Author Topic: 5am wakings for a 4 month old  (Read 978 times)

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Offline rosies mam

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5am wakings for a 4 month old
« on: March 22, 2006, 07:00:42 am »
Hello everyone

My 4 month old is quite a good sleeper so feel a bit of a flake for asking this (my only excuse is that I've been up since 5am!).
She wakes up at 4:30/5 am-ish most mornings.  I know that this is still considered sleeping through (from 10pm DF) but I'm not too good at this time of morning!  She is not hungry because she's only on the boob for a couple of minutes and then goes back to sleep well.  I don't rush to her when she starts stirring at this time but I find it hard to settle her back to sleep, partner also unsuccessful and strangely unenthusiastic.  By this time I'm wide awake while baby and partner are sleeping like, well, like babies!  >:(
Would it be worth trying DF later than 10pm (if I can stay awake that long)?  Any other suggestions for getting her to sleep until a little later in the morning (6am I could probably deal with. I know it's only an hour later but it wouldn't feel so much like stupid o'clock).  On the plus side, I'm getting more housework done!

Thanks

Offline Shdef

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Re: 5am wakings for a 4 month old
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2006, 09:28:03 am »
My son still wakes up at 1 (and chatters to himself for half an hour) and at 5 (does the same). I mostly can't hear that anymore, I just sleep through it, because he does it really quietly. We just achieved that by minimizing the stimulation so that he knows it is night-time. That means: No light, no talking, no eye-contact, not too many cuddles, no nappy-change (unless poo) and put her in the cot awake r don't even take her out, depending on what the situation is.

I think it is all about the waking being "worth it" for the baby. She needs reassurance, needs to know that she is not alsone but she doesn't need stimulation.

Nobody sleeps through the night without ever waking up, so babies don't do it either, they just need to learn to tuck themselves in.

If for instance you use cuddling to sleep or nursing to sleep or rocking to sleep she doesn't know how to fall asleep on her own.

She will wake up and chatter and if she is tired she thinks: "I am tired now. I need mommy to make me sleep."

Maybe that is the pattern to break through. I would also aim for NO crying, because crying and creaming really wakes a baby up, I would just slowly take away the stimulation and the help to fall back to sleep.

Offline rosies mam

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Re: 5am wakings for a 4 month old
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2006, 19:22:40 pm »
Thanks for replying.  I'm sure this is just a habit that needs breaking because she seems quite aware of the difference between night and day - always goes to sleep quite well at 7pm. 
Will try to settle her in her cot instead of feeding her. 

xx