restless early morning sleeper - anything I can do?

[momofclaire]

I think if she cries and you know it's because she wants to be on her side but can't get there then yea put her on her side.  It won't be long until she can do that and SO much more for herself.  I know what you mean by sneaky. Claire rolled over 5 or 6 times for me but wouldn't do it when daddy was around for a while. hehehe

We are glad glad glad to help. 
Myia

[Tor]

Hi

I admire your persistance! Is it possible for you to put her in her own room or do you want to keep her with you?  My little boy is still waking at 5 and I have tried everything to prevent this, I feed him and half the time he does go back to sleep when I wake him at 7 but other half he just sings and babble to himself but it stops me sleeping.

I have a 3 yr old so I know now it's all just 'phases' and it will pass and good nights sleep will come back!!!

Victoria

[NikkiSurrey]

Hi Kate's Mom, Macdee and Victoria

Thanks for sharing, I found this all really interesting and helpful.

My LO started waking at 5am recently.  Our house has a somewhat unusual layout and we are actually on a lower ground floor while he is on the top floor.  He has slept upstairs in his own room from day 1, so we use a monitor.  (Though, I was in a room right next door for the 1st 2 weeks).  The distance makes me carefully think through getting up in the night to go to him!  It's also helped me to learn his different types of sounds/cries.

I don't want him to think that 5am is the start of the day so I don't go to him unless he breaks into the 'wah wah wah' type of crying and I have got to know when he seems about to do that.  When I think 'oh no, he think he's about to need me' I have a ritual of quickly going to the bathroom first (in case I'm up for a while!).  When I come back out I have another listen...most of the time he's gone quiet again so I sit back down on the bed for a few minutes before finally deciding to get back into bed.  I agree it's sometimes impossible to get back to sleep particularly if he's been making (and continues to make) loads of noise!

Obviously, if he starts crying again and I can tell he's awake and upset, rather than chatting or trying to get himself back to sleep, then I go up.  That has only happened 2x so far.  One other morning was bad because he was very noisy from 4.30am with quite a lot of intermittent cries/shouts out loud but I could tell he was in a world of his own.  I was really on edge, listening in, waiting for him to start 'needy' crying.

Most of the time he may wake up with a couple of cries/shouts out loud but then just seems to 'chat', maybe dozing off then waking again a couple of times. 

I never go in earlier than 7am.  He's nearly always awake but maybe just lying there staring at the end of the cot.  He looks up at me and smiles!  So I know he's been quite all right all that time.

Having said all that, I really would like him to stop waking at 5am so that I know he's getting the sleep he needs..and so I can get better night's sleep myself, without constantly worrying that I MAY have to get up for him!

This seemed to start when I worked on bringing bedtime forward from 9pm so I find the advice about making bedtime earlier interesting.  I am still working on that and it is currently 7.45pm (it has been 8-8.15pm for a little while).  I will see what happens tomorrow morning!

Also really interested that the dream feed could be having an effect.  I really want to drop it as he is so good at night despite stirring/waking early (have posted about this on the EASY forum).

Thanks to the moderators for all the helpful advice.   I will let you know if earlier bedtime and/or dropping DF has an effect for us!

Nikki

[Tor]

Hi

I would like to leave him longer but I am worried about waking my 3yr old, I just could not face having them both up from 5 each day!  I feel I am starting a bad thing by feeding him at 5 but it does mean about half the time I am up for half hour then go back to sleep until 3 yr old is up between 6.15/30.

I sometimes think monitors make it all sound so very much worse, I only ever have mine on number two!

Victoria

[NikkiSurrey]

Hi Victoria

Ah yes, I'd say 'I understand' re having a 3yr old as well, but truth is of course I can only imagine.  It is such a learning curve, I can't picture myself managing with 2!

You are right, the monitor can make things seem much worse but I am much better off with the distance between us, it makes me think twice about going up to DS.  Also, I have learned a lot about the different sounds that DS makes by being forced to listen so attentively!  I do try to ensure that the monitor volume is not too loud, that helps.

Cheers
Nikki