Baby waking at 5am?

[goodmorningsunny]

My daughter has just started waking at 5am over the last week. She's going to be 10 months next week. She goes to sleep about 7.30pm, naps between 8.45am and 10am and 2pm and 3.30pm. Do you think that her last nap is maybe too late? She always used to wake up at 7 :,)

I'm pretty sure we have the same child. SAME! including nap times etc. I think it's just a phase/ thing they go through and we have to ride it. I'm keeping naps the same for now although I always make sure the second one isn't over an hour. Solidarity

I sympathise. Early waking is the worst. My DS1 was an early waker for years. It could be that last nap is a bit too late, and/or too long. Moving to one longer lunchtime nap might help, although it might be too early. Just chill baby sleep. Co.uk over some good free advice in their website xxx

Treat a 5am wake up like a wake up at any other time of night, would be my advice

My 9 month old wakes up at either 4:45 or 5:20. Tries everything.

Is lo cold? Hungry? Add a supper? Full nappy?

Don't think she cold and she's not interested in milk first thing. Nappy is full but that's pretty normal for her!

She's currently having a melt down because she's so tired. She usually sleeps about 12 hours at night but with this new wake up time she's only getting about 9 and the poor thing just can't cope. Daytime naps just don't make up for it!

I should say she's having boob, I'm not just letting her scream!boob is calming her.

I think there is a sleep regression at this age. Could wait and see?

Nothing wrong with 330pm wake up, I used to do 4pm 🤷🏼‍♀️

Does lo self sooth? Sleep is low at 5am..... maybe can't self soothe at this point?

I have read a few ways to get out of the morning 5am wake up.

Move and cut that 1st nap to 30mins to 45mins. Or generally moving that first nap to more 930am. The theory is that they don't get used to an early long nap so sleep later in morning...

Bringing lunchtime nap forward, if cutting the first nap. Giving the 2 hours sleep and then 4 hours after this nap before sleep. So might look something like.

930am till 1015am. 1pm/130pm till 3pm/330pm 730pm bed. Maybe 7pm so 4 hour gap..... but may wake earlier

The other way is around 430am to 450am you stir your lo. So they settle into a new sleep pattern. You have to do this for a week before takes effect. I was never brave enough to do this.

The other one leave naps how they are and then pop lo to bed earlier say 7pm. But again that's high risk........

Sorry not much help. But things people consider.

An easy thing to try (easy as in, it won't be too much hassle for you) is a wake-reset when you go to bed - say 11pm.

The idea is you wake baby up and aim to re-start their main period of night time sleep, with the hope this moves their body clock. So it's just a temporary state in order to make the toutine change, then the 11am wake-reset can stop.

So at 11pm ish you

• wake baby, don't aim to do this with baby still asleep (as you would a dream feed)
• change nappy. This means that come 5am babys nappy is a little more comfortable that it would otherwise be. Also assists in rousing baby.
• after waking baby with a nappy change, aim to give a full feed. So try to kerp baby awake as much as possible throughout. This means that come 5am, babys tummy is a little less empty than it would be otherwise
• Lift baby to your shoulder and run back for a burp, allowing baby to get drowsy while doing this
• Put down and resettle.

Give that two or three weeks of consistent wake-reset every night and hopefully it should start shifting wake time. Then start skipping the odd night and not waking, with it hopefully having moved the routine enough for the later wake time to stick without the need to reset at 11pm.