yet another early waking question...

[LindaB]

In the last few weeks, we've struggled with various sleep issues with our 26 month old Isabella. Things have gotten SOOOOOOOO much better. She now goes down at 7:30 without fuss or crying. Most nights she STILL wakes once in the night, but quickly settles back. The newest problem...she's up EVERY MORNING between 4:45 and 5:15am and WILL NOT go back to sleep. We've done WI/WO, we've tried warm milk, we've tried telling her it's still "night night". SHE'S AWAKE! We leave her in her room until after 6am and she plays and sings...some days she whines and screams and cries. I've read the thread about changing the early morning wakings. We tried gettng her to bed later, shortening her nap, but it's all a failure. If she goes to bed later than 8pm she wakes even EARLIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's her schedule:

4:45-5:15am - wake up - left in her room until after 6am
Usually we DO NOT go downstairs until after 7am so she'll have some milk before that.
7:30am - breakfast
10am- snack
11:30am - lunch
12:15pm - 2:00pm - nap
2:30 pm- snack
5:15pm - dinner
7:00pm - bedtime routine, bath, bottle, bed
7:30pm - asleep.

I'm really afraid that next weekend when the time goes back, she'll be WIDE AWAKE at 4am!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Linda

[Sydney]

Hi Linda

Just wanted to offer some support as we are dealing with early wakings as well.  I have a post on here as well asking for advice re: this but haven't received a response

Based off your schedule, it looks like you may want to move her nap earlier to deal with the early wakings as she may be overtired.  I would move her bedtime earlier as well as the nap will be earlier.  Try this for a couple of days and hopefully she will catch up on her sleep and will wake later and then you can start moving back towards you regular schedule.  That was the advice given to me thus far.

For example - Sydney has been waking at 5:30 so I moved her nap to 11:00 instead of 12:00 and had her go to bed at 6:30 instead of 7:00.  She still woke early this morning, but I am hoping that is because she is caught up on her sleep now and I should start slowly moving her bedtime back to 7:00?  That is the question I have right now on my post. I have everything noted within my post if you want to read up.  Here is the link  https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=106880.0

Hopefully one of us will get some feedback.  It sounds like our lo's are on similar schedules right now!

[LindaB]

Hi there!

You know, I read your thread and I was amazed as to how alike our girls are. Today Isabella went down for her nap 1/2 an hour earlier than normal and I'm going to aim for a 1/2 hour earlier bedtime...we'll see what happens!

Thank you!

Linda

[Sydney]

Yes, let me know how it goes.  I just put Sydney down for her nap at the normal time (11:45) and she fell asleep at 11:55 and it still sleeping (1 hr so far).  I am hoping for at least another 1/2 hour

[LindaB]

Do you limit her nap time? I used to just let Isabella sleep during her nap and not wake her no matter what. Now, she HAS to be up by 2pm NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

I'm just wondering because today she went down at noon. Letting her sleep till 2pm would be 2 full hours.

Linda

[elmarie]

I must say that it does work to make the nap earlier if we have a EW (like today my dd woke at 5.10 instead of 5.30-6.  I did the nap 1h earlier and she slept 2h (this has never happened-usual nap is 1 1/2h).  We tried catnap this afternoon that didn't fall asleep, but left her in cot for quite time for 45min before getting up.   

[Sydney]

Linda - I have never had to limit Sydney's nap as I am lucky to get 1 1/2 hours from her.  I would say Isabella is overtired due to the early wakings so I wouldn't limit her nap today as she probably needs it. If it was Sydney I woud let her nap as long as she wants and then put her to bed 1/2 hour early, like you mentioned. 

Errrr....Sydney only took 1 hour 10 minute nap.  I put her down at the normal time....now maybe I should have done earlier again?  I am so confused.

elmarie - you suggest a catnap and then same bedtime?  What if they don't sleep for the catnap like your lo?  Do you still do bedtime the same?

[LindaB]

If I don't limit her nap and have her up at 2pm, she won't go down by 7:30....we have to get her in bed by then because THEN she gets overtired. I was thinking about putting her to be later but I don't think that's the way to go.

I know she's tired. Under her eyes are blue...poor thing...

Linda

[elmarie]

Sydney yes-I put her down at her normal bedtime of 6pm to try and preserve the routine, but depending on the length of am nap (if it was shorter than usual) I put her to bed earlier.  Don't put your lo to bed later because that can cause OT and again EW and then it just becomes a vicious cycle.  Usually when putting them down a bit earlier if nap was bad lets them catch up on sleep rather than waking up early.  What I will do if there is an EW tomorrow I will over 2 naps again, because she may just fall asleep for catnap and hopefully stop the OT cycle 

[Sydney]

Linda

How did things go last night?

[LindaB]

Thanks for asking - they were not great! She went down easy at 7:30pm but was up crying at 1am. DH went in and got her settled. Then she was up again at 4am. I think she had poop pains because she had a HUGE poop at 6am.

Today was a right off. She slept for 20 minutes in the car as we were on our way downtown to the Wiggles concert. Then she slept another 20 minutes on the way home.

She was in bed by 7pm tonight, so we'll see what happens.

How was your night?

[Sydney]

It has been going OK.  She got a catnap last night as we were on our way home from the in-laws yesterday so she slept from 6:30 to 7:10 and then to bed at 7:40 and finally asleep at 8:10.  She woke at 6:00, which is better than 5:20!

Will just keep trying to adjust things and see how it goes.  Hope things get better for you as well.  Hope the Wiggles was fun.  We watch them on TV every morning.

[MDHmommy]

Linda -
We're having very similar trouble - I just posted in Sydney's thread too!
Have you tried W2S for your LO?
How did you get her to play in her crib in the AM? If I leave our LO he flips that early...so I end up with him in our bed (I know, I know) just so I can get some sleep before work.

Sometimes he'll go back to sleep, like this morning...others he'll just toss and turn for an hour. He's getting up pretty consistently at 5:15 every morning. It's terrible!

I'm about to start a support thread for moms of early-waking toddlers! Those waking after 6:30 need not apply!

[JoC]

Hi, I know what you are going through, we have had early wakings since day one.
However, i bought one of those rabbit night lights where the rabbit in bed is lit up and at a set time (6.30) he awake rabbit lights up. It actually worked from the first day i got it. I explained to ds what it was before bedtime and he has slept til 6.30-7 since (give or take the odd early wake.) He now plays and talks when he wakes too, which he NEVER did before, he would always scream blue murder the instant he woke. It may have been a coincidence as I statrted putting him to bed SUPER early about a week before (6.15), but whichever it was it worked!
Jo