Any Hope of Getting My Son to Wake Later????

[C-line]

I know this has been discussed before but more help needed please   

My son is 8.5mo old and a great sleeper.  He just typically wakes at 5 or 5:30am!  This has gone on for months.  I've tried adjusting the schedule, moving the whole thing so that his bedtime is later, moving just bedtime earlier and later... all to no avail.  When I put him to bed later he usually just gets less sleep since he continues to wake at the same time.  I also do not (and almost never have) gone in to get him before 6am because early on, I thought he was thinking we'd just get up and play and I was hopeful he'd go back to sleep which happens sometimes.  He amuses himself wonderfully in his crib by himself but he's just up tooo long before nap one!

Here's the current schedule - any one have any advice?  Will this just pass eventually?  I realize he's getting the appropriate amount of sleep overall but it gets tough getting him to bedtime without him getting overtired too. 

Wake - 5 am (stays in bed till 6am or 6:30... sometimes goes back to sleep)
Nap 1 - 8:30 or 9am (2hrs)
Nap 2 - 1 or 1:30pm (1.5-2hrs)
Bedtime - 6:30pm (if nap 2 is longer I try to push to 7pm)

He just eliminated nap 3 a month ago and on days when things go a little haywire, I sometimes try to get him to take a 3rd nap but usually that doesn't go very well.

Ok, THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Caroline

[mom2william]

All I can say is, I feel your pain! 

My DS is almost 11 months old and we've had this problem for about 3 months or so.  I posted about this very problem several days ago on this board.  I've also done early bedtime and later bedtime and neither has seemed to work.  I do think it is good that you do not go to him as 5:00am is not an appropriate time for babies to be up IMO.  That is exactly what I've done with my DS is just ignore him since he's not crying just talking.  Some days when he is extremely overtired from not napping well I may put him to bed between 6:00-6:15pm.  If your DS needs a 3rd nap one day and he won't take it, maybe try putting him to bed a bit earlier??  Of course, I realize 6:30pm is already early!

It sounds like your DS is getting good day sleep so it sounds like overall he's getting about 14 hours (on a good day) so that seems about right for his age.  You could try Wake to Sleep which is where you go make them stir (by lightly touching them, moving their lovey, etc.) but not wake them fully.  It is supposed to make them reenter the sleep cycle and continue sleeping.  I'm not sure what time you would go into his room for the early wakings so maybe someone on this board can help with that.  I personally haven't tried it but have thought about it.  My DS is getting up a bit later (6-6:15am!!!) SOMETIMES now so I'm hoping we can just ride it out. 

I haven't been much help but wanted to say HUGS to you!  It is so difficult to have an early riser! 

Suzanne
_____________
William born 3/23/05

[C-line]

Thanks for your reply!  It's nice to hear from someone even if you don't have all the answers!  I'm a little afraid to try "wake to sleep" because I don't want to really wake him and he seems to wake any time I've tried to enter his room while asleep.  I also wonder if he's too old for it... I feel like I read that somewhere.  Maybe I'll try anyway??  Oh, I don't know!

I'm hoping the problem takes care of itself soon too!  I'd be happy if he woke at 6 or 6:30!  Good luck to you - hopefully your LO starts getting consistent with that!

[Hsmum]

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL!!  I have been going through this too - since September (I was discussing with Suzanne) - right up until last Thursday! I'm almost too scared to post this in case it jinxes it but my little guy (will be 11 months old on 24th) woke at 5am last Thursday, yelled for 10 minutes...then fell asleep until 6.45!!! The same happened Friday, then he slept straight through Sat, Sun and Mon until 6.30...This morning he woke at 5 then went back to sleep until 6.45 again....Up until last week he's always woken between 5 and 5.30. I tried everything to make him sleep longer and this week I've done nothing different, except perhaps wait a little longer than usual to go get him (ie 10 minutes instead of 5) I tried this when he first started waking and he would yell for over an hour...he's just started cruising round the furniture and walking with his walker toy so maybe he's expending more energy? who knows? Anyway - ladies, there's hope yet!
Emma
Harry 24/03/05

[C-line]

Oh good for you - that's great!!  But you did NOTHING different?!  That's no fun... just kidding 

I hope my son follows suit!  Since he'll hang out in his crib without crying, I'm not sure how much hope I've got... sometimes the kid is so quiet I think he's gone back to sleep only to realize he hasn't 30min or more later when I here him chatting or banging the pacifier on the crib rail. LOL.

