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Original poster

Competitive early waking thread

290 replies

artifarti · 25/06/2009 13:57

Aaaarrgh! Between 5 and 5.30 since April. Every bleedin' morning. Nothing works. He laughs in the face of blackout blinds and curtains. I hate the Teletubbies even more now.

Can't wait for the Season of Mist and Mellow Fruitfulness and really dark mornings in the hope it changes (it has to change, surely?!)

It's not just me is it?

OP posts:
melmog · 14/07/2009 08:34

I was wondering how you'd got on Artifarti.

Maybe you've done it!

We're away for the weekend which will involve dd sleeping in a bunk bed for the first time in a room with 4 other kids. That, combined with late bedtimes over the weekend will kill or cure or do nothing. Will report back.

Umlellala · 14/07/2009 09:35

'Take Your Baby to a Disco and Solve All ?Your Sleep Problems' - I like it!

Life too short for boring routines. Go to the disco!

ChairmumMiaow · 14/07/2009 11:10

Can I join in?

I have an inconsistent waker. He has, at his best, slept around 11 hours straight. He's probably done this 2 or 3 times and is 18 months.

I was happy to get up between 4.30 and 5.30 and feed him back to sleep because he would get another couple of hours then - and so could I, but then he stopped resettling and we got tough and sent DH in. Which has worked about 3 times, if that, out of many!

After a 4.50 this morning, where DS climbed out of bed and came into our room, I have decided to give up trying to settle him and just try my best with the feeds for a while (this is after a 5.30 feed the day before, then sleeping till 8!!!!)

This has only been going on since the clocks changed, (before that he just had 1-2 feeds a night but went back to sleep like a dream) so I'm hoping it will improve as the nights get longer!

OrangeKnickers · 14/07/2009 11:35

Another vote for the disco plan. Now I just need a wedding!

This morning was the first try of the we-wake-up-when-the-little-blighter does. Ie 5am.

I think I prefer it as we spent an hour in bed chatting / drinking coffee with ds coming in and out. Usually the person whose 'turn' it is gets banished to the front room. Plus as we are both getting up early, there is incentive to go to bed early together.

VC - I know you said @NO@ to this plan but we are tired and snappy anyway!

I feel a bit better this morning as I am not resenting ds for waking up early. I put the washing away and got to work early and tidied up a bit. So it's OK so far.

joules and melmog. Let's hope you/and your friends are right and they DO grow out of it!

melmog · 14/07/2009 12:29

OrangeKnickers, I think I like the sound of that. We have one of us downstairs all tired and grumpy with the kids while the other has a lie in (but doesn't sleep as it's too noisy and bedroom is right above hard floored living room) so still grumpy.

We used to have 'happy time' with dd1 where we'd take it in turns to get her milk and our tea and some biscuits and stay in bed as long as possible. I don't know why we stopped as it was lovely and often one or both of us would doze.

May re instate 'happy time'. Will see what dh thinks. Anything's got to be better than this!

MrsJamin · 14/07/2009 14:11

happy time sounds amazing if your child will actually not end up running over the bed, hitting his head on the bedstead, and rifling through your underwear drawers. do it!

ChairmumMiaow · 14/07/2009 14:34

We often do happy time but DH doesn't like it as much as me as once DS has finished feeding he climbs over to daddy and starts inserting little fingers as far as he can into facial orifices, while naming them.

Little charmer

isittooearlyforgin · 14/07/2009 21:22

melmog - thanks for your condolences!!

turtle23 · 15/07/2009 05:37

We must be moving in the right direction again! 515! Hurrah!

melmog · 15/07/2009 05:50

Congrats Turtle!

03.15 for pick up put down with dh and medicine (for molars which I think are the cause of all this hideousness)

04.20 downstairs and into travel cot with milk

05.10 awake properly and shouting/crying for attention.

05.30 wakes her sister so I'm now downstairs with both of them.

sob sob sob

turtle23 · 15/07/2009 05:59

Oh melmog...poor you! I think molars are the culprit here too.

melmog · 15/07/2009 06:04

Thanks Turtle. I'm getting fed up with this. I'm not a morning person at the best of times. Went to bed at quarter to nine last night too!

Isn't it awful that we think your 05.15 is a positive time to wake up!

Original poster
artifarti · 15/07/2009 07:47

Bedtime a bit earlier than last night: 7.35
Wake up: 6.05!

Please don't hate me! It's only been four days! (Plus, he murmured a lot between 5 and 6 so I was woken up well and truly!)

