Hi all, would really appreciate your advice on how to tackle my 4.5 month old son's early morning wakings. He has just been through a wonder week/sleep regression and coupled with the clock change, he has started waking at about 5.30am for about 2 weeks now. He is usually crying but not inconsolable and often does a poo (which was always his 'Im awake for the day' signal!)
He is on a 3 hour EASY but its quite 'fluid' as he often only naps 30/45 minutes (although usually has 1 long nap at some point during the day). Bedtime is 7.00 with aim to be asleep by 7.30. At present, I am feeding him almost to sleep with a burping and lullaby after feeding. He generally wakes around 1/2am for a feed so it is sometimes reasonable to think he is hungry when waking at 5.30 but sometimes he stretches as late at 3.30/4am and still wakes at 5.30ish.
I have tried rocking him to sleep but it doesn't work and have tried nursing him like a normal night feeding (sitting up in bed) but he doesn't re-settle. What I have been doing (bad habit) is bringing him into bed and nursing him to sleep in side-lying. It is not a deep sleep and if I move at all he stirs and then wakes with the rest of the house at about 7/7.30. I then find our whole day is off and its hard to know when he is due his next feed.
I'm wondering how I fix this? Do I get up with him at 5.30 and try to stretch WT? Do I do ssh/pat or PU/PD ... or do I need to work on independent sleep at bedtime (probably!). Not sure how to approach it..
Thanks in advance