Early rising/Lengthening night sleep help

[Melamine]

My (just) 1yo has never seemed to need as much sleep as the books/Dr Google says, but I’m wondering if it’s something I’m doing wrong. I use huckleberry app to log her sleep and she averages 10 hours a night (9h52 in the last 7 days to be precise 🤦🏻‍♀️), rather than the 11-12 that she’s ‘supposed’ to, but this just means if I put her to bed at an ‘appropriate’ bedtime of 7-7.30, I get treated to a 5-5.30 wake time.

I’ve tried a few sleep routines but mainly now it’s a Little Ones based with a 20-30 min sleep at 9.30 (regardless of when she woke), 2 hour one from 12.30ish...sometimes doesn’t do the full 2 hours so has to go to bed early to not be up 6+ hours & manic at bedtime. But then wakes after 10ish hours anyway. maybe 10.5 if I’m lucky (9.5 if I’m not).

Longer day naps don’t seem to work/make her sleep even less at night. Ive found trying to stretch bedtime out later is mostly counter productive as overtiredness does seem to make her sleep worse and she wakes at 5 something anyway. But I’m also not convinced she’s a lark per se, just that she doesn’t seem to need more sleep... anyone got any bright ideas or have managed to get a similar baby doing more night hours?!

Unfortunately you might have to get used to early mornings! DD (8) has always been an early riser, going through phases of 5.30am, occasional phases of 7.30 but is usually up by 6.30. Going to bed later doesn't help either, last week she couldn't sleep and was awake until 9pm & woke at 5.30

Also if DD had a long late nap she'd be up later at bedtime so she ended up with only one nap usually before lunch.

My 9 month old is similar (averaging 9 hours 17 mins for the last week apparently!). He does to bed at 8.30/9 though which means he wakes up at a more acceptable time. We don't really follow a set routine but generally have three naps a day with the last one being a shortish nap around 5pm which lets him power through to bedtime. We also do tea after that around 6 which seems to work well for our bedtime. I don't think you're doing anything wrong; some babies just need less sleep it seems.

Mine is similar and has never done the sleep hours that are 'recommended'. And similarly to others even if going to bed later still wakes up by 6. Probably a lark I'm afraid!

I had one of these. Cut the day time nap to just one of 45 muns- 1.5 hours ( no morning nap). Then you'll get 10.5-11 hours at night.

Thanks all, the annoying thing is she will do a few days of waking at 6ish, which is a much more acceptable time, but then it’s back to 5.15 once I’ve got my hopes up.

@hopefulhalf I’m clinging to the hope that when she drops a nap it’ll add to the night, sadly she doesn’t seem ready yet. 💩

Some times you have to push them. It does become a negative cycle of waking so early (5:30) that they need their morning nap, which in tern re-inforces the early waking. The nap may initially have to be more like 11-12:30 with a 6:30-7pm bedtime until you crack it. It is worth it though.

To add OP mine is now 18mo and sleep has gradually gotten better over the last 6mo, we were getting 4.45/5am wakings most days from 9-12mo and it has gradually shifted to 5.30/6. Still only doing 10/10.5h overnight but going to bed a bit later after a later nap 12/12.30-2.

Also, sadly, I have gotten used to the early mornings. It used to exhaust me but I have adjusted. DH however refuses to adjust, but that's a different problem

I might try to push the morning nap over the next couple of weeks, thanks for that tip.
Just looking back at huckleberry and there was a great period after the clocks changed when we kept the same times as pre-change she was regularly sleeping until 6.30-7ish due to going to bed at 8.30-8.45 which means no evening. Bed time crept back earlier almost without me noticing. I guess that’s the decision to be made - less morning/more evening or vice versa.

It’s funny how quickly you forget these things when you’re knackered 😂😭

Mine was the same absolute maximum he would sleep at night was 10.5-11 hours.

Joining in the chat here as in the same boat and looking for help. 14 month old DD has super active days, 3 meals at 7:30, 12 and 5 and lots of snacks. Previously was only BFing AM and PM, but since lockdown she’s back to 4 full feeds a day. Has never taken the bottle and refuses milk in a bottle instead of the boob. She used to have a nap at 9:30 and then a long nap around 1-2, now we’ve removed the morning nap and she goes down at 12:30 until 3ish, although earlier sometimes. The first time we removed the morning nap she slept until 6:30, and I thought we’d cracked it.

Sadly no...she’s currently waking between 4:30-5:30, and will not stay in cot and wait. Yesterday I got up at 4:30, breastfed her (as she wanted it when I went in), let her cry for a bit and then she resettled, then was up at 5:30 but resettled and slept until 7 (amazing!), but I don’t want to get back into the habit of feeding her at 4:30am each morning. Woke at 4.30 this morning and I refused to go in, thought she’d resettle on her own...she just cried until 5:30 when I gave up and got her up. She’s also started fighting sleep at nighttime, even though we have a long established bedtime routine and always have done. I’m wondering if this is a problem caused by the bfing, as she has milk just before bed and seems to want it as soon as she wakes.

I’m guessing we need to look at an earlier bedtime (always 7), or address the bfing so she can have a bottle or not and resettle, or maybe CC so she learns to resettle. Not really sure what approach to take... We’ve always enforced no talking and no wake or tv etc until 6am, and have white noise machine, black out blinds and sleeping bag...

Don’t meant to hijack this chain but was so similar I thought it would be ok to add here, I hope that’s ok! @Melamine pls share anything that works for you!

Sorry to hear your tale of woe @AlexCross. Nothing is working here. Personal worst of about 9h15 last night and 5.15am wake. This was after I decided to let her sleep as long as she wanted at both naps (ended up being about 1hr20 each one, so basically the same as a short morning nap and longer afternoon one anyway). Left her until 6 this morning, the trouble is she wakes in a happy and seemingly rested mood - how this is possible at 9h15 sleep I dunno - and gets increasingly more upset when left.
The other issue is that 5 mornings out of 7 she is full of poo - not sure if that is waking her or if she does it upon waking.
I think trying the ‘wake to sleep’ thing and going in at 4.30am is the next thing to try. Ugh.