calling all fellow parents of early risers - i hardly dare say i, but i THINK this wake-to-sleep thing MAY work...! <<crosses fingers>>

[Tutter]

ds2 (1yo next week!) has always been an early riser - just as his brother was

generally it's between 4:50 and 5:10

we tried everything - blackouts, white noise, cc, milk, later bedtime, earlier bedtime, shorter naps in day, earlier naps in day

etc etc

the last two nights we have set the alarm for 4am and have gone in and gently roused him

he's gone straight back off each time

yday morning he woke at 5:25

this morning 5:45

so, not exactly miraculous, but a huge improvement

(but how sad that i should view 5:45 as a good time to start the day )

[solo]

Good luck fifi, fingers crossed for you.x

[TheGabster]

Common Fifi - come and join the mad people who wake themselves up at rediculous times in the morning before their annoying darling children can!!

Woke up at 4.15 this morning and realised there was no way I could get out of bed - too tired. But DS did not wake until 6.20 and happily dozed on and off until 7am so it must be working.

Anyway, seems his new wakeup time is 6.20 (much nicer than 5am) so DH and I have decided to leave it a few days and if this is DS's new wakeup time, then we are going to start doing WTS around 5.20 to see if we can stretch him out a little bit further!! he he.

keep us posted on progress your end.

G

[dairymoo]

Right, I have been reading your thread and am thinking of giving it a go with my 11mo old DTs. When they were still feeding in the night (up until they were 9mo) they normally used to sleep until about 7am but since they've dropped their night feeds then have been waking up earlier and earlier...we're at about 5:30am at the moment (I know it could be worse, but it could also be better!) They wake up and start chatting to each other so I know they aren't waking from hunger, just that their alarm clock seems to be set a little early for my liking.

So, sorry if it's been explained before, but how much do you need to wake them - and am I right in thinking you do it an hour before their normal waking time, so 4:30am for us? Am terrified of waking them too much but I guess it would be worth giving it a go if indeed it will work for us. Thanks in advance!

[Arhian]

Hi, I came across this thread by mistake, but am so glad I did, cos I really do hope it'll work. My dd is 6 months old and up until this last week she sleeps through till around 6am. But this last week she been waking up crying at around 1am every night. I've ruled out nappy probs, hunger. she tends to settle again after an hour of me cwtching and walking around with her. But its starting to get to me and DH now. Esp. as DH gets up at 5 for work.

Do you guys think that this will work, if I try waking around 12ish. Don't know what else to try.

Thanks xx

[solo]

Dairymoo, I found the best way to wake my Dd was to rub her tummy, pat her bottom, call her name and then to lift her up(kind of mid air in the cot)until she actually opened her eyes. Put her straight back down at that point and she moved around to get comfy and went straight back off to sleep. Any less of a waking up and it didn't work, any less than six consecutive nights and it didn't work either. She's now waking at 8:30 at the earliest.

Arhian, yes wake your Dd an hour before she's been waking and then as above really. I don't claim to be the expert in this, but it's certainly worked for me as set out earlier in the thread by Tutter(wonderful, wonderful Tutter!)and you have nothing to lose as she's going to drag you out of bed anyway.

Good luck to you both! let us all know how you go.

[TheGabster]

And whatever you do, don't put the light on like my DH did the first night - it took us nearly two hours to get DS back to sleep again!!!

[dairymoo]

Well, night one....forgot to set my alarm and woke up at 5am, couldn't hear any noise from the LOs room so I thought I'd give it a go. Started to gently pat DT1 on the bottom at which point she popped her head up (was lying on her front) and I jumped down onto the floor. Didn't dare touch DT2 but as they were both tossing and turning a bit anyway I think I'd left it too late. Will set my alarm for tomorrow morning!!

[dairymoo]

Oh - and they were both up by 5:30 again...

[Tidgypuds]

Would this work with a 3 & 4 Year old? My sisters two are still waking up and ready to start the day at 5am!
(Im not going to mention my two and jinx there good sleeping habits )

[solo]

I don't have the answer to that Tidgy, but it could be worth a try...nothing to lose by the sounds of it.

I know what you mean about the jinxing thing. My Dd woke up at 5 this morning!

[TheGabster]

Oh Solo - that's such a bummer. I really thought you had cracked it. Do you think it was just a one off?

My DS woke at 5 too this morning (just as I was about to do WTS), but it was definitely hunger - we are still weaning and I forgot to give him any carbs with his tea last night . D'oh.

Hey Fifi - are you getting anywhere with it?

[dairymoo]

Quick question before I attempt again this evening. As my DTs seem to get up just randomly early (i.e. anywhere between 5-6am) when should I wake them?? 4am to be on the safe side? (As clearly 5am didn't work this morning!!)

[solo]

dairymoo, I would try around 4:20, kind of middle ish. Then if they were on for waking at 5, it's not too late but, if it should be 6, it's not too, too early iyswim. Good luck!

