Author Topic: Need to stop the 4am wake ups!  (Read 1168 times)

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Offline SusieQue

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Need to stop the 4am wake ups!
« on: November 03, 2016, 13:03:15 pm »
Hi there, DS2 will be 1 in a couple of weeks and his daytime sleep is becoming an absolute nightmare to manage, resulting in what I'm sure are probably OT 4am wake ups. I've just started back at work so he is with other people 3 days a week and I'm struggling to get him into a workable routine. Sometimes when he wakes at 4 we give him a bottle and he goes back to sleep until 5.30 - most of the time though we have to cuddle him for about an hour and eventually get him up about 5 when we need to start getting ready for work. This has been his last few days routine. I should say that I think he is very low sleep needs, can easily do 5 hours awake and never sleeps more than 11 hours (so never tacks on his night time sleep):

Monday
WU 4.30
Bottle 5.30
S 9.30-10 (always falls asleep in the car)
E 11.30 lunch
S 12.30-1.30 (was at my mum's and she cuddled him to sleep)
E 4.30 dinner
E 6.15 9oz formula then asleep (again, had to be cuddled)

Tuesday
A 4.45 wouldn't resettle
E bottle 9oz
S 12-12.30 (was at nursery and never sleeps great there)
E 4.30 dinner
E 9oz bottle
S 6.30 (DH put down at 6 but he started crying and I had to cuddle him to sleep when I got home)

I'm sure he's massively OT but I just don't know what kind of routine to get him in. I'm at home today and he fell asleep in the car from 9.30-9.50 then I put him down for a nap at 12.15 and he's babbling and crying. Get him up and tried again at 12.40 and the same again. He used to be an independent sleeper but now seems to want to be cuddled all the time and I just don't know how to break the cycle. I'm wondering if set naps are the way to go? Maybe try a d keep him awake until 11 then put him down for a nap then? Any suggestions would be gratefully received!

Offline SusieQue

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Re: Need to stop the 4am wake ups!
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2016, 18:46:52 pm »
Does anyone have any advice please? He's resisting naps and now BT, which he has never done before. The last few days he's been having a 20 min CN around 9 and then when I try to put him down for another nap after lunch it's like he's just not tired! He's doing the same upstairs for BT - been trying since 6.30 as he only had 50 minutes all day and it's like he's not even tired! I figure we need to move to one set nap a day?

Offline Haribo2012

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Re: Need to stop the 4am wake ups!
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2016, 19:39:44 pm »
Hi sorry you've not had a reply, it sounds like OT is kicking in but also with being 1 in a couple of weeks it could be developmental.

I'd probably try doing a long morning nap and a CN in the afternoon if he will take one as it looks like any morning nap results in refusing another nap.

Maybe try a nap at say 10am let him sleep uncapped and if it's a good 2 hour nap try a strategic drive around 4pm for 15/20 min nap to get a decent BT.

If he's low sleep needs it could be time to just go to 1 nap, my DS1 is average sleep needs and wed moved to 1 nap at 13 months.
Zoe