Help! 4mo old waking @4AM cooing and ahhhing - not crying

[bluehydrangia]

We are on a 4 hour easy routine.  Bedtime is 7PM, usually she wakes around 7AM.  I've just started to get her to take longer naps, so she usually has two naps a day that are between 1.5 and 2hours each, and a short 45 min nap around 5:00PM. 

We started the dreamfeed around 10:30-11:00PM, but she's still waking up between 3:00 and 4:00AM.  She seems to wake up in a good mood and just talks to herself and shrieks.  Last night I tried to ignore her to see if she'd fall back to sleep, but she carried on for a half hour before I went in to give her the binky.  She fell asleep briefly, was up again, I gave her the binky again...... this went on until I went in and fed her at 6:30AM.  She drank 5oz (her normal feed).   

What do I do about the 4:00AM wakening?  Could it be that she needs to nap less during the day?  Should I immediately give her the pacifier when she starts up?  Should I start swaddling her again (we discontinued this about 2 weeks ago)?  I know that she would fall back to sleep if I fed her, but I don't think this is the answer.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Michelle
Marin 6-12-05

[Deb_in_oz]

this is extremely common at 4 mo (my 2nd daughter did this for about 1-2 weeks) her longest awake time at 4 am was 2hrs  :shock:  never once crying out - just chatting, cooing, etc There are several threads somewhere on here if you do a search, but the bottom line that everyone agreed on was if there is no crying leave her be, it is a phase and they do stop as suddenly as it started (the first few nights i was offering food but she was rejecting it - not a hunger waking, just developmental phase)

i would not go in unless she starts crying - don't even go in with a "binky" - no crying = happy = leave her to it. I finally had to agree with my doctor and my husband who both insisted i turn the monitor down low so i would not get woken by the chatter and only hear her if it escalated to a cry for help - otherwise she does not need you and you are just losing sleep.

this too shall pass 

[bluehydrangia]

Thanks Debra for your response, I was having a hard time doing a search. Funny your mention of the baby monitor.  Last night was actually our first night not using it.  We left both doors bedroom doors open and we could still hear her loud and clear!  I think tonight we'll close the doors to muffle her chatter.


Michelle

[albertasweetpea]

Hi Michelle. Nice name.  :wink:
My DD is nearly 6 months and she still does this periodically. Last night she was awake from 2:15 - 4 am!!    :shock:
I only go in if she starts to cry out but normally it is just playing around, talking to herself etc... We still swaddle her so if I hear her scratching at the crib mattress I know she is unswaddled and I will go in and reswaddle her. Otherwise, I leave her be and she falls back asleep eventually.
I agree with turning off the monitor! We don't turn ours on as Molly's room is right across the hall. DH sleeps (and snores) right through her early morning playtime but I can't fall back asleep. I will often just come to the computer or watch TV until I know she is zonked back out!

[chubec3311]

I notice that you were saying at 6 months that you were still swaddling?  How are you doing this.  My dd is 4 months and we like sausage wrap her.  Her one hand is out because she is a finger sucker.  I didn't know if the swaddle blanket would still fit? 

Thanks
Becky

[albertasweetpea]

Hi Becky! Firstly, love the picture of your son and daughter...my son is a HUGE football fan and the Eagles are his second favorite NFL team. He told me that is McNabb's jersey?? The quarterback??

Anyways, yes we actually double swaddle Molly (DH's idea). I cut an old sheet into a 42" X 42" size. It is quite thin so we used it even in summer. Then I use a regular fleece receiving blanket over top, swaddling in the same way as the sheet. The sheet is quite big so you can actually tuck it up to keep their feet in as well. It works really well. She still does get out sometimes though!!  How do they do that??   :shock:

[MyHazelnut]

I have the same problem with my 7 month old DD. We are on our 4th day of implementing the Baby Whisperer method. ITS AWESOME!! We are finally getting some decent sleep at night. However, she's waking at 4 am each morning. She is consistently asleep by 7:30pm. We give her a dreamfeed at 11. She's good then to 4am and then she's awake and either mad, happy or indifferent. I do pupd until she sleeps which is often an hour. Between 5am and 7am she's totally restless, waking and sleeping intermittently. I think she's hungry but I haven't fed her at this time because I thought the book discourages this. I wait until 7 to feed her. Will she get the hint and sleep til 7 ?? Or should I feed her at 4?? Any advice??