Confused about baby sleep

[Emmaaa1990]

Hi all

My baby is 7 months old and has always been a pretty good sleeper. However last week or so she's started waking up at 5.30am on the dot. She cannot stay awake at night at all and is usually in bed between 5.45-6. We had to make her bed time earlier and drop the last nap as that nap was always a battle. She used to go to bed about 7-7.30.

What I'm struggling with now is when she wakes up at 5.30 she's so done by 7ish and it's a task to keep her up longer to break this cycle! We got into a good routine a few weeks back where she would wake up at 6.30-7 and go to bed at 9 usually wake up 10.30 and back down at 1 til 2ish and then she would be awake til bed 5.45. But she seems to be struggling what with this early wake ups! I feel like we keep moving naps etc but I don't want to move bed time any earlier than it already is. Is so tricky because I know if she's over tired she will have a rubbish nap! Why is sleep so difficult with babies?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[Dillybear]

She is getting a good amount of sleep! If she’s down by 6pm you wouldn’t expect her to sleep past 5.30/6am really. If you pushed her bedtime back by 15 minutes each day would she sleep longer in the morning? Alternatively, could you give her a very short (10-15 minute) power nap before bed? That would take the edge off with the tiredness and could mean she would get through til 7pm, but not reduce her sleep drive (a sleep consultant told me this).

[Emmaaa1990]

@Dillybear I know and I'm so happy about that bless her! I just wanted her to be in some form of routine so she went for naps at more set times as it's so restrictive. It's so difficult isn't it! I may try and do that, Thankyou just trial and error isn't it. I know she's getting good night sleep but she's just tired so early in the morning then.

[Dillybear]

Sorry, re reading that it sounded a bit abrupt! I didn’t mean it like that at all! I would probably persevere for a few days at putting her to bed later - either by shifting bedtime slowly or trying the quick power nap - and then see what happens. I think it’s also worth keeping in mind that at seven months you’re in prime nap transition territory - so her awake windows mean she kind of needs 2.5 naps. By eight months she’ll cope with longer gaps between naps just naturally, and so you might find that this just sorts itself out.

[Emmaaa1990]

@Dillybear oh no don't be silly I didn't think that! I know I'm incredibly lucky tho as she does sleep well! I just hate it when im thinking she's tired but I think it's too early to put her to sleep! Just messes everything up! But today she got up at 5.30 and was dying to go back to sleep at 8 and she slept til 10! Now I kinda want her to stay awake til 1 but sometimes that's pushing it. Then if she wakes up at 2ish she's got nearly 4 hours before bed and that's too long for her I think. I think you are right about the nap transition maybe she does need a little extra one, she just used to struggle to go off for so long previously we ended up cutting it. I will try trying to slowly make bedtime later and seeing if that helps and with the extra mini nap. Thankyou for your help 😊 never easy is it!

[Dillybear]

No, not at all! My DD’s nap transition was hellish, definitely didn’t get full nights at that stage, or even close! But I just kept thinking this will be so different by eight months and it was. Now (ten months) there is so much more flexibility with naps and awake windows, it’s so much easier. There is light! I promise!

[Emmaaa1990]

@Dillybear oh god, I hope it is better by 8 months! Oh that gives me hope that things will get easier. I will probably end up missing the naps as she gets older haha!