Please help me kick the 5 am NW / EW

[Aquafish41]

I've been feverishly trying to implement a 4 hour EASY with LO fo rthe past 3 weeks.  I'm exhausted from trying and we're not getting anywhere.  I've finally decided it has something to do with her 5 am wake-up.It's always somewhere between 4:45 and 5:15 and sometimes she acts like she's ready to start the day (cooing, playing) and sometimes she's fussy and sometimes she goes right back to sleep only to wake up again fussing.  It is not uncommon for her to wake at 4:45, I feed her, then it takes an hour or so to get her back down.  At which point, I think she's treating sleep as her morning nap instead of night sleep.  I'm not sure if I should classify it as a NW or EW. 

She is 5 months old and 90% of the time takes 45 minute naps.  Every once in a while I can either extend it or she will go longer on her own.  I have twin three year olds, so it's not always convenient to try to extend.  Ok, here is our EASY from yesterday.  It is all over the place and usually is.


NW- 5:00 (feed her only 1 ounce. She takes it like she's starving then loses interest after an ounce. Back to sleep)
W- 6:00 (no chance getting her back down. She's happy...we start the day)
E- 6:30
S- 7:05-7:55 (couldn't keep her up any longer, super fussy)
E- 9:45
S- 10-11:45
E- 2:00
S- 2:00-2:45
E- 4:00
S- 7:00  (yes, she went 4 hours of A time.  I tried for an hour at 4:30-5:30 for a catnap with shh/pat but she wouldn't settle)
10:00- DF


I've recently started the 10:00 DF and it has cut out the 1:00 am feeding (yay!!).  I just don't know how to approach the 5 am NW / EW.  She acts like she's starving and takes the bottle quickly, but loses interest after an ounce or two. Our EASYs usually don't look as bad as yesterday's.  Her's the EASY from the day before:

NW- 4:45 (back to sleep after eating 1 oz)
W- 6:50
E- 7:00
S- 8:45-10
E- 11:00 & 12:00 (snacking....trying to break that habit too)
S- 12:20-1:00
E- 2:30
S- 2:40-3:10
E- 4:00
S- 7:00
DF- 10:00

We obviously have a problem with OT in the afternoon as I cannot extend her second nap to be longer and she won't take a catnap.  Right now, she's still asleep at 8:10 am!!!! I know i'm supposed to wake her at 7:00 to get the EASY started, but she woke at 4:50 am and it took me till 6:20 to get her back down.  She was exhauseted and I was doing shhh/pat til I finally got her back down.  i think she needs to make up some lost sleep so I'm just letting her sleep now.  Maybe it will help get her back on track.  Any help would be great

[Colin Macs Mom]

bumping up for you

[eshea]

Hi - sorry to hear about the early mornings!  I would have thought she would be hungry and that's causing the early mornings, but since you say she only takes an ounce maybe it's just a soothing thing?  How does she fall asleep for naps? 

We started transitioning to the 4 hr easy about two weeks ago and even though my son was VERY sleepy in the mornings (as was I ) I tried really hard to start at 7 with the E and then be a clock-watcher for the rest of the day.  I noticed that once I was more aware of when I was feeding him  (consistently 3.5 hrs then 3.75) it helped the naps fall into place.  It did take a while to iron out the routine but the afternoons have been a lot better since. 

It is hard with a 3 yr old (or 2) running around when you are trying PU/PD.  Do you have a special box of toys you can pull out for them when you have to try to help your LO extend her naps?  We call it the Busy Box here, and I only take it out for my daughter when I have to be "busy" with the baby.  She gets new entertainment and stays away while I try to get her brother back to sleep.  Maybe that could help?