Dear all,
I think I am looking for reassurance more than advice but here goes! My 5 month old has always been a reasonable sleeper (I realise I am lucky). Night sleep used to be better that it is currently - we'd have a 6-7 hour stretch, followed by a wake for food and then a 2-3 hour stretch. Now, we tend to get an initial stretch of anywhere from 3 - 6 hours, (bedtime is between 7 - 8:30 pm depending on the last nap time) a wake for food and then another shorter stretch. The issue is, from about 4 am on, she is very unsettled. We get lots of arms and legs windmilling around (not swaddled anymore as close to rolling but in a sleeping bag). Sometimes I can settle back into a deeper sleep with a hand resting on her stomach, sometimes I need to pick her up. From 5/5:30 am on, she normally has to be held to sleep for another 60-90 minutes, if I put her down during this time she always wakes. I don't mind holding her too much since I'm getting a reasonable amount of night sleep, but I'm worried that holding her is encouraging her to wake up early...is my fear justified? If so, what can I do to encourage her to sleep independently? Going to sleep independently initially is a bit hit and miss, sometimes she'll drift off by herself, sometimes she'll need to be held to sleep although she doesn't need to be rocked or anything. She will settle herself back to sleep when put into her cot after a night feed - she's not usually fully awake but nor is she asleep after a feed. Any advice/reassurance etc. gratefully received!