Thoughts on what's going on - early waking

[ladymugg]

Hi there

My nearly 10mo DS has just started waking at 4/5 am (previously 6 am).  Wants to get up and is pretty chirpy.

I am worried that this means hes going to transition from 2-1 naps.  Have read the pinned post guide to this and it would seem that he fits into the "has two good sleeps in the day but wakes early in the morning" category.

He just seems so young for this.  He is 10 months on the 5th Feb.  Easy  is:

6 am (well when that was happening) WU / bottle
7.30 am breakfast
10 am bottle
10/10.30 am nap
12/12.30 pm WU then lunch soonish after
2 pm bottle
3.30 pm catnap for 45 mins
6 pm bottle, then bath, bed - lights out at 6.30 pm

Would you be pushing that nap later?  He does yawn and seem ready for that first nap around 10.30 am.  He seems like he could take or leave the 3.30 pm one to be honest, but I don't want that 6 hour no-nap stretch at this point!

Do I have to accept that he's an early 2-1 transitioner?  Or could it be something else?  Like a lot of 10 months old he has the usual combo of teething, trying to walk, getting more active so he is going through some big developmental stuff but he's happy, even with teething pain.

[becj86]

Yawning and being ready for that first nap could be habitual if its been that time for a while. How is he going from 4am to 10? Happy? If so, that's a 6hr stretch there. I'd push that a touch later as a first step.

You could try a short AM/long PM nap routine if you wish - it can backfire pretty badly though if he's prone to not taking a second nap. 

Of course, it could all be developmental at a 9.5-10hr night can be OT. Are you waking him from naps?

[ladymugg]

Not waking him from naps except the odd occasion when there's an appointment to get to etc. 

He can get to 10 am but does start getting pretty grumpy.  I think maybe he could stay awake though. 

So maybe move that nap to 11 am?  Would you still try a catnap around  4pm? 

Thank you!

[becj86]

Yes, sounds reasonable. Do it incrementally if he's up really early and struggling to get to 10. Still definitely worth doing CN in the PM, might be worth capping that at 30min if you get BT issues.

[ladymugg]

Thanks bec.

I'm pretty sure he is just UT.  I don't ever go in at the moment to "tuck him in" because he just seems so easily woken  in the night (and he isn't like that during day naps).  Party time for this guy!   Thank god it is summer here so I'm not worried if he's too cold

[becj86]

You may find its a temporary developmental blip and you go back to longer naps in a month or two - it happened with my son and I've seen it a lot around this age

[ladymugg]

Thanks bec.  Today he woke around 5.30 am (maybe earlier), just put him down at 11.30 am and he seems pretty happy.  So will see how we go with that longer stretch