[Hsmum]

Good luck C-line! I'm not counting my blessings yet as he's tormented me once or twice before by sleeping through to 7 a couple of nights then reverting to 5! It's great that your LO plays in his cot though - once mine's awake he bellows (not cries) for us to come and get him! 

[mom2william]

Emma,

I saw your post...that is AWESOME that your DS has been sleeping later!!!  Yay!  There's hope for us all 

My DS I believe is starting to sleep in a bit later.  This morning it was 7:00am!  That hasn't happened since December almost.  Most of the time he's getting up between 6-6:30am, though. 

C-line,

I know what you mean about your DS being quiet in his crib.  That has happened to me also when I think he's asleep and he's just being quiet!   

Suzanne
____________
William born 3/23/05

[fiona1973]

i would try to cut down on the amount of time your baby naps during the day. see if that helps.

[Hsmum]

It would seem logical, wouldn't it, to cut back on the naps. I tried that with mine and it made no difference at all. In fact, during the last 7 days when my DS has been waking after 6am (after 5 months of waking between 5 and 5.30), no two days have been the same, nap wise....On Monday he refused a morning nap and just had a 2 hour afternoon nap, yesterday he had an hour in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon - he woke at 6.45 both following mornings! He's come down with a cold today so we'll see what happens now!

[C-line]

Thanks Fiona!  I'm scared to do that as he seems to really need those naps and from past experience it seems that he just becomes more overtired and the night sleep is adversely affected.

I will say that last night I put him down 15min earlier and this morning he woke at 5:20am, BUT seemed to really go back to sleep this time until just after 6am.  I didn't here a PEEP so I'm pretty sure he was back to sleep within a minute of the waking.  I can't quite believe that him going to bed earlier makes any sense (although I've done this in the past and its worked in terms of good night's sleep) since I TRULY thought he need to go to sleep later and had been moving in that direction.  We'll see what happens tonight... I put him down at the same time as last night (6:15pm).

*FINGERS CROSSED*

[Hsmum]

Good luck C-line! We'll keep our fingers crossed for you too....
Emma

[C-line]

Thanks Emma!

Well, no waking at all until 6:20am!!!!!!  I'm not convinced that this the new routine yet but I'm really happy to see this progress.  I actually can't believe it at the moment.  Part of me wonders if it's truly the slightly earlier bedtime or if the phase just passed... who knows, and I don't care as long as it works! 

I'm wondering how naps will go now that he's had 12 hours of sleep at night but sleep typically begets more sleep so I don't "think" it will be a problem.  Keep your fingers crossed for us ladies!!!!

[C-line]

Just a little update... yesterday's naps were shortened but ok.  I put him to bed at 6:15 again and unfortunately he woke at 5:40 but seemed to go back to sleep at around 6:15 until 7am.  I was about to get him when I heard NOTHING so I figured I'd wait.  Progress?  Not sure but I think I'll still with this bed time a little longer.  We'll see how today goes.

 

[leggymamba]

Do you give him a dream feed?

I've got a 10 month old who is also waking at 5.30ish - he doesn't sleep lomger than 1 1/2 during the day and goes to bed at 7.15pm. So maybe I'll try putting him down earlier too!

[chell]

Hi, my lo had a similar problem and things did gradually improve. You could try delaying the first morning nap by about 1/2 hour, doing so gradually in increments over a few days. This is based on the principle of robbing Peter to pay Paul (ie the early nap is interfering with nightitme sleep). Just a thought.