I think my Dd possibly woke earlier because I was trying to get her to go down earlier. Ho hum

[dairymoo]

Well I think it worked! Crept into their room at 4am (hadn't seen your post solo!), roused them a little - was worried it wasn't enough - but I don't think they woke until about 6:30am! I was asleep until then and wasn't woken by crying so can only assume...

But they also managed to last until 9:30am for their nap so they can't have been awake much earlier than 6:30. Fab - will try again tonight and see if we can have a repeat performance.

[fifitot]

Not sure if working or not. Don't want to jinx it so will report in a few days!!!!!

[TheGabster]

Well I officially give up.

Dragged myself out of bed to "rouse" DS at 4am this morning and climbed back into bad feeling smug, only to have stupid DH blunder around drunkenly 2 minutes later (looking for the toilet?) making loads of noise, waking him properly. Could not get him back to sleep until 6am and was up for the day 30 minutes later. Grrrr

Rant over!!

[nappyaddict]

i think i might try this ..

[dairymoo]

Slight blip. Forgot to wake up again on Saturday night but they slept until 6:45am without any intervention!

So, stupidly, I thought that maybe I didn't need to do WTS at all but this morning they were up again just before 5:30am.

Will DEF be setting the alarm tonight!!

[JuneBugJen]

Oh thank God. A fresh idea!

Have ds (11mths) who thinks 5-5.30 is wake up time. I let him scream it out till 6, cringing all the while.
At that time he wants milk, but picks at cereal. He always seems tired at this time. I dont think he wants to be awake.

He goes to bed at 7.00pm, we loosely follow Gina, but also he is grouchy for the last 2 hours of the day.

Feeling sleep deprived and finally told DH to go to my pil's so he could get sleep following blazing row on Wed night. (he has been there 4 days now...lucky bastard!)

Will try this, this weekend. But has anyone actually had concrete sucess?

[fifitot]

Well somehow, don't know if it was wake to sleep or not but for around a week DD was sleeping in until around 6.30!!!! However she has slowly gone back and back and this morning it was 5.15 again!!!!!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[zim]

what a read! Just sat and read this entire thread for about 30 mins! I've gone from I'M TRYING IT/I'M NOT TRYING IT/IM TRYING IT/IM NOT/I AM/I'M NOT....... etc etc etc depending on whose post i'd read! hows it going solo? I think you're the guinea pig but felt disheartened to hear of your 'blip' hope things have got better?
Dont know if we're trying to run before we can walk with our 12 month old as we've only just got him sleeping through (through controlled crying) so recently that i even feel i'm tempting fate saying that he sleeps through! I think at best we've had a 6.30am wake up but anything from 4.50 is more usual (10 to 5 doesnt sound as bad does it? its that number 4 i dread seeing on the alarm!!) I know there's body clock/sleep pattern science behind all this but could someone explain why it has to be an hour before? If we're working on breaking the sleep pattern can you not do the rousing thing at any time? Just thinking i'd rather stay up late than have to set that alarm!!

[fifitot]

Don't know why it's an hour zim. Give it a try it may work!

[SoloTheCharmedOne]

Forgot about this thread, but thought I'd drop an update. Dd sleeps through almost every night. The only time she didn't was when she was ill. I then had to go back to breast feeding her often as she couldn't eat anything. This seemed to get her into a 'habit' and she was waking through the night wanting my milk, so I've now cut it out again(only feeding her before bedtime)and she is sleeping through again. I thought I may have had to WTS train again, but I haven't.
All in all, I'd say it's been very successful. I think that if you are being woken up anyway by the little darlings, then you wake them up on your terms and attempt to train them. I'd recommend it to anyone(and do!).

[WilfSpell]

Searched for this thread in desperation. After 15 months of no sleep (except for the ONE night this week when DS3 slept through for the first time ever, between 7.30 and 6am, and of course i was awake all night wondering what was wrong with him...) I am ready to try something else...

So, will WTS work with a baby who is still pretty breast dependent at night? We've been trying - in between illness bouts which sets everything back - to night-wean him but he's so clingy with me, there have been HOURS of screaming with his dad (and me with earplugs in in the other room...)

What I'm wondering is whether it is better to try and night wean him first; then try the WTS. So some specific questions for those of you who've tried it:

• do all your babies self-settle to sleep anyway? If that is a basic requirement for this to work, it's a no-hoper...

• anyone done it while still occasionally breastfeeding, even sometimes at night?

• can it be done for lots of night wakings, even when the time isn't always regular? DS seems to wake anytime between 11-1, but not always; most nights he also wakes at 4 too. Sometimes though he just goes for the 4am...

I dunno. I would do anything for a couple of nights' solid 6 hours of sleep, which would feel like a luxury.

[plod]

solo, tutter, ruby slippers, napyaddict, calling you all...... has this continued to work for you?? hope you read this thread. My DS is 21 months and waking 5.20-5.30 every day since new year. I am desperate now will literally do anything, if someone said we will chop off your left arm but your DS will sleep til at least 6.30am I would grant it!!!! Please tell me it works. Am going to give it a go tonight. It's hard to be consistent as I work shifts but I trust you all. If it works I will be eternally grateful that I found this thread and for all your advice. Will keep you posted x