5.5 month old waking early and in night too - aaahh

[WendyW]

Hi all,

I hope you can help. Up until a few weeks ago my ds was sleeping 6.30pm to 6.15am with df on a 4 hours easy and it was just that. Since then we have had to undergo a few changes which seems to be causing all sorts of problems.

First he was wanting to eat sooner than 4 hours so I started to give him a few tastes of pear thinking he was ready to start thinking about solids (he had lots of other signs too). We did this for a about a week and it seemed to help. I then tried apple which gave hime massive tummy upsets as had other fruit and veg. He was also starting to take less and less milk at his first feed down to 4 oz instead of 7oz so we tried to reduce the dreamfeed to the extent of cutting it out. This meant he was now on 4 x 8oz bottles a day. But now waking about the same time each morning about 5.30am, but instead of going back to sleep until 0615, he now doesn't, which means he wants his morning nap really early because he's tired.

Second, he has started rolling over and sitting up really well and I think he might be teething. He is now waking at 3.30am aswell for about an hour. He's not upset, just chatters away to his toys.  The problem is the nw are effecting our daytime routine aswell as making me, my dh and ds tired.

Sorry for the rambling - here's our currentish schedule - but it keeps changing as his nw gets worse.

0517 wake
0600 8oz
0730 sleep (~1 hr) wakes happy
(I try and get another nap in here if he still seems tired after waking, usually ~40mins)
1000 80z
1030 oats (avoiding lots of fruit and veg until his tummy settles back down - very runny poo still)
1045 sleep (~1.5hr - often spit into 2x 45mins)
1400 80z
1600 banana and rice
1620 snooze (~30mins)
1730 bath
1750 80z
1810 sleep (falls asleep straight after bottle - very tired at the moment)

I appreciate that this is not an ideal routine and it has changed to this due to tiredness from early morning wakings. I am also aware that its not right but I am at a loss as to how to fix it. Please help.

Thanks.

[*Natasha*]

Early waking is often a sign that he is getting ready to drop the cat nap. Could you post your routine before the early wake up?

[WendyW]

Well before everything changed, we were doing this:

0615 wake
0630 feed (~4/5oz)
0815 sleep (~1hr)
1030 feed (~5/6oz)
1115 sleep (~40mins - sometimes 1.5hr)
(if 40mins, I would then have to encourage another nap in here before next feed - going for a walk usually)
1430 feed (~5/6oz)
1530 catnap (~40mins)
1730 bath
1750 Feed (8oz) (This feed used to be between 1800-1815 but due to tiredness was getting earlier)
1830 Sleep
1000 DF (~5/6oz

He has been showing signs of wanting to cut the catnap, but he's sooo tired by bedtime I wasn't sure what to do. I am worried about the bedtime getting earlier incase wake up gets earlier, but that seems to be happening anyway. should I reintroduce the dreamfeed? I did that one night and it didn't make any difference to his wake up. So confused.

[*Natasha*]

So you dropped the DF the same time this early waking started?

[*Natasha*]

Early Wakings

Check out this link in the FAQS section in regards to early wakings.

[WendyW]

Thanks,

We dropped the df a few days before starting solids and he continued to sleep reasonably well, waking at 0530, 0615,0545 sort of times. Then we tried the dreamfeed again when we realised that he wasn't going back to sleep after a bit of chatter but the df didn't make a difference, he just chatters away.

The really trying thing that is going on and need solving, is the middle of the night waking which started a few days ago and a week or so after dropping the df. He is definitely not hungrey, so I'm wondering if its teeth because giving him bonjela seems to help him go back to sleep. But I'm not sure there are so many things it could be. I also am worried that by going in to him (he's not upset just chatty) I might be doing some accidental parenting.

Going back to the early waking, how do you know if its due to overtiredness, or just ready to get going? I'm quite happy to extend his bedtime or drop his catnap but he seems so tired at bed time and I don't want to make it worse. Should I bring back the dreamfeed?

Sorry for the rambling, I just don't know how to fix this.

Thanks very very much.

[*Natasha*]

If he isn't crying i would leave him and see if he goes back to sleep. He might realise soon that no one is going to come and get him at this time so he might as well sleep.
As for the DF you could try it again for a few days and see if it helps.

[WendyW]

Thanks Natasha, I'll do that and see how it goes.

Your help is much appreciated. Oh and a tooth has appeared today so maybe it is that. Hopefully things will calm down now - till the next one  I'll keep you posted.

[*Natasha*]

You are very welcome.
My DD2 is also teething at the moment she has been so grumpy i wish it would just cut through it is sitting under the gums teasing her 

[WendyW]

Well we did the df again last night and I think that was what cused the nw because he hardly stirred last night. You were right! I didn't have to get up (thank goodness). He woke at 5.35 am and chattered till I went in at 6.15am. So today we're back to 6.30am bottle which suits us fine. The only thing is, he would only have 4 1/2oz again for first bottle which is what happened before we dropped the dreamfeed. But I'd rather have a good night sleep than worry about him not being hungrey in the morning. dh gave him 6 oz at 10pm so I think we'll leave it for a few days and then start diluting the df bottle to increase his brekkie.

Cross fingers for tonight - was it just a one off?? We shall see.

thanks again

 

[*Natasha*]

Great news hope it keeps up