6 month old starting his day at 3:30 - 4 am

[zelkad]

I want to start by saying that I already posted this ( or so I thought) but could not see it anywhere so I am trying again!)

His normal sleep schedule is sleep by 745pm to 6 or 6:30 AM.  He also normaally has 2 naps of 1.5- 2  hours and sometimes a 45 minute one. Our almost 6 month old boy has been recently waking at 330ish am to start his day. We have heard him babbling to himself for almost an hour and then this gradually escalates in volume after an hour.  At that point we go in  and try to comfort him with blankie, pacifier or by repositioning him after having rolled over.(incidentally, a sleep nester no longer works)  We have tried to go in right away to stop him from waking completely but that doesn't work either.  He will keep this up until about 6 or 6:30 when I then nurse him.  After nursing, he then falls asleep until 9 am!  Because he is soooo tired, I cannot keep him until 9 am which is usually his first nap time.  His normal schedule is very  similar to the one Tracy recommends for babies his age.  However, this is his unbelievable schedule now!  Incidentally, I don't want to keep him up later because I do believe he needs the sleep and selfishly, hubbie and I enjoy our evenings.  Also, we had to start food on the advice of our doctor as he is and very large and tall boy.  So I know he is not hungry in the middle of the night.  Also, he does not nurse so much in the morning so I know hunger is not a problem.

330 ish - awake in crib until 6 ish

6:30 - change diaper, nurse him

7-9 sleep

9:15 breakfast (cereal)

9:30 -10:30 -activity

10 30 ish -sleep (usually for 1.5 hours, sometimes only 45 min)

12 pm - bf

1or 1:30 pm -lunch (veggie/fruit)

2 or 2:30pm- (sleep for 1.5 - 2 hr)

4 pm -bf

4:15-6:30 -activity

6:45- supper

7:15 (bath, wind down, night nursing)

asleep by 8 at the abssolute latest:  Note:  he goes in his crib drowsy but notr asleep; I've tried nusing before the bath but he gets too wound up after the bath.

Thanks to anyone who can help!

[twiceamama]

Hi there!
WOW! :shock:  thatīs early! I donīt really know what is causing this,  have you changed anything in his routine? the rolling over might have started this... but you could try the "wake to sleep method" Tracy describes in her new book (if you donīt have go get it!) You put on your alarm an hour earlier than his usual wake up, go in and arouse him just enough to disturb his deep sleep, that will disrupt this sleep cicle and in 2 or 3 days... voilá! BUT if you do get him up, you have to do shush/pat and/or PU/PD...



Hope this helps
HUGS

[zelkad]

Hi.. thanks for replying!

I have thought about the wake to sleep method and I think tonight we are going to try it.  This has been going on for about 6 days now and it really is draining.  I could not imagine what I would do if we had a toddler to worry about, too!  As for any changes in his routine, we've been going through everything and nothing we've done is different.  Anyhow, thanks for the advice!

[LindseysMom]

Hey, they do go through a growth spurt at 6 months old. Do you think if you went ahead and fed him at 3:30 when he wakes he would go back to sleep til 7 or 7:30?   I mean just feed him and put him right back to bed, no activity unless his diaper is dirty.  I don't know, just an idea if you have not tried that already.

[Gigismom]

our dd did this too although not that early.  she would wake at 5 or sometimes earlier.  we just left her in there as long as possible.  when she got ready to get out of the crib, we'd get her out for the day but not let her fall back to sleep nursing.  of course, the early wakings throw off all naps and feeds, so it was hard.  then we started keeping her up 1 hour later at nights, until 8 pm.  she was SO tired, but in a few days, she started sleeping til about 6 am, sometimes a little later, sometimes a little earlier.  now we are gradually moving her bedtime back to 7:30.  if she starts waking early again, it will be back to the 8pm bedtime.

by the way, i am beginning to think this is developmental because a lot of the other moms on here with babies 6-7 months start experiencing this too...

