Author Topic: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day  (Read 2319 times)

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Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« on: April 06, 2006, 15:26:39 pm »
I hope someone has had this situation and it has resolved!
My LO sleeps well from 7pm - 11 DF and then from after the DF to 4am. After 4 am until 6am he cries on and off. It is making us very bummed out. We feel bad letting him cry and resettled but, in the past, it has made him very mad if I picked him and interfere.
When will this stop?
I know he is not hungry - we weaned the 3am feed a couple of weeks ago. He is not cold.... etc.
He has also always slept unsoundly between 4am and 6am.
Info: he is almost 6 months, on the 4hr easy for a long time now... naps well, BFs well, sleeps in his crib. Doesn't need props to fall asleep...
I hope I am not the only one!!!! Thank you in advance ;D
Cory'stiredmommy





Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2006, 20:46:20 pm »
could lo be overtired or overstimulated from the previous day. if lo is waking that could be the problem. or if he is getting too much sleep during naps it could cause problems too. to me it does sound as though lo could be overtired or overstimulated though as he is trying to go back to sleep...and it is ok to let lo cry a bit - mantra cry/whine whatever...as long as it is not 'i need you now mommy' type of desperate cry kwim? let me know a detailed routine..even what he does for A time and i will see if i can put my finger on something for sure.
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2006, 21:15:43 pm »
I sense that Cory is really trying to get back to sleep at 4am but is having a hard time. I think it is an overtired cry. He also has a bit of a temper when he can't fall back asleep right away...
Here is our routine

7am up and feed - 7:30
Activity until 9:00 Includes Exersaucer and floor time - he is working on crawling
He falls asleep at 9:15iosh and sleep for about 45 minutes. Up until 2 weeks ago he would sleep about 1.5 hours. He sometimes wakes and is totally awake after 1 sleep cycle. And there are other times that he sleep for the 1.5 hours.
I am actually having problems with our routine right now. In the last 2 weeks he has started staying up 2.5 hours and this poses a problem in terms of his 3rd nap. He can't go for more than 2.5 hours without a nap and his nap in the evening - if he takes 2 long naps during the day...  his evening nap gets pushed to about 5:30 and then it takes until about 8:30 for him to go down for the night. When he could only stay up for 2 hours everything worked great and he would go to sleep at 7:30.
... I'll put both schedules down. One that leads to a very late bedtime - which I don't want to do - and the second one I am experimenting with that results in a 7:30 bedtime. P.S. if he doesn't take a late afternoon nap he falls asleep before his feed or during his feed.
Here we go:

7am Feed
Activity: Floor and exersaucer 9:00: we do the diaper change and a cuddle and our nap routine
9:15- 9:50 Nap (I know... too short but you will see why:-)))
9:50 - 11:00 Activity - store etc. or a walk with the dog
11:00 feed
11:30-12:00 Activity - Floor again... the kid wants to move
12:00 Nap routine
12:15 Into the crib
12:15- 2:15 Nap
2:15 - Playtime, read a book...
3:00 Feed - 3:30
4:45 - 5:00 Nap (I know... I know.... but even with the other schedule he still wakes in the middle of the night and cries)
5:00 - 6:00 We are usually around the house and he will watch if I prepare dinner ... we chat and try to keep things mellow
6:00 Bath time and after a cuddle with Dad
6:45 Long Feed
7:20 - Bedtime
11:00pm df
After we feed I do a diaper change and we do our nap routine... We basically go into his room, draw the blinds together, dim the lights right down and I whisper to him that it is bedtime, mommy loves you, I'll come get you at 11pm and we'll have a couple of good boobies. He goes down great with very very little fuss.

The other routine: This worked a couple of weeks ago but he is no longer sleeping long durations for both naps because he is sleeping through the night more or less;-)

7am feed
Activity as above
9:15- 10:45 Nap
11:00 Feed
11:30 Activity
1:15 Nap - 2:45
3:00 Feed
3:30- Activity as above
5:15 Nap - 5:45
6:00 Bath as above
7:00 Feed
8:15 bed
11:00pm df

I hope you can see something I can do to improve... I am looking to do just about anything

« Last Edit: April 06, 2006, 22:13:54 pm by Cory'stiredmommy »





Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2006, 01:50:50 am »
it sounds as though maybe lo is getting too much sleep??..the opposite of what i had originally thought...but it is around 6 months that lo's can start to drop the catnap (usually about 6-8 months) and with lo not staying down for long..have you tried not giving the nap (unless lo seems absolutely like he won't be able to handle it til bedtime..)? of even if it is iffy whether he will make it or not - maybe just giving him an earlier bedtime instead - if you have to maybe at 6:30? i think you also could stand to keep lo up a little longer in the am (maybe 15 min), and 15 min to a half hr before the afternoon nap - as long as this doesn't make lo overtired of course. but i think it should really be ok and this way it will give almost an extra 45 min to spare with regards to the routine, to get him through to his bedtime kwim?...would kinda push the whole day forward and then lo will sleep til almost 4pm and probably be able to make it til bedtime. if you have a concern about lo waking up due to hunger for the naps, you could offer some water (my dd would NOT take a bottle of water had to offer her a straw) to fill up on, and then he wouldn't wake prematurely due to hunger, but when he does wake will be ready for a full feeding. i think that first dealing with the nap/routine tweaking may also help with the night waking b/c it seems lo is getting too much sleep and not needing to be asleep from 4-6 am. try it out and let me know how everything is progressing - let me know if you need anything at all and good luck! hope i answered all of your questions!
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2006, 02:48:19 am »
which routine should I be working with?... If I do an eariler bedtime.. what about the 7pm feed... move it to 6:00? Cory doesn't seem to eat too well if he isn't hungry. Also... if I let him sleep until 4pm... what about the 3pm feed. Sorry, it probably is obvious but my LO is crying right now and I can't figure out how to help him.....
« Last Edit: April 07, 2006, 02:51:12 am by Cory'stiredmommy »





Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2006, 04:48:14 am »
why don't you go for a 6:30 bedtime? and on second look, i wouldn't necessarily extend the morning A time all that much without making lo overtired - i mean you can play around with it and figure it out and same with the afternoon i am just making some suggestions so you have some options - i do think that one can be extended a bit though which will still give you up to an xtra half hr.

i would always give my lo water when extending her routine (before naps) so she wouldn't wake out of hunger, and often times even if i didn't give her water she would sleep the normal amt of time and sometimes that ran past her eating time, sometimes it coincided, unless she slept too long, i wouldn't wake her as she would wake when she was hungry.  every day will be different for awhile while trying to read lo's signs and cues and extending A times, kind of like juggling - but you will with trial and error figure out what works for your lo! i have confidence that you will...and i will be here to support you as much as i possibly can!
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2006, 04:50:14 am »
ok i also wanted to ask how long has your lo been waking at this time? have you tried setting your alarm for say 3 am and try wake to sleep?? it could be developmental as well depending on how long it has been occurring for...
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2006, 05:39:49 am »
Hi again... Cory has been waking around 4am since I dropped his 3am feed... which was down to 1 ounce Bmilk and 3 ounces water. After the 3am "feed" he pretty much slept until 7am.. sometimes fussing around 6am.
I was just talking to my mom and told her that I wake Cory for his dream feed at 11pm... We are wondering if I should let him wake on his own accord as opposed to "waking him." I wonder if he will feed better if he is a little hungrier and therefore go a longer, more peaceful stretch after the last feed?
BTW, Above I put down 2 schedules... which one looks better to work from?





Offline chimpy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2006, 06:45:06 am »
Help! My baby is just 4 and a half months old  and i started EASY  last Monday to coincide with coming off the breast.initially there was a lot of PU/PD. but by the end of the week i felt we were making progress I was no longer having to rock her to sleep and she was sleeping during the day.My best night was Sunday when she slept from 6pm until 3am then woke for a feed.
Tuesday the problems started as she spent the day with a relative.I know that my routine was ignored and my LO didn't get her sleep and after coming back cranky and overstimulated it's been downhill ever since. She must of woke 4 times on Tuesday and Wednesday after trying PU/PD i had to feed her at 5am.Last nite was a little better typically the day has been as follows Eat 7am
                                                   Activity 715-8.30
                                                   Sleep  8.30-10.30
                                                   Eat 11am
                                                   Activity 11.15-12.30
                                                   Sleep 12.30-2.30
                                                   Activity 3pm-4.15
                                                   Sleep 4.15-5pm
                                                   Eat 6pm-6.15
                                                   Sleep 6.15pm
                                                   Eat 12-12.30
                                                   Eat 7am.
Typically my LO is eating 7oz in the morning and at each feed if not in one go ,she is fininshing it before her next nap.She will only ever take 4oz at 6pm.7oz at midnite.I have tried dream feeding but i end up waking her up.She always wakes around 3.30-4am i either PU/PD give her water which she mostly takes or for the last two nites she has definately been hungry so i have had to feed her although she would only take 40z.
My health visitor advised baby rice but so far a teaspoon at feeds has been unsuccessful.I am wondering is she going through a growth spurt?Or is that she is still in the habit of waking at about 4am because i used to breast feed her then and let her come into our bed?
I am not sure what to do when relatives take the LO for the nite or day as if they don't let her sleep she comes back miserable and my routine is out of the window.Any advice would be really appreciated as i don't want to give up on EASY. THANKS.

Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2006, 15:10:15 pm »
ok the idea behind the df is that you feed lo while still fully asleep. if you aren't able to do that - which it can be tricky to get the hand of - maybe you should drop it and let lo wake on his own.  every lo is different and some lo's it works some it doesn't.  it can't hurt to try and see which works for you and if the wakings happen to get worse after a week or so, then you can start right back up again if you would like ;) no harm done.

lo's tend to have a growth spurt at about 6 months so you can do two things to be sure he is getting enough calories right now...1) keep feeding at night until you are sure a spurt has passed 2) keep offering extra in daytime bottles so lo can get the extra calories (hopefully he will take to it )

as far as routines - if you are slowly cutting out the catnap the routine will be somewhat up in the air from day to day...just go with the flow trying to read lo's cues at the same time, trying to stretch the A time a bit, so if lo seems a little tired and you want 10 or 15 more min A time, try reading a book or singing or something low key to pass the time.  with the catnap slowly disappearing the days will be a little rambled for a little bit til everything finds a way of balