5.5 month old EW - OT/UT/3-2 transition?

[honeybeze]

Hi there!  My 5.5 month old DS is quite the early bird - has been waking up anywhere between 4 and 530 am every day for as long as I can remember.  I try to feed him and put him back down but he is happy and awake as can be, today was lying there cooing and blowing raspberries (SOOO cute, but too early!) Then I move him to his bouncy seat (sometimes he will settle back down there) and eventually try him in the bed, sometimes he will settle down and nurse/sleep until 7, when the 3 year old is up for the day.  There is the VERY rare occasion that he stays in the bed and sleeps after I am up - maybe for another 30-45 minutes. 

He isn't a terribly good napper - especially his morning nap - he wakes up after 25-30 minutes, and if I am not there to shhh/pat, he is up, which, of course throws the whole schedule off.  I have tried to leave him if he isn't crying, but he just lies there and plays rather than settling himself back down.  If I do get him back down, it's usually a 60 to 90 minute nap. I try to nap him at 930/10 and 130/2 pm, with a catnap around 530 (that is hit and miss, he won't always do it).  He is EBF and eats about every 3 to 4 hours, and his bedtime is 730 - give or take depending on that catnap, and he goes down just fine with our solid bedtime routine.  I have read on here that short naps/EW can be a sign they are ready for the 3-2 transition?  I just don't know if I can cut a nap out when his others can be short. His A time is 245 to 3 hours and he does just fine with that. 
 
The 1st half of his night is OK (and pretty much always has been) - he is usually up between 12 and 2 to eat, (sometimes once before then, but I shh him back to sleep), then the more frequent wakings start. Last night he was up at 220 to eat (the longest stretch in weeks, I might add), then 350 (shh, no feed), then 430 - feed - I think he may have gone back down for 30 minutes - but was up being Mr Raspberry at 5 or so.  He isn't hungry, obviously, and is happy as can be! 

He does sleep in our room - and that will change in a couple months when we move.  I know that his own room where momma cannot hear every little noise will help!  I just don't know if he is UT, OT or what with these EW?  I think he IS going to be an early bird, and I am fine with 6 am wake time, but these 4 to 5 am wake up times are really hard. 

I am trying to formulate a game plan, but what I think is causing it changes every day!  My "to do" list includes - sticking to a nap schedule regardless of wake up time, getting naps longer, only feeding every 4 hours at night.

Any insight on if he sounds like OT/UT would be helpful - he is a very happy, good natured baby so is difficult to read at times.  His tired signs are quite subtle. Maybe he is low sleep needs?  I just don't know?!?  I had told myself to just go with the flow - as with DS #1 every time I had it "figured out" he seemed to work things out on his own.  But with this guy, we are going on 6 months of these EW and it's driving me batty!  Help me, I feel like I can't see the forest for the trees! 

[honeybeze]

Forgot to say if he has Props. Weaned from swaddle, does take paci but not predictably. I do nurse him to drowsy before most naps.  Wondering if setting a timer for 25 minutes and trying wake to sleep might help extend naps?

[Jodes112]

Hiya hobeybeze.

Just wonted to offer some support its har when your approaching 3-2 and having EW's.

I k ow for us, an EW spell has always meant dd needs an A push in the day. With you saying most naps are 30 minutes though i think you lo does sounds OT (probably because of the Bad night/mornings and EW.

Could you post your day in EAS format, today as an example, or a 'typical day' & put the actual time of WU and the naps length down too?

Xx

[honeybeze]

Hi Jodes112!  I will post what a normal day looks like, today is all wonky due to me having stomach flu so had early morning cuddle/sleep time and schedule is all off!

E 630 to 7
A 7 to 945
E & S 950/10 am try for an hour, but usually 30 to 45 minutes?
A (doesn't eat as nap so short and not ready to eat yet!) 1030 to 115/130
E & S 130 to 3 (this works with 3 yr olds nap schedule
A 3pm to 530/545
E & S 530 to 6 if he does nap
A 530 to 730
E & S 730

I have a hard time figuring out how to handle the last A time/catnap/bedtime balance.  Yesterday he slept for 90 minutes (130 to 3 pm), had a 20 minute catnap 540 to 6 pm so I pushed bedtime to 815.  I guess we could have tried an early bedtime (630?, but would he be OT then? And that just seems so early!)  rather than having a catnap, but I am terrified of him being up at 3am (which he has done..who wants A time from 3 to 5 am?!? Axel does!). Should I push A times higher than 3 hours? I just went from 245 to 3 after reading the 3-2 transition info. 

He is 6 months in a couple weeks and will start solids then.  It seems like it's just a hard time to find balance between OT & UT, looking at the big picture he seems OT by bedtime, so maybe extending A time will even out things a bit earlier in the day.  I have a sleep tracker on my Ipad and even on days when I thought he had good naps, his total sleep is always less than 14 hours. 

[Jodes112]

I think 3hrs A is probably ok here for the time being!

I would have definatley gone for an EBT after that afternoon nap with wu of 3. I would have put down at 6/6.15. I know its scary but an ebt has always worked for us to catch up on OT. I think the reason for EW is probably because the cat nap needs to go. He is overall UT.

So his wu in that example is 6.30am?  Try and be thorough with keeping to 3hr A time. That first A is probably a bit too long causing an OT 30 min first nap. and that PM nap i would have probably put down 15 minute later. Then you would have a slightly later WU from the PM nap meaning you can get a little later bedtime.

OT naps are usually 30 mins, UT naps are usually 45 mins x

[honeybeze]

Awesome, thanks so much.  He eats at 630 am or 7, but has been up for awhile before then, usually from 430 to 530, but not hungry since usually eats 330 or 4. I leave him alone to coo & play, but finally bring him to bed maybe by 6 or 630 out of desperation for sleep. He doesn't always want that, he just wants to be up! I will work on the 3 hour A time and hope to balance out the day!  I will also try an earlier bedtime & see ( have done in past, but I think naps were still off @ that point).  Little stinker has been down for over an hour for 1 st nap today, sure it has nothing to do with big brother being out of house on a daddy date ( wink, wink).  Thanks again for your input.

[Jodes112]

Oh bless. You can actually get some quiet time then, enjoy it! Let us know how u get on x

[honeybeze]

A quick update! Even dealing with illness & travel we are making progress. Sticking faithfully to 3 hours A time & earlier bedtime has pushed his wake up time closer to 6.  Yay!  He did try to get up this morning at 4, but I fed him, plopped him down in his bouncy & he slept until 615....no hour of cooing/talking!  His morning nap is still short, 30 minutes, but he is happy as can be & has been sleeping 90 minutes to 2 hours in the afternoon.  Bedtime has been 600 or 630. I will update again once we are home & see how that goes.

[Jodes112]

Thats brill glad things are getting a little easier!

[honeybeze]

Another update DS is now 6.5 almost 7 months.  His schedule is working out well, we mainly stick to. 3 to 3.5 hours A time. His naps have organized to 2 naps of 1-2 hours, usually at 10 & 2 give or take, bedtime at 730.  He is only waking twice at night to feed and still up early, but 530 or 6 is something I can work on now that everything else is smoothing out! And no more bouncy sleeping!  Things find a way of working out....until we throw another curveball and move to a new house in April! Gotta keep it interesting.

[Jodes112]

Thats great that he is settled on 3 naps (i remember when my duaghter transitioned to 2, she was settled on 2 for a long time) its nice!

Hope the move goes ok & it doesent mess things up too much! X