Hi,
My baby is 6.5+ months old. We learned about the baby whisperer late in the game and have been implementing easy and using pick-up/put down to get him back on track. He was always a good sleeper but at 5 months we took a vacation and he got sick - we got way off track.
Pick-up/put down was successful but we are not all the way there. We are currently on a 4 hour feeding schedule with solids twice a day. Our days are smooth and routine. Our nights are still a struggle.
My question is -- what is the best way to stop the early morning wake-up? And how do we completely eliminate night waking (he still wakes 2-3 times but settles quickly with a pacifier). He is waking in the morning unhappy and struggles between 5-6/6:30, sleeping 5 minutes here and 15 minutes there before needing to be settled again. Ideally, I would like our days to run on a later schedule.
Here's what our typical day looks like:
w 6:15 wake/stay in crib
E 6:30 feed (breastfeeding)
A 6:50 play
7:50 solids
S 8:30 nap
E 10:30 wake/feed (breastfeeding)
A 11 play/activity
S 1/1:15 nap
2:30/3 wake
E 2:45 wake/feed (breastfeeding)
A 3:15 play
S CN - seems to need this - sometimes will fall asleep in stroller or I put him down for about 35-40 min max
E 5:45/6 solids
6:35/6:40 breastfeeding
A ready for bed routine
S bed by 7:15/7:30
Asleep by 7:45
Night waking usually happens around 11:30, 3ish, and 4ish and only requires a hand or a gentle verbal "it's ok" and pacifier, at this point.
I'm wondering if I should be feeding him at 5 and putting him back to sleep or adjusting the schedule in some other way. We tried the dream feed and it did not make a difference -- with and without the dream feed, he was awake by 5 and struggling. Basically from 5am to 6/6:30am, no one in the house is happy. We would all be a lot happier after 7
Thank you so much in advance for your help!!! I sincerely appreciate any and all input.
Cheers,
Kristen