wake to sleep

[ireneasheard]

Hi I'm looking for support - some success stories with wake to sleep?  Noticed my son seems to be waking 4.41am-4.50am last few mornings but resettles. Need a bit of courage to try it!
Thanks.

[jessmum46]

Bumping for you as no personal experience I'm afraid - hopefully this means more people will see your post x

[Scottishmummy]

I remember considering it with my DS and even once set the alarm for 4am to do it...I tried but he still woke up so I chose to not set alarm for so early again!

Sorry, that's not a success story...but what did make a difference for early waking for us is nap routine...EW often happens around nap transitions for us. Could your LO be in need of a routine change?

Either that or it could be waking from hunger. Real or habitual. Do you need to feed to resettle?

Or morning light? Do you have black out blinds/curtains?

How old is your LO?

This link is also helpful : Early Waking

[ireneasheard]

My 4 month old is already transitioned well to 4 hour routine and has been sleeping through for some time ans is taking good feeds all day. He resettles at 4.50am wakeup hence I thought habitual waking. He woke again 4.50am this morning but legitimately as he needed a nappy change. Thinking I might see how he goes as the night before he slept until 7am without stirring. I don't believe hunger is an issue given easy resettle. He is sleeping during the day anywhere from 1.5-2 hours at a time (if he catnaps i resettle. This was an issue a while ago but catnapping has reduced now and sleeping well during the day again). A typical day for us is:

E 7.00am
A
S 9.00-9.30am
E 11.00am
A
S 1.00-1.30pm
E 3.00pm
A
S 4.30-4.45pm
E 5.15pm-5.30pm
A
E 6.00pm-6.40pm
A
S 7.00pm

Dreamfeed 10.30pm

The last part of the day my son likes to feed before and after bath - that's our routine as he wasn't getting through bath without a feed -then continues to feed after his bath time for a long period before playing again and then to bed. I know this bit isn't "ideal" according to the book but it works well for us and he won't go through bathtime without a feed so it makes bathtime unpleasant if I try pushing him forward re feed atm.

My son also has longer awake times now - I think he is low sleep needs.

[Scottishmummy]

Sounds like he and you are doing great 

I did the before and after bath feed too with both of mine. They ZbF so one side before bath and one side after. As you say, it made bathtime a lot calmer.

How have your last couple of nights been?

[ireneasheard]

Had good nights. Slept straight through with dreamfeed so thinking that I don't need to do w2s thank goodness as was not looking forward to trying it. Thanks for follow up. We are doing well, despite 4 month sleep regression which is changing my son's daytime sleep. I noticed his awake time is pushing to 2.5 hours, he really does appear to be low sleep needs during the day.

[ireneasheard]

Although I've noticed my son is fighting the afternoon nap and seems to be consistently catnapping for it. Unsure what that means.

[Scottishmummy]

Could be the very start of the 3-2 if he's pushing A times.   An increase might help get a better afternoon nap but then probably need a shorter third nap to maintain BT.

Have a look at this link:

All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

[ireneasheard]

I actually suspected this. Was hoping not but it is what it is. Struggled through 4-3 as my son pushed for it before he was able to sustain the required awake time so it was a few weeks of earlier BT to cope so a longer night. Thank you!

[ireneasheard]

Sorry but how does feeding fit in with 3-2 transition?

[jessmum46]

Usually the 3-2 starts to coincide with the introduction of solids so the day roughly becomes

WU and milk
Breakfast
Nap 1
WU and milk
Lunch
Nap 2
WU and milk
Dinner
Milk and bedtime

If your LO isn't yet taking much in the way of solids then you can add in an extra milk feed (as a top up) 30-60 mins or so pre-nap, which should get them through the the main feed after sleep time xx

[ireneasheard]

My son is only 4 months old. This is only just of this week so a very young 4 months. I am not in tendon to introduce solids until closer to 6 months (preferably 6 months as WHO recommend and it's what I did with my first child). I should then do EAEAS? He is pushing toward 2.5 awake time, this morning he made 2 hours 25 minutes and went to bed without a fuss. If I put him down too early he protests and catnaps. Yesterday he did a short nap in afternoon  (should have been 2nd sleep but he did a micro nap on me while I was baby wearing him during a quick shop at supermarket) and a late afternoon nap 4.45pm for about 25 minutes and then BT was pushed out a little later and he protested bedtime terribly and was quite difficult to settle.

[ireneasheard]

Does not an extra milk feed at 3 hours or 2.5 hours not make this a revert to a newborn routine?

[Scottishmummy]

Just had a look back at your EASY..if he's managing 4hrs between feeds and 2-2.5hr A time that should work out??

I found I sometimes needed to feed at 3.5 or 4.5hrs if a nap was due around same time as feed or if DD's nap ended after her usual milk time.

Does that help?

[ireneasheard]

I read the 3-2 transition which talks about 3 hour awake time so how does feeds fit in here?