7 month old waking at 5am

[ahill11]

my seven month old is back to waking at 5am.  she can usually get herself back to sleep but then is screaming by 6 and is very fussy and tired and ready to go back to sleep by 7:30. I can nurse her at 5 and she'll go back to sleep until almost 7:30 even 8 but I know that's probably not the best idea to get her back on her schedule. she goes to bed around 6:30 and is completely exhausted to where I can hardly get her to nurse or take a bottle before falling asleep. Her typical schedule when she wakes at 5 is :  5am nurse back to bed, awake at 7:30, nurse at 8, solids 9, nap 9:30-11, nurse at 11, solids at noon, nap 1-2, nurse at 2:30 cat nap 4:30-5, solids at 5 then bath and bottle at 6:30 and bed. when I wait it out her schedule is:6- 6:30am wake and nurse, she usually won't take solids, 7:30-8 nap for two hours, 9:30 nurse, try solids again, 11:30 nap for an hour or 45 mins, nurse 12:30, solids at 1, nurse then nap 3-4, solids at 5, bath then bottle at 6 and bed.

[becj86]

Hi, welcome

Sounds like she's trying really hard to tell you she needs to drop that catnap and go to 2 naps with ~3hr A time. I think if you shift her first nap to 8am or 3hr A time whichever is later and slowly shift your 8am towards 10am in 15min increments every few days, you will find she starts waking later in the morning. After the morning nap, give her another 3hr awake before she has another nap.

Does that make sense?

[ahill11]

yes, all but the"slowly shift your 8am to 10am." Do you mean nap duration?
My only worry is if I don't do the cat nap she is so tired by six she'll hardly take her bottle or nurse. will that work itself out with the shift? I feel like a first time mom! My son was such a good sleeper.I can't believe how different two kids can be! Thank you!

[ahill11]

oh wait, I think you mean push her wake time to 10 so eventually she wakes at 7 and A time until 10?

[becj86]

oh wait, I think you mean push her wake time to 10 so eventually she wakes at 7 and A time until 10

Yes, so when I said to make her nap 8am or 3hr A time whichever is later - then after a few days you would make it 8:15 or 3hr A time whichever is later and so on until its 10:30am or 3:15/3:30 A time (her A time will increase over the time it takes to shift her WU later).

[becj86]

My only worry is if I don't do the cat nap she is so tired by six she'll hardly take her bottle or nurse. will that work itself out with the shift?

Yes, it will work itself out with the shift - when she's sleeping longer more restorative naps because her A times are longer and more suitable for her, she will not need the CN to get to the end of the day.

[ahill11]

The hardest part has been getting her there! She's still waking around 5:30 and I try everything to keep her awake but after about an hour and a half she is literally falling asleep and screaming and fussing and sucking her thumb. She will stay awake at least three hours between her morning and afternoon nap but then she is awake by 2-2:30 and can hardly make it to her 6:30 bedtime.

[becj86]

So what's her EAS from today/yesterday? trying to work out if anything has changed...