14 month early wakings - soo tired!

[LisaMcD1]

Hi,

Hope someone can offer some advice!  I posted several months ago about DS2 who was waking up in the night for hours and the advice worked and he stopped that (unless he sleeps too much in the day).  Now the issue is that he is awake by 5.15am everyday and I am absolutely shattered even if I can to bed early.  The other option is to go to bed even earlier at 8pm but then DH isn't going to like it as we would never see each other.

DS1 used to wake early but would have his milk and then go back to bed for a while, but DS2 is awake until morning nap.  Although today he was up at 5.15am and then back asleep in the cot at 6am and actually slept till 7.30am.  I don't mind the early wake up if it was 6am or after but there is just something about 5am making me soo tired.  DS1 is awake early too so I'm not expecting to get to 7am (although it would be nice) but is 6am too much to ask?

His routine is (roughly):
5-5.15am - wake up and milk
7am - breakfast
8-9am - sleep of 30 mins max
11am - lunch (DS1 has to be at nursery for 12 so both have lunch here)
1-2.30pm - sleep
3.30pm - milk/snack
5-5.15pm  - dinner
6.30pm  - bath
6.45pm - milk
7-7.30pm - asleep in cot
 
I have thought about making transition to 1 nap, but as he wakes up so early he can't make it till after lunch before needing a nap.  All I'm asking for is for him to sleep till 6am, so that I can get a bit more sleep and then I'm more awake in the day and don't get so ratty or irritable with them.

Any suggestions would be greatfully received.

xxx

[becky1969]

You're getting a classic 10 hour waking which is usually caused by being OT at bedtime.  You guys are doing about 3.5 hours A time before both naps, but FIVE hours before bedtime.  See the problem? 

But as you know, when a kid has an EW, then that just throws the whole day off.  The way your routine is now, a more reasonable bedtime would be 6 pm! Now, if your kid is typically a 12 hour sleeper (except when EWs are bothering you) then I'd try the 6 pm bedtime and see if that doesn't give you a 6 am waking.  If your kid is normally an 11-11.5 hour night sleeper, then I'd post pone that first nap until about 9:30, so waking at 10.  Then 2nd nap 1:45 (so pushing him a bit) which will give you a waking of 3:15 or so.  Then a 6:45 bedtime will be within his sleep window, and that should get us closer to a 6 am waking.

Make sense?

[LisaMcD1]

Thanks for your reply.  Will see tomorrow if I can him to sleep around the times you suggest and see what happens.  The only problem I have is with the afternoon nap as he sleeps 1-2.30pm normally as DS1 is at nursery and I have to get DS2 up at 2.30pm to go to collect DS1.  I have tried to transfer him from the cot to the pushchair but he always wakes up and then just ends up with a shorter nap if he has gone to sleep later than normal.

Today for instance as he went back to bed at 6am till 7.30am he didn't have a morning nap but had a 2 hour nap at 12.15pm.  He is now in bed asleep and has been for about 15 minutes.   I had been doing bath time earlier so he had had his milk by 6.45pm but I was finding that he was just playing with the milk and it was nearly 7.30 before he was going to sleep.  Tonight we were having milk at 6.50pm and he was put into cot at 7.15pm awake but after several times up to see him he did go off. 

Will see tomorrow if I can get him to sleep at 9.30am and then at 1.45pm and see if it makes a difference. 

Must go as I can here him throwing the dummy out of the cot!

xxx

[becky1969]

The 2:30 thing with DS#1 is probably going to be an issue.  If  you can put him to bed earlier then I think that will solve a lot of problems.  That's great he was able to do a 2 hour nap at noon!  If he does that, then I'd have him in bed at 6:30, hoping that he'd fall asleep by 7.  If you can get him to do that kind of routine that would really solve a lot of problems: you'd have him up well in time to pick up DS#1 and you'd be getting him in bed early enough that he wouldn't be OT at bedtime.  Gosh, maybe you'll have a super easy 2-1 switch!

My guess is, tho, if you do manage to get him to do 1 nap some days he probably won't be able to handle it every day of the week.  Still, if you could do 1 nap 2-3 days/week that would go a long way towards transitioning him.  What do you think about trying that? I suppose it all depends on that AM waking.  How likely is it that you can have him wake 7 or later?

[LisaMcD1]

If he could go to bed earlier and then get up a bit later in the morning that would be great!  Last night it took until nearly 9pm to get him to finally fall asleep, although he was nearly there several times.  I had hoped that he might then sleep later this morning but no awake at 5.25am and stirred alot in the night.
Am going to see if I can get him to go till 9.30am for his nap but not holding out much hope.  But will definetly try earlier bed time and try later pm nap (out today so might work out just right).

No problem with only having one nap either, I'm sure he he woke up nearer to 7 he could last till nearly lunch time and have his nap then.

He has slept nealy 12 hours a few weeks ago, so he can do it and I'd like to think that he will!  DS1 up at 6am today too.

Early to bed tongiht for me.  Will keep you posted.
xxx

[ckcole]

Hi Becky1969, I just read your posting that 10 hours is classic OT... I didn't know that! Why is this?? That might help to explain some things for me!

[becky1969]

I have no clue why it works that way, just that it does! It's the #1 sign that they are OT at bedtime.   

[ckcole]

So great to know... thank you!!!!!!!