker1317 · 20/06/2019 21:04

@LearningMum he's nearly 3. He dropped all his naps by the time he was 2 🙈 I used to be able to get him to nap in the pram but even that doesn't work anymore! I'm just praying that some time soon he will want to sleep 🙈

GPatz · 21/06/2019 03:22

Mine is 2.5. Takes about half an hour to get him down (he's asleep by 8 - we've tried putting him to bed earlier/later but he's never gone down earlier than this) and wakes at 05:00. I am hoping this changes once he drops his nap.

LearningMum · 22/06/2019 10:02

Morning ladies @tinker1317 @GPatz it's tough isn't it.. now my baby has a fever and everything has gone to pot. Don't know if we're coming or going...
Anyway this too shall pass.. thank you for the support and solidarity. Much love to you and your little ones ❤️

Ifsomeonehadtoldme · 22/06/2019 12:56

GPatz hold on til the nap goes ours went from 9 to 7:30 the day he dropped his nap

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