I can't start my day at 4.30 every morning - what do I do?

[sleepychunky]

DS2 has just turned 7 months. About 2 weeks ago he started rolling back to front, and sleeps on his tummy now. Every morning (and I mean every single morning without fail) he wakes up some time between 4 and 5. He's still tired but he will not go back to sleep - he shifts around the cot on his tummy and grunts and whinges (he doesn't roll from front to back, although he used to before he could do back to front). I've tried feeding him and then putting him back, I've tried not feeding him and just putting his dummy back but nothing works. So by the time it's actually morning and DS1 is up, I've been in and out of his room maybe 20 times trying to settle him but it doesn't work. He's then exhausted and his whole routine is out of the window, I'm back at work full time and have to get 2 kids ready and out of the house by 8 so I can commute to London and I'm just completely shattered.
I just don't know what to do, why he's doing this and if there is anything I can try to make him stay in bed longer. I can't go on starting my day at 4.30 every single day. HELP!

Have you tried taking him into bed with you?Take him into bed with you and feeding him? That way you can at least doze - and with a bit of luck he'll go back to sleep.

My dd (20 weeks) is the same- up every day between 4 and 5, ready to play- and has just started rolling too. I second what seeker said. I feed her lying down in bed, I doze and she normally goes back to sleep. I didn't want to co-sleep as I am quite an anxious type. But I am just dozing not in a deep sleep, and that's better than being wide awake begging "pleeease baby go to sleep!"

It's settling her without feeding that i can't seem to manage.

Knackering, isn't it?

My dd2 does this, it started at around the same stage. Only thing that works is picking her up and letting her go to sleep on me or dh (we have a tiny chair/sofa thing from ikea in her room we can sort of lie on in a back crippling fashion). We have to wait until she's in a really deep sleep before putting her back in her cot (maybe 45mins or so), then she will sleep until 6 or 6.30. Never later, she's just an early riser. It was important to let her get back to sleep though, otherwise she would be tired and whingey all day. Also something to do with not letting their body clocks get used to getting up at that time.

She has got slightly better, she's now 13 months, and gives us whole weeks at a time where she doesn't wake up. It goes in phases, and seems to be when she's teething (for weeks on end sigh) or coming down with something. Frequently, to start with, we'd give her calprofen straight away to help take away any pain that was stopping her sleeping.

Also, you need to think about daytime sleep, too much, not enough etc? Plus ability to settle himself to sleep, if you are feeding/rocking him to sleep then that would be something to address as well. And all the other usuals, too hot, heating coming on at that time, room not blacked out etc etc etc?

I sympathise, it is a total killer. Only thing that kept/keeps me sane is that dh could take turns as well.

Just seen he has a dummy, could that be the problem?

Hi all, sorry it's taken so long to reply. I think there are a number of issues - he's teething, has just started to roll, it's really hot and it's light by 4.30 (although he has a blackout blind, the light still comes in round the edges). He did eventually go back to sleep at 6.10 this morning, but by then it was too late for me to go back to sleep as DS1 tends to get up about 6.30.
I think his daytime sleeps are fine - he has between 2.5-3.5 hours during the day (split over 2 or 3 naps) so I think he's getting what you're told babies this age need.
It's just a killer atm as DH does shift work so if he's on a night shift, he's not there and if he's on a day shift he has to leave the house at 5, so it's just me to deal with it and then do a full day's work and come home in time for bedtime routine.
I have tried bringing him into bed with me but we've got light curtains in our room plus no double glazing and all he does is look around and try and roll all over the place.
Joy it really is a killer and by 2pm I'm absolutely exhausted and tend to fall asleep at my desk. Not good

If you think its the light then you can get these here which work a treat (although not in the hot weather when you have to open the windows anyway!)

If its teething, then you could try my approach - the giving calprofen immediately on waking, then cuddling until asleep again and putting back down. Hopefully that would give you another hour back in bed yourself.

If its the rolling, you could try securing him with a sheet - before mine got too strong to escape, they were in a sleeping bag with a sheet tucked widthways over them (tucked right under the mattress), secured with rolled up muslins down each side so they were really tight. Stopped them rolling for a little while until they got strong enough to escape anyway (by which time they were also strong enough and big enough to get themselves comfy again without help).

I guess the key is to find some way to get him back off to sleep, whatever it takes. I know its a killer now (and you have my total sympathy), but believe me, its a hundred times worse in the winter when its dark and freezing to boot. If its any consolation, he absolutely will get so tired occasionally that he'll lie in later and give you a break. Not much consolation, but some.

Re the daytime sleep - the amount sounds about right from what I remember (although DD2 was always not so keen on 'meeting the guidelines' as DD1 unfortunately!), but is the structure right as well - i.e. only a v short nap eg 15 mins in the afternoon so he is good and tired before he goes to bed?

If hes waking because he's hungry how about some cereal before going to bed to fill him up?

Yo have my symathy btw both of mine were early risers, btn 5-5.30am every day. Its hard work.

Oh yes, definitely try to stuff as much food as humanly possible into him before bedtime (without it affecting a big bedtime milk feed). He could also be at that funny stage of weaning where the milk is dropping off a bit, but they can't yet eat quickly/well enough to really fill up on food, so unless you're really careful with diet they can be hungry in the night. Does he gets lots of meat protein and carbs?

Although, if it was hunger, presumably he would go back to sleep after a milk feed, which you said he doesn't, so possibly isn't that...

Meant to say he's in a grobag as well so he can't get his limbs stuck in the cot bars. lukewarm interesting about the weaning - he's not eating massive amounts but his milk intake has gone down, which I'm surprised about, especially in this weather. He has his tea at about 5pm and then his milk feed after his bath at about 6.30, straight before bed. Maybe I need to give him a bit more food - will try and stuff him full and see if that works!

The 'books' say to only change one thing at a time, to see what effect it is having. But I've been in your situation and threw everything I could at the problem all at once, in the hope that something, anything would have an effect! Good luck.