13 month old still waking at 5ish - anyone solved a similar problem?

[lilysma]

Mu 13 month-old dd has always been a bad sleeper. We did CC at 6 months with her out of desperation and have had to redo it a number of times, but it has worked up to a point. The thing is we found that she wouldn't settle herself after about 4-5am but will go back to sleep in bed with me for another hour or so after a long bf (usually lasting about an hour!). I thought this might improve over time but it hasn't. DH thinks we should now try CC again when she wakes at 5ish to see if we can get her to sleep that extra hour or so before bf. I am knackered and would really appreciate that extra hour but am scared she won't settle and I'm being mean if she needs the milk. Anyone had a similar experience that you've been able to sort out or that has resolved itself?

No solution to offer but empathy in spades as I have EXACTLY the same problem. She wakes up knackered but CC simply doesn't work for her at this time in the morning so we've given up. I keep telling myself it's common! (she's also 13 mnths)

Thanks for the empathy - I'm beaming it back to you .
My dd wakes up happy as larry after a nice snuggly hour or two in bed with me. I love it too in a way, but am also chronically sleep deprived (like everyone else on this list!) and a bit fed up with it . Wonder if anyone else can help....?

sorry can't really help. ds wakes anywhere between 5 and 7;30. so does the boy down the road. can't offer any advice apart from letting you know that we are awake with you at the crack of dawn!!!

Was just going to post the same question! Just weaned my 13 month ds and he's finally stopped waking for milk (yay!) only to wake at 5-5:30 ready to start the day (boo!). He is really ready to go then and from what I've read seems a common phase so I'm trying to just accept it which makes a big difference- cc just makes him nuts at that time. My dh and I have agreed to switch off early mornings for now.

Thanks for responses, even if no magic solutions . Interesting that you've heard it's a phase oremstango - any idea when it might pass ? . I'm also interested that you have weaned and have this problem - my mum, who didn't bf, thinks that if i weaned dd from the breast she would stop waking up for milk. I'm inclined to think she'd just wake up and not go back to sleep again, and your experience seems to confirm this. Not that I want to wean yet anyway.

Any other experiences? Glimmers of hope???

Let's keep the support coming! This morning was a new record at 4:50am- argh- really creates a lot of stress, exhaustion, and tension with dh on sharing the mornings relative to him juggling work. Was funny as ds had woken at times around that hour months ago and sometimes could nurse back down, sometimes not. Stage or not this sucks. I'm trying to push his bedtime back by 30 minutes tonight just to try something.

No help really just to say I know exactly where you are coming from. We had to get rid of the digital alarm clock as it said 4.45 most mornings and it was just too depressing. Have had 3 DCs who all did this until they went to school...but are now teenagers and you can't get them out of bed. Never thought it would happen. DD used to put the TV on and watch Sesame St - she had a very slight American accent before she went to school. Good luck.

My DS wakes at 5/6 every day... with an added bonus last night of waking at 12 for an hour last night screaming his head off! In the end we took him in to bed with us and he slept from 1.15 to 6.

Urgh and he's 21mo!

My ds 1 was always a really early riser and only now will sleep till about 7. He is now 3. We used to try and put the tv on in our room to gain his attention until about 6am where it didn't seem so hard to get out of bed and deal with.

Thanks for all the empathy. Bizzarely (sp?!) dd slept until 6.30 this morning and 5.50 yesterday! It may be a blip, but a friend suggested putting the heating on earlier as she may be waking up cos she's cold. Didn't believe it for a second, but thought I would try. Set it to come on at 4.30 and this (apparently) was the result! Not counting my chickens, but desperately clinging to a glimmer of hope...I'll keep you posted....

I pushed back ds' bedtime back from 6:45 to 7:30 last night (and nap back a bit too) and he slept until 6:15 today which was a minor miracle. He was stirring a bit from 4:45-5:15 but only one cry and was back down, treated it more like a mid-night waking instead of time to wake! Fingers crossed for tomorrow...sadly I am programmed now and up since 4:45!

The only way i get my daughter to sleep is to put her in my bed then i have a good night. My daughter does not sleep either.

