Early waking - what do I do?

[babyaaron]

Thank you so much everyone...we will start with extending A time by 15 min for a couple of days...then keep gradually adding.  I think he should be closer to 3 hrs of A time at this age (from BW??), does that sound correct to you?  If you don't mind can you please give me an idea of a "typical" day of EASY for a 10-11 month old??

Again, thanks so much:))

Melanie

[*foxy*]

Hi

Thanks for your help, its really appreciated. She woke as usual at 6 and normally I start to wind her down about half eight as it usually takes half an hour until she's actually asleep. So today I started at 8.45 but she went to sleep really quickly (which is great, I only had to pick her up twice) and was asleep by 9.05 so I haven't  managed to push it back today but will try again tomorrow. And will extend her pm nap.

Thanks again for all your help so far!

[anna*]

Melanie, even 3 hrs is on the low-ish side for 10.5 months - most are doing 3.5-4 hrs after a good night or a long nap - less after a shorter nap

So a typical 10-11 month old routine might go
7am wake
10.30am nap 1 hr
11.30am wake
2.30pm nap 1.5 hr
4pm awake
7.30pm bed

[babyaaron]

Thanks again so much for the help on this page...we implemented the suggestions to move am nap closer to 1000 and voila...our LO now wakes at 0715-0730 each day!!!  This is our EASY now...

0730-  wake
0800-  Eat solids, Activity time starts
0930-  Start winding down for nap, bottle, bed asleep by 1000
1130-  wake
1200-  East solids, Activity time starts
1430-  Start winding down for nap, bottle, bed asleep by 1500
1630-  Wake, drink & snack play
1745-  Eat solids,
1800-  Bath, ready for bed quiet activity, bottle, bed asleep by 1915ish

Thanks again so much:))

Melanie

[anna*]

Great news!

[*foxy*]

Hi anna

We've been settling into the EASY routine for a bit and had the first night where she slept through the night before last. I think this was a bit of a fluke as she'd completely missed her pm nap. She was OT when she went to bed last night (due to being out and about and only getting 45mins in the afternoon) and she was up for the day at 5am! Is this due to being OT?

I just wanted to clarify about what to do with her am nap. If she's up at 5, we still have 3 hours A time but do I add 15 mins to that to help with the EW?

Thanks for your time

[*foxy*]

I think the problem is, she wakes up at a different time every morning and if its as early as 5am and I stick to 3 - 3 1/4 A  times then then the last A time can be 4 1/2 hours and then she's OT before bed and we're back to NW and EW. I try a CN in the afternoon but it never works cuz she's not used to it and is wondering what's going on. I try an early BT but then she's up early because she's gone to bed early. Any ideas or is it just being patient and letting her settle into it a bit more?

[anna*]

The thing is, if the EWs are caused by OT, you're going to make things worse by stretching out the first A. In that case you want her to get MORE sleep, not less. If she wakes at 5, will she not settle back to sleep if you treat it as a night feed? The mornings are getting lighter earlier, is her nursery very dark?

[*foxy*]

Thanks anna, sorry Im probably asking stupid questions but I just dont want to get it wrong and then create more bad habits! Yes, I treat the 5am waking at a night waking. She woke at 3.15am for a feed so she wasnt hungry at 5, I tried until 6.30 to settle her back down and she almost fell asleep a few times but couldnt quite seem to properly fall asleep. If shes awake and happy in her cot, do I pick her up or try to settle her in her cot?

She had a 2 1/4 hour sleep this morning, she woke a couple of times but I settled her back down as I knew she needed to catch up. Shes had 3 1/4 hour A time this afternoon and has just gone to sleep (2.45pm) so Im hoping she'll have at least an hour but Im never sure. It took a few pu/pd's to get her to settle.

Her nursery isnt pitch black but she sleeps there in the day without too much of a problem. We've put very thick lining on the back of the curtains so that very little light comes through - only from the top of the curtains. Do you think it needs to be darker?

[anna*]

If she's awake and happy in her cot, just leave her there! You don't need to intervene at all if she's not crying!

[*foxy*]

Lol, fair enough, makes sense! I do do that if she wakes at 6 so I have no idea why it would be any different at 5. And if she cries Ill try pu/pd.
Sorry one more question.......if she wakes at 5 and I stick with 3 hour A time (or whatever she needs) then I try a CN in the afternoon as she'll wake after her pm nap at around 2.30pm. If she doesnt have the CN and then I have to bring forward BT again, she'll wake early and it'll start all over again?

[anna*]

Most babies don't wake earlier from an early bedtime... but:
* remember you can AP the catnap. Many, many people struggle with the catnap so don't hesitate to take her for a car ride or pop her in the sling or whatever you need to do to get a catnap
* if she still doesn't catnap, you really have no option but to do an early bedtime.

[*foxy*]

Ok thanks anna, that's really helpful. I didn't think that APing for the catnap was ok but its good to hear that a lot of people do it. And of course its (hopefully) only for the short term.

Thankyou so much for all your help

[Khim]

Hi there,

Sorry to interrupt this thread, but my LO is having the same problem waking up earlier than usual. He is currently 4.5 mths and is FF.

His bedtime routine is around 620-630 - bath, massage, pj, feed, book & he will sleep from 7 - 740pm.

However, he is now waking up between 545am to 645am. There are days he would wake up at 6, sometimes 630, sometimes 645, and today he woke up at 555am, today I pushed his A time until 820am and once I put him down in his cot the slept straight away, he is still sleeping now, I will see how long he can nap.

My question is why is this happening? He is not teething, nothing unusual about him, he is not learning to roll or sit up or anything like that yet. However, yday he was so unsettled, that he would so many times at night, he usually sttn after bedtime and only wake up for nite feeds.

I am thinking if he wakes up at 6, I would give him his full feed (he normally feeds frm 7,11,3, cluster feed at 5 & 645, nite feed) and then pop him back to sleep and see if it works and hopefully he will wake up may b about 8 and then I can slowly push his bedtime later and later? I am aiming for wake up at 7, but because in about a weeks time we will be going on a holiday and there's 3 hrs difference in the time zone, and its 3 hrs ahead, so I am thinking of moving his bedtime later so that he does not wake up at 4am in the new country. Is this workable?

THanks
Khim

[anna*]

Hi Khim. He doesn't need a later bedtime to sleep later in the morning. Sounds like you may need to take a look at your routine, I'd start a new thread on the General Sleep Issues board with your routine on it.