Think of me as conducting an experiment for the benefit of all parents of early wakers.

turtle - hurray for improvement
melmog - from what I hear molars are a right bugger. But maybe the sleep-over with the other children will have the disco effect? (Or she might just realise that other kids sleep a bit later)

OP posts:
melmog · 15/07/2009 08:22

I'm not bitter Artifarti. You deserve it!

I appreciate your investagative(sp) work and am hoping to reap the rewards. Have requested a disco at the sleep over on the back of it!

IwishIcouldmoonwalk · 15/07/2009 17:18

OK, am bound to jinx it but here goes... we've had a 5.15, a 5.30 and this morning a 5.45! Woo hoo! Hope it keeps getting better for everyone... otherwise it's improvised discos all round.

(ps. I bet I'll be on here tomorrow am trying to see if anyone can beat a 4.30am)

13lucky · 15/07/2009 20:29

Hi guys, good to hear some of us are improving. Inconsistent here as usual! Monday night, he slept ALL night and didn't wake until 6.40am....6.40, never heard of before!!!! Amazing. Last night, up chatting to himself for an HOUR at 1.45am and then woke up for the day at 5.15am...waking his sister in the process. Grrrrrrrrr. Tonight, I've banished him to my mum's!!!! (and he'll probably sleep in until 10am for her!)

turtle23 · 16/07/2009 06:04

Joy!! 545!! Oh please let this be a continuing trend...
Good luck to all of you this morning....

MoChan · 16/07/2009 06:50

My daughter is nearly two, and wakes up v. early, no matter how dark it is... About 5.10am is the average, though it's sometimes closer to 4am. She didn't begin 'sleeping through' until she was about 20/21 months. Prior to that she had been typically waking at 11pm, 2am, then 5am.

I am sooooooo tired I want to cry. Thanks for the opportunity to share....

melmog · 16/07/2009 09:04

Well, I hardly dare write it down. After bringing little one down for milk in travel cot and leaving her with babytelly on at about 5ish, went back and got in bed with dd1 who was stirring. We went back to sleep and all got up at...........06.30!!!!!!!

Dh slept in and woke at 7 but he was still moaning that he was tired. Ungrateful swine.
(I slept in dd1's bed most of the night as she had a nightmare and thought I'd stay there to avoid disturbing him. Won't be doing that again!)

So sorry MoChan. I'll be right back with you tomorrow I bet.

Original poster
artifarti · 16/07/2009 09:34

Oooh, some improvements! Excellent!

Usual stir at 4.50ish just to wake up Mummy for the day (I really must get some balls and put the monitor in the wardrobe...) and then back to sleep until 5.35. Not as good as 6am but still a lot better than it was a couple of months ago!

OP posts:
MrsJamin · 16/07/2009 12:02

5.11 murmurings
5.40 "Duddle! Duddle!" - I walked in, it was too cute to ignore his new word! Will be stronger tomorrow.

OrangeKnickers · 16/07/2009 12:30

4.45am. Gave bottle and went back to bed. But it didn't work.

Unusally Dh and I were out last night and didn't get to bed till 12am. Boooo Hoooo!

So teletubbies from iplayer went on....twice! .

But in general the waking up when he does has been OK. I am still dog tired but it feels like a joint venture. Before dh and I were on different timelines from each other.

Arti, melmog and Turtle- looks like things are getting better for you! Good luck!

Mohan - condolences.

MrsJamin - Duddle is so cute!

MoChan · 16/07/2009 16:42

No ill will, Melmog. I am very pleased for you, ignore the grinding sound from my teeth.

I had a proper 6.30 waking within recent memory, now I come to think of it... about six weeks ago. I remember OH saying to me in the evening "you're chirpy today". See, see, what that extra hour would do to my fast-becoming-grim personality!

Thanks for the condolences, OrangeKnickers.

Madigan · 16/07/2009 20:39

ok the past 2 nights I have been awake from 3 AM. Yes, really. My 17wo wakes me up for a feed.... and then she goes back to sleep quite easily, and I lie there and cannot get back to sleep ... have tried reading/meditation tapes/everything. Total nightmare. I feel totally wired. So I have had a total of 3.5 hours sleep for the past 2 nights. What the hell is this all about?

MrsJamin · 16/07/2009 21:11

for you Madigan, there's nothing more infuriating than not being able to sleep when your little one is dozing away. Perhaps that's part of the problem, that you're aware it's annoying? Perhaps just resign yourself to it and you won't get so frustrated and sleep?!