How to tell my DD that 4am is NOT playtime?!

[pigleychez]

My DD is 13 weeks old.

She has been going to bed at 8pm, then having a dreamfeed at 11 and would go through till 4/5 (6 if were lucky!).

The past few days after her feed at 4am, she has decided to be wide awake wanting to play!
We have been leaving her in hope that she will settle herself back off and thankfully she just lays there snuffling about making odd noises. It still take a good hour of this till she goes off though.

No idea why shes suddenly doing this.. nothing had changed. We have always fed her in the dark, with no interaction making it boring. She would always go straight back off.

Anyone any experience of this? Any ideas?

Ive become a grumpy mummy now as I really do need my sleep!

Is she in the same room as you? If she is happy and not upset, just leave her and shove in some earplugs.

I think that sleeping through to 4/5 for a 13 week old is pretty good! Maybe it's just a developmental phase. As I mentioned somewhere else, my 7 month old ds is up at 5am every morning now and I remember dd going through the same phase for a phew months. Exhausting, isn't it

Sounds to me like you are doing the right thing - just keep at it. Persistence is the way to go with babies.

We had a similar thing with our DS in the early days. It was when his night feed moved to around 5.30/6am - they are buggers to get back to sleep afterwards. We got there in the end but it did take a while.

Does she self-settle or do you need to assist her?

I can certainly sympathise. My DD (4 months next week) is also wide awake after her 4/5am feed since a few days now, when she used to go down like a log after BF. I try to ignore her and she does self-settle. Sometimes I have to stifle a laugh because she is such a chatty little thing! Hope it's just a phase.

Just reviving this thread as I was wondering how you other mummys are getting on?

DD is 16 weeks now and if anything is getting worse!
She now wakes anywhere between 2-4am and doesnt go back to sleep. It can take a good 2 hours!!
Weve tried leaving her but the more she kicks about the more she wakes herself up. We tried patting and rocking but it still takes so long to get her off.

Prime example:

Wakes at 2 for a feed, finally asleep about 4 then will wake again for a feed 5 or6 and do the same again!

Its like she gone back to her newborn days

she could come round here and play with my 4 yr old hes up (yawning emoticon)

Is she having too much sleep during the day? Apparently, that can lead to night waking and playing? Is she in a sleeping bag? That might stop the kicking so much if she is currently using blankets?

Pudding-- shes in a growbag but still manages to kick about. She bangs both feet up and down together!

DD has 2 or 3 naps a day of about an hour each

Sympathies, my previously excellent sleeper DS2 (2.9yrs) has started waking at 4am shouting (Bellowing) for his brother to come and play.
My eyes look like the proverbial pee holes in the snow.

They do just do this from time to time, it'll pass (it'd bloody better!)

My dd does exactly the same in her growbag. I can hear her thumping over the monitor. What I have heard suggested -I have never done it though - is to tuck a very thin sheet over the growbag and under the mattress really tightly. You would have to make sure that the growbag is not too high a tog. I have never done it as I think dd would get out oit but I have heard it can work.

Naps sound fine.

Hopefully it is just a 'phase'.

God I hope so.

Can feel myself getting rather snappy through the lack of sleep.

As DD is in with us we usually take her into her bedroom to feed her. Theres a futon in there where we sit and also try not to wake the other.
Tonight im going to try feeding her in our room as im wondering if the movement of being carried across the hall doesnt help.

Naughty I know but part of me is even tempted to not even get her out the basket and just fed in there!

I take it you are bottle feeding and not holding your boob over the basket

See if feeding her in your room helps.

Hope you have a good night.

@ pudding! Yeah were bottle feeding now.

We dropped the bottle feed thursday night and she did stir around 11 but not wake. She woke for a feed at 12.30.. went straight back off then woke again 5.15 and went straight back off till 8.
FAB

Last night was ok too..Woke at 12.30 and went straight back down. Woke again at 4 for a feed and took about 15/20 before nodding off again. Much better than 2 hours !

The feeds now are in our room in the dark - cue me missing her mouth a few times!

putting the heating on earlier worked for me at this phase. it could be worth a try.

Hope you have another good night. I am sure I have shoved the bottle up dd's nose on the odd occasion - and have been tempted myself yo shove my boob over the basket -they are big enough

My DD had started waking herself up by slamming her legs up and down and ending up bashing the end of the cot. I've tucked a sheet over her grobag, held down with rolled up towels, and it really works wonderfully