[zelkad]

Thanks so much for responding to my problem!  We did not do the wake to sleep last night like I had planned...just thought I would hold out another night.  Our ds woke up at 5 am this time (better) so I nursed him and he fell back asleep.  I know I shouldn't have but I was desperate. But tonight I'll do what Gigi's mom advised and see how that goes.  By the way, when you went through this with your daughter, did you keep the same length of awake time after her morning nursing until her first nap?  Or did you let her fall asleep earlier since she was technically awake in her crib?  I assume by hwat you wrote that you probably kept her up.  It's so reassuring to know that our little guy is not the only one doing this!

Thanks so much! :wink:

[Gigismom]

i would keep her awake from the time she woke in her crib.  so this means that since her awake time in the am was 2.5 hours, if she woke at 5 am, she was down for a nap at 7:30.  that's what i mean by it throws off all your naps.  i am currently reading dr. ferbers book and he has some interesting theories and solutions on early am wakings.  i'm not sure any of them work, but may be worth checking out.  in the meantime, make some coffee!!

[zelkad]

Thanks for getting back to me!  Another question..when your lo would wake at 5 am, did you ever go in and try to get her fall asleep or would you always just wait until she had enough and would then start her day.  I think I created a bad habit because I would go in and try to get our boy back to sleep (soother, hand on side, reassuring words,etc)  It would work sometimes but now it's like he wants this all the time.  I just let him fall asleep for a nap on his own.  He was grunting and writhing around (not really crying).  It was really hard to leave him because I know that it would only take 5 minutes of my time rather than the 20 it took him....do you think I should continue this way?

Zelka

[Gigismom]

well, when gianna first started the early am wakings i would go in and try feeding her back to sleep. it worked for a few days then she just wouldn't go back to sleep anymore.  so i started leaving her in there until at least 6 am, unless she was screaming.  even now whenever she wakes too early, i really try to leave her in there until a time that i designate.  otherwise, you will notice your lo getting up earlier and earlier.  it is ok to leave him in there fussing for a bit.  he will learn to amuse himself.

i would also suggest that you DO continue to let him put himself to sleep even if it takes longer than you rocking him.  the sooner you let him learn to soothe himself to sleep, the easier you life will be, the more well-rested he will be, and you will avoid many many sleep problems later.  it is hard to hear them fussing, etc but you are really doing him a great favor by letting him learn to sleep on his own.  for my dd, the fussing and crying before naps only lasted about a month.  now i lay her down and rarely hear a peep.

[zelkad]

Hi AGAIN!!

Well, I let Nikolas fall asleep on his own last night and just now for his morning nap.  He actually only fussed for a few minutes.  I thought that he got quiet too quickly but when I checked, he was on his side sucking his thumb and asleep (kinda cute).  Like you said, I will continue letting him do it on his own.  In fact, this morning he went to sleep very quickly.

He went to bed last night at 7, almost an hour earlier than usual. He did wake this morning at 5:30 and was ok in his crib until almost 6:30.  At that point I nursed him and kept him up until now (a little over his 2- 2 1/2 hours awake time.  I would normally think  10 1/2 hours is great but he did also wake last night around 1 and talked to himself for well over an hour and fell back asleep on his own.  So I guess he only got  9 1/2 hours sleep?  Does mumbling ("banguage") count as sleep?  I didn't have to do anything but I, unlike dh, cannot even sleep through ds's mumbling.  Anyhow, thanks again for all your support Gigi's mom....I'll let you know how things go. 

Zelka

[Gigismom]

hi zelka
that is great that you can get him to sleep on his own with no problem.  you will really be glad you did this.  some days he may protest a little, but stay firm so bed and naptimes won't become battles.  putting him to bed earlier may help him sleep better too and sleep later in the am.  for some babies, going to bed earlier helps, for some going to bed a little later (but not too late!) helps. 

as for the night "talking", sometimes gianna does that too.  or sometimes she cries on and off and tosses and turns for a few minutes to over an hour.  i don't go into her, but still am WIDE awake while she is doing this.  i know what you mean about that.  i don't think this counts as night sleep, but i don't know how to prevent or stop it.  i am just thankful when i don't have to go in to her!