5.30am wake ups!

[Laur89]

Hi all,
So my DS is nearly 7 and a half months. For the first 6 or so months he was waking hourly or less, never doing more than a couple of hours sleep in a row. Then he got a bit better and started only waking 4 or 5 times around the 6 month mark. He started dropping his night feeds and then in the past week or so he's been going to bed at 7 and not waking till 5 or half 5ish seeming wide awake for the day! How can I encourage him to sleep until 6? I'm over the moon he's starting sleeping so well after such a rough first 6 months!

Also slightly unsure of a nap routine for him, he had been going down around 9am for about 50 mins then again 1pm-2 or half 2. he then doesn't want a third nap and seems fine until bedtime at 7! Is that enough day sleep?! Ideally I'd like him to sleep 1-3 but he just doesn't seem able to do those 2 hours in a row 🤦‍♀️
Thank you in advance!

How is he going to sleep at the start of the night and at nap times?

Early mornings are when the pressure to sleep is lowest, so if self settling isn't nailed then it will show with early mornings.

If self settling is sorted or if it isn't sorted and won't be for a while, then to bypass this shift to a later bedtime. 10 hours overnight sleep is in the range of normal. It is at the low end, normal is 10-12h, but it might just be that baby has had enough sleep at 10h and so if you want a later morning then you need a later bedtime.

Thank you for replying @FATEdestiny. So going to bed he will have a bath, milk, into pjs and then put in the bed awake, leave the room and he goes to sleep on his own in just a few mins. More or less the same for naps - but he grumbles a bit for a few mins, then falls asleep on his own in his cot. This works for the morning and lunch nap, if I try and put him down for a later afternoon nap it just doesn't work and he can just cry and fuss for ages. He wakes from lunch nap sometimes at half 2, then doesn't want another but he goes down and 7 but I'm not sure if that's too long awake? He manages it though and doesn't seem unhappy or anything!