Author Topic: Early waking - 13 mo  (Read 1328 times)

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Offline ladymugg

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Early waking - 13 mo
« on: May 07, 2015, 23:04:39 pm »
Hi there

I have posted my issue in the 2-1 nap support thread, but hopefully you don't mind that I also created a separate post about my early waking issue.

On Monday this week I started the 2-1 nap transition because I had noticed shorter daytime naps and also realised that my 13mo DD was waking at around 5.35am every day instead of her usual 6 am or somewhere between 6-6.30.

So we are now on 10.30 am sleeps instead of 10 am, I'm moving the naps out by 15 minutes every 3 days as suggested in the BW book.

However the EW is still continuing.

Is there anything else I need to be doing?  With the later sleep her main nap of the day is now 10.30am-12.30pm approx and then she goes down 3/3.30 pm for one cycle 45 minutes ish (have decided to wake her if its any longer than that).

BT is 6.40 pm, and to be honest I'd like it to stay around then because it suits us better as a family (my husband and I like to wait to have dinner until after baby is in bed, and we are people who go to bed fairly early anyway).

Do I just need to be more patient and wait for that WU time to get later as I move her nap out and drop the afternoon one?  Should I speed up the transition and move her sleep out by 30 minutes every 3 days instead of 15?

Keen to get your thoughts ladies, you're always so helpful. Thanks in advance.
Mum to DD born April 2014 and DS born April 2016.

Offline creations

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2015, 07:53:10 am »
It does take time to move A times, to see LO settle into a new routine and to get the results you are after so keep going.
I would also say though that it may not be realistic to keep BT the same. I understand your reluctance to shift BT but it may be something you have to bare for a phase.  Whenever I've needed to shift DS's BT (or drop a nap etc) it has always felt awkward for me for a while as it forces a change in my own routine, for instance at one time an 8pm BT sounded like an utterly awful prospect but it's what he needed for a time and actually we all settled into it really well.  I'm not suggesting you shift to an 8pm BT right now or even in the near future, just suggesting you be open to some phases of BT being different.
It may be that your LO can't do more than an 11hr night with good day naps and it is not always possible to just reduce day  naps to increase night sleep because they need their sleep spread out and a good balance between day and night sleep to keep well rested.

You never know, if you do find LO needs to go to bed later you may find yourself thoroughly enjoying having her join in with the family meal... when the CN eventually drops altogether she may need an earlier BT for a while too.


Offline ladymugg

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2015, 08:25:39 am »
You might be right creations, it just makes my heart a little heavy.  She wakes early even when she is "on track" (6am) so having her go to bed later than 7 pm makes me feel a little, I dunno, weary?  I might just need to get over it.

Her dinner time is 4.30/5 pm and she is definitely hungry then and also tired at 6.30 so I don't know if I could stretch her out more.

Maybe I will just play it by ear for now, it has been less than a week so maybe I'm having too high expectations too soon!

Thanks for your advice!  :)
Mum to DD born April 2014 and DS born April 2016.

Offline ginger428

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2015, 11:50:27 am »
I was going to say the same thing... and that her A time between am and pm nap might be too short for her... she might be moving toward a 4:00 nap. However, if she hasn't resisted the naps yet it's probably not worth changing at the moment as you're shifting other times.

Offline creations

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2015, 12:10:09 pm »
She wakes early even when she is "on track" (6am)
It's one of those things you either live with the EW or you live with later BT - that is, if your LO does less than a 12hr night or if your LO is going through a routine transition where the night is shorter than they 'can' do but is necessarily short because they can't totally drop or cap a nap.

I would have been happy (ish) with 6am. Mine was always a 5am waker, to me that is the middle of the night.
Like yours mine has a very strong body clock which wakes him at a set time regardless of him being tired or what time BT was, however I did eventually work out how to break his body clock and set a new one.  The daylight saving hours time switch suggests moving the whole routine by 15 mins until the hour is achieved. I found this just meant mine had 15 (then 30 then 45 then 1hr) less sleep per night, adding up to a huge sleep loss and a very cranky boy.  What worked was rapid movement of the times and taking him beyond the hour change (my plan was up to 2hrs but I think he shifted his body clock at 1.5hrs), the sleep loss happened faster over fewer days so overall it was less and his morning WU did shift. Once the morning WU time has shifted and a new habitual WU time is established the BT can be brought a little earlier again - but not too early, they can only sleep as long as they can sleep, yk?

I would continue as you are and see where things settle.  Then if WU is still earlier than you want you can consider trying to change it (and accepting later BT if necessary).  Sorry, probably not what you want to hear. I would have also loved a 12 hr night, as it is mine could only do 10.5 or 11hr max, that's just who he was.  It wasn't until he totally dropped his nap altogether and settled into a no nap routine that he was finally able to get a 12hr night - ah what bliss!  He was 31 months then.


Offline ladymugg

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2015, 20:13:40 pm »
Thanks - I woke this morning (I live in NZ so I suspect I'm at opposite times of the day to you) by a little girl chirping at 6.45 am!  Hopefully it wasn't a one off and my patience (haha - I didn't have any really) is being rewarded?!)

I do appreciate what you have all said though and will keep this in mind as we keep going.

Now I just have to figure out how I'll get to her a 11 am birthday party when she is supposed to be sleeping at 10.30 am... ah well one day won't hurt  :D
Mum to DD born April 2014 and DS born April 2016.

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2015, 07:44:13 am »
:)
Enjoy the party!


Offline ladymugg

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Re: Early waking - 13 mo
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2015, 07:48:24 am »
Was fun! Woke her at 11.45 and we were there only an hour late. Thankfully it was the kind of come and go party where it didn't matter :)
Mum to DD born April 2014 and DS born April 2016.