16wks ds started waking at 5am again after previously going from 7pm to 7am..... What to do???

[MrsMc82]

Hi everyone, as the title says in last couple of weeks ds has started waking at 5am again, since he was 9 wks old he's gone from 7pm till 6/6.30/7am ish, always knew he might regress again but not sure what's best to do about it.....

He usually wakes and just starts chatting and not crying at all so my gut tells me that its not to do with being hungry (as he's never really woken up being starving even when sleeping till 7, we normaly have a bit of a play for half an hour before feeding him), so have left him to chat in the hope he'll settling himself back to sleep but actually he's been chatting to himself for half an hour or so before getting fed up and starting to cry so then have brought him into our bed where he'll chat and kick around while me and dh try and doze for a bit longer!!! However I might be wrong about the not hungry thing as last 2 days have just fed him when he's woken at 5/5.30 and then he's gone back to sleep til nearly 10am!!!!

What's going on??

Thought the early waking might be due to light mornings but have got black out blinds now so not that.

Don't think its to do with teething pain as he's woken early on nights when we've given calpol for his teeth and nights when he's not needed it...

Also read somewhere it that early waking could be due overtireness but don't think its that either as he's done it after days when he's napped well and also when he's been over tired...

Do you think he maybe could do with a dream feed again to get him going thru till a little later in the morning (which we dropped at 9 wks as really wasn't interested in it)
Or do you think he might be wanting to go onto solids soon??? As he's a big boy (17lb) and on 8 oz feeds already HV said he prob won't get to 6 months before needing it but had hope to get him to nearly 5 months rather than 4 before starting to wean.....

Or do we just go with it and keep feeding him at 5ish and hope he gradually gets later and later at waking again??

Sorry that was v long but any suggestions / ideas v welcome - cheers!

MrsMc82 IMHO it sounds to me like he is doing fantastically well at sleeping
if feeding him works then i would do it personally as he is still so very young
or perhaps you could shift his bedtime gradually to 8pm

I wouldnt mess with putting baby down later. I always thing 7pm is the latest you can expect.

Both my babies went through the early waking for a few weeks and then reverted back to the 6.30/7am waking.

Dropping the dream feed too young does have this effect. Dont think I dropped mine till 12-15 weeks. He may be starving at 5am.

4 months is still too young for solids I'm not a beleiver in this. My DS1 was a big baby too but I just stuffed him full of milk.

Babies Are Random.

This Will Pass.

I'm impressed that he's had such a consistent wake up time in the past. My DS varies between 5am and 7am wake up (would be later, but I always get him up by 7. Like yours, he isn't waking crying with hunger (although I tend to feed him just in case it sends him off again - but he's bf), and is happy and chatting until he gets bored!

You could try putting him to bed earlier, as this sometimes helps (sounds mad, I know) - or try moving his first nap later by 5-10 mins at a time, as this can help make the wake up time later. But it may be that neither works.

Big babies don't need to be weaned any sooner than small ones, and starting solids has no effect on night sleeping (breast milk is far more calorific and filling than a some mushed carrots!). Be aware that your HV's advice contradicts the NHS's official advice, which is based on scientific research:here.

4 months is a classic CLASSIC growth spurt / developmental spurt age where sleep goes all wrong. You don't have much choice but to just go with the change, and it might change back again to a previous "good" pattern.

Thanks everyone, upped his feeds yesterday to 9 0z (he's been draining most of his bottles for last week) and this morning was a bit better, went till 10 to 6!!! A whole hours later than yesterday - Horray!!

Thanks for all the advice and the weaning link too xx