4.5 month old wants to play at 5 am

[mringel]

Hi, I am still trying to get my 18 week daughter to transition from 3.5 to 4 hour EASY.  I think the problem is early morning.  She wakes  between 4:30 and 6.  I don’t rush in, but she won’t fall asleep on her own at this hour.  (She eats well, it’s probably not hunger).  I go in when she calls me, but then she wants to play.  Usually I leave her (she’s happy) and return when she calls again, doing this a couple of times until it turns into fussy and I do pat/shush or p.u./p.d..  I think this extra hour of “happy” time makes her exhausted so she never can stay awake long enough during the 7-9 am slot.  Should I do pat/shush before she’s fussy?  P.U./P.D.?  Or should I do wake to sleep?  It is never the same time every day so I didn’t know if wake to sleep would work.

She is now also having a too short nap problem (probably because she needs a 4 hour routine).  The same thing happens.  Which technique should I use here?

I hope my mid-morning errands and her play group are not causing the problem.  It would be difficult to stay home, but the car rides and stroller time mixes up her AS time no matter how hard I try.  Thank you so much for your help!

[*Natasha*]

Could you post your routine for us please?

[mringel]

Sure, thanks!  It goes like this (on a good day)

7 am E
7:30 A
8:30 S

10:30 E
11 A
12 S

2 E
2:30 A
3:30 S

5:30 E
6 A
6:30 top off bottle
(not able to get a catnap)
7-7:30 bedtime

10:15-10:30 dreamfeed

I keep trying to extend all the A parts, but she gets SO tired.  Thanks again!

[elsasmom]

I just wanted to let you know that I have the same problem with my 23 wk old DD.  We've worked through issues w/in the last week by taking away her dummy and reflux.  But, despite the reflux she's a happy baby.  I have a similar situation where she wakes anywhere from 4:30 to 6:00 happy, takes short naps (happy) and fights her catnap.  I struggle as well with doing pu/pd or shh/pat at 4:30am since it can take an hour to make a happy baby mad enough to go through the whole cycle of pu/pd.  (Its hard to make a happy baby mad, and I'm too tired.)  I've started leaving her in her cot to let her play, and only go in if she starts crying.  She will often go back to sleep for a little while.  I think there's a danger of making them unhappy in their cot if you go in when they are happy.  (I think I read this in the BW book.)  I would suggest staying home in the morning until you can eliminate the early wake-ups.  My DD always wants to fall asleep before I get home at 8:30 from taking my DS to preschool...which sets us up for a bad day.  (The morning nap seems to set the tone for the day.)  The catnap is a struggle for us as well, but I would do whatever you can to get her to sleep.  The days I don't keep at it, she is so OT by bedtime that she fusses until I can get her to bed, and then we have the early wake-ups.  Today, as I'm typing, she's having her catnap, and it was a real fight.  I think she just had to shut the world out and cry.  Pu/pd didn't help at all, I ended up with a hand on her to let her know I was there, and she eventually cried herself to sleep.  We're seeing progress with her everyday, and I think we are close to sorting her out.

The moderators will probably have some great advise for you, but I'd work on the am nap and if you think she is tired definitely do what you have to, to get her to catnap.  I think its really important for the long term to let her play in her cot if she's happy.  My DS (3yrs) has always been like that, and it is a godsend.  From about a year old we would leave toys and books in his cot and we could get up to an extra hour of sleep!

Good luck...