9 month old - early morning waking!

[laurak2015]

Hi all,

Its been a while since I posted on these forums, but I have often browsed through for information 

The last few months, we have been in a pretty OK routine (flexible) and while my lb has always been an early riser (6am), he has recently started to wake at 5am and want to play and not go back to sleep. He is almost 9 months. We have a flexible routine which since quite EASY since he has been on solids but it looks like this...

Awake: currently between 5am-6am. Used to play in cot until 6:30am and I try my best to keep him in his room until then
E: 7am 6oz botte + breakfast (weetabix or porridge)
A
S: we had got it to 9:30am but with the EMW its a challenge to push him that far! (1hr-1hr30)
A
E: 12pm Lunch of solids
A
S: Around 2pm (if at home for 1hr 30 or if out only 30mins)
A
E: 3:30pm 3oz from beaker
A
S (if he only slept for 30mins at 2pm, I try to give him a catnap at 4:30/5)
A
E: 5:30pm Solids
A: Nappy free time, Bath, PJs etc
E:6:50pm 7oz bottle and Bed
S: 7-7:15pm usually

Ive always given him his bottle just before bed which is a slight variation from EASY but he goes down awake and puts himself to sleep. He self settles for ALL naps and night time sleep except when we are out and he falls asleep in car or puschair. He doesn't wake in the night mostly, just has started to wake at 5am instead of 6am! Any suggestions?

Thanks

[nevinsmama]

Hmm, your routine looks pretty solid for this age. I would surely not go below a 3.5 A for that 1st wake time as LO can use that to compensate for an EW. If LO does a good 1st nap, can you push that 2nd nap out to 2:30 to balance the day out some more? Obviously a late day CN is not ideal for this age, but I have done it many times with my DD as good naps don't always happen when you are out and about.
Are there any environmental factors that could be triggering Lo to wake then? ANy signs of teeth? How is room temperature? Anyone leaving for work and slamming the door or something? What sort of mood ( he sounds happy enough) is he in when he wakes?
Just wondering, pending some answers from the above, if LO is in the very beginning stages of 2-1 and needs less of a PM nap. Is his waking different when he has the PM CN?

[laurak2015]

Hmm, your routine looks pretty solid for this age. I would surely not go below a 3.5 A for that 1st wake time as LO can use that to compensate for an EW. If LO does a good 1st nap, can you push that 2nd nap out to 2:30 to balance the day out some more? Obviously a late day CN is not ideal for this age, but I have done it many times with my DD as good naps don't always happen when you are out and about.
Are there any environmental factors that could be triggering Lo to wake then? ANy signs of teeth? How is room temperature? Anyone leaving for work and slamming the door or something? What sort of mood ( he sounds happy enough) is he in when he wakes?
Just wondering, pending some answers from the above, if LO is in the very beginning stages of 2-1 and needs less of a PM nap. Is his waking different when he has the PM CN?

Hi, apologies for my late reply. He will sometimes push his second nap to 2:30pm and is starting to more often now. I suppose he does have a lot going on at the moment...he has two teeth just come through, is learning to crawl and I think is going through a growth spurt. He wakes happily in the mornings and sometimes will just chat to himself in his cot! Naps, he can sometimes wake grumpy but is a lot more grumpy generally at the moment. I'm not sure he is ready for 2-1 as he struggles to go 3-3.5 hours. The longest he goes is 4 hours when he sometimes wakes at 3pm so I don't give him another nap then until bed at 7pm. He def sleeps better when his room is warmer but its never below 19 and I swap and change the togs of his sleeping bags depending on how warm it is. No difference in waking if he has pm catnap, only if he sleeps past 5pm which I don't allow any more. Thanks

[trimbler]

Hey there, sorry only just realised you're waiting for a reply to this, sorry! I think what Maryn meant when she said he may be at the very beginning of the 2-1 is that it might be time to start deliberately shortening the pm nap (or the am, if you prefer - in order to get a long pm nap), as a first stage of the 2-1. He'll still be a long way from actually dropping it.