Like Nip, my ds is 21 months and still wakes up screaming at 5am most mornings, sometimes I can get him milk and take him back to bed, but sometimes he just wants a cuddle in front of the tv, with a big drink of milk.

Ooh, this thread brings back memories!

My DD used to do this waking at 5.30, did it for months and months, then it just stopped. She would still wake, chat away for a bit and then go back to sleep for another hour, which was just lovely. Then the waking stopped, so she just slept through.

It wasn't anything we did regarding heating or lights or feeding etc

She is nearly 15 months now, and she only started doing this about 6 weeks ago. Sleeps for 12 hours now, not a peep out of her.

Hope this offers a bit of encouragement to fellow sufferers...you never know, tonight could be the night!

Put a night light on a timer switch in her room set to come on at what ever time she usiually wakes. Stuff loads of books down the side of the cot. It will give you some extra sleep while she plays with the books by her self. Move the timer on 2 minutes every night.

Onlyaphase. Thanks for the light at the end of the tunnel messages. DD has slept through until 6 or 6.30 for 4 nights . Dare I hope this is a new pattern? Mind you I think she might have done this before for a week or so and then gone back to her old ways...My sleep addled brain can't remember too well...

Jorange, do you think the timer switch approach works with such a young child?

Any advice on how to get my 14 month old daugther to sleep all night in her own bed and not in mine

Yes, but you won't like it. Only cc has worked for us. I was really anti it on principle but in the end I had to get some more sleep as I was going insane!

Btw, dd has now returned to her 5.30 am ways following total disruption due to illness . Am just hoping there's a chance she'll start sleeping later again of her own accord...

my 16mth old became a good sleeper, but since he started his 2 to 1 nap transition he's been terrible! the last month i think he has slept through only twice, and he seems to be at the waking up before 6 stage for ages.
i too am shattered. we are sticking to pick up put down cos it was what worked the first time, but not sure if its effective now. he has had two new teeth through, and now he has a cold.
if he has a morning nap he is 99% guaranteed to wake in the night, even if he just naps for 5 mins. and he steals that nap sometimes, if in a buggy or a car so its pretty tricky keeping him up til after lunch.
i have started frantically monitoring his sleep patterns again!
one of the worst things is, even when he slept all night through until 6.40 (three days ago) i woke up at 3 for no reason and it took me 2hrs to get back to sleep cos i was anxious and awaiting his wake up. wish i could adjust my body clock better.
empathy, sympathy, but no advice except that old age adage: this too shall pass!

sweetboy - he used to have a morning nap before 10, then an afternoon nap about 2 or 3. now he mostly has one at about 12 til either 1.30 or 2 ish. is yours doing the 2 to 1 as well?
he's got runny nose, runny eyes and bright red cheeks today and is obviously pretty run down, so not expecting a peaceful night. i did give him medised though, so maybe he will be whacked out enough to have some decent zzzz time.

MaeBee, I have the same problem than you. My 15 months daughter has been sleeping really badly since Xmas. I thought it was the holidays, being away from her cot and relaxing her routine. She also had a cold, inmunisations, teeth...you name it. But maybe it is the transition from 2 to 1 naps!
She used to sleep in the morning at 10 and then in the afternoon at 3. But now every day is different. When she wakes up at 5:30 she can't stay awake until after lunch so she has a nap at 11 and then in the late afternoon she's very tired and grumpy. Do you think is better if they don't have a nap in the afternoon at all? How does this 2 to 1 naps work?Do you think it affects their waking up time?

My dd (also 13 mo) has exactly the same prob. It isn't a prob for her of course! We have tried putting books in her bed for her to entertain herself with when she wakes, we've tried giving her some milk and trying to get her to sleep with us for another hour or so, have tried an earlier bedtime and setting heating to come on earlier in morning... I think what we're concluding here is that 'this is just a phase' and not a lot can be done. Early nights for mummy and daddy... yawn.

Aaargh! After a couple of weeks of generally making it to 6ish, dd has relapsed and is now waking at 4 and nothing but about two hours bf will settle her . It's even worse once you've had a few good nights somehow

My DD has always been an earlier riser. Have you thought about adjusting your bed time? Going to bed a bit earlier even for a couple of nights might make it easier to cope