Early Waking Conundrum

[Rowlie]

LO 8.5 months has started waking before 6am. Usually 5.30am onwards. Sleeps through night until then so I know we are on the lucky side. Previously was sleeping until 6.30am ish. Happy to get up any time after 6am with him as I understand 6-7am is very normal waking time for babies. He goes to bed around 7pm - can vary slightly 6.45-7.30pm ish depending on timing of last nap/sleep that day.

My query is this… if he wakes before 6am and and we leave him, he always goes back to sleep again, but sometimes it can take 20-30 mins. During this time he isn’t crying but vocal. He will then sometimes sleep until 7.30am, at which point I wake him. Is this mean? Will it disrupt his whole rhythm? I’ve heard babies are supposed to wake around same time every day.

Ideally I’d like him to wake at 7am. What would you do? Get him up when he first wakes before 6am? Or leave him to go back to sleep but get him up by 7am? Im worried I’m doing it wrong.

Sounds good to leave him if he's going back to sleep. If he's tired enough to go back to sleep then getting him up early will just mean he's overtired

Just leave him if he doesn't cry

Sounds exactly like what occasionally happens with my 14 month old. He has a few morning of waking much earlier but we always leave him unless he's really upset. He's usually very happy to babble or goes back to sleep until around 7. You're not doing anything wrong at all and sounds like you've got a great sleeper there x

Def leave if not upset

He’s not upset but he does shout and moan quite a bit but I think he’s just decided he’s ready to get up and so is calling for us. But presumably as a PP said he could do with more sleep if he then goes back again and for over an hour too. He’s generally a very passive baby so can be hard to tell when really upset but I think if he was genuinely distressed and needed me then he wouldn’t just go back to sleep!

I have a similar problem but my 14 month old doesn't go back to sleep and wakes up at 4:30/5 am :(