Starting the day at 5am is killing me... help please!

[Moorhen]

DS is 5.5 months. We've had some wobbles, but basically he's slept from 8pm-7am (with a 10.30pm dreamfeed and one night feed, usually 4-5am) for the last 3.5 months.

He got unsettled over Christmas while we were away, and since then has woken up at 3 or so as well as 5, and/or woken at five and refused to go back to sleep. For 5 of the last 7 days I've started the day feeding and getting up at five.

I know lots of people have it worse, but it's a step backwards so am permanently knackered and tearful.

He is teething (two coming through) and fully bf with one formula bottle after bedtime bf.

Any ideas? Please?

Have you tried putting him to bed earlier? Overtired babies sometimes find it difficult to go back to sleep and miss the last phase of their night's sleep.

I am afraid this seems to be a phase some babies go through. We had months of DD up at 5ish, even though she slept through from 7pm to that point.

It does stop eventually. DD generally gets up just before 7am (touch wood, cross fingers, avoid all jinxes). Over christmas she treated us to 8am a few times . We were not doing anything different. Its just she has started walking and so is much more tired now. Tiring them out may be the key.

My DD did exactly this last Christmas when she was 5.5 months, got unsettled from being away and went from being a really reliable sleeper to lots of wakings and being difficult to put down. It was just a phase thankfully, she got over it fairly quickly.

From my (rather dim, sleep-deprived) memory, I think what we did was bring her cot back into our room (she had only been moved next door for around a week anyway) so it wasn't such a pain to get up and see to her. With early morning waking I think it's probably important to stay in bed and not get up, even if you (and the baby) are just lying there awake, to reinforce the message that it's NOT morning . It also allows a bit of rest, even if you're not actually asleep. I was also a bit 'lenient' about having her in our bed in the mornings if she wouldn't settle in the cot. She tended to drop back off come 7ish for an hour or so I think.

She had a 10.30pm dreamfeed till she was around a year old, it always worked well for us - she dropped any other night feeds somewhere around 4-6 months I think.

hth - good luck

ds2 is 6mo on friday

he tends to wake between 5 and 10 times a night, often staying awake for up to an hour and a half at a time

so, be blardy grateful alright?

seriosuly though, ds1 was much like yours. afraid to say he's always been an early waker. only now he has dropped daytime naps at 2yo does he sleep til a 'reasonable' time. unfortunately for me, ds2's sleep pattern stops me from feeling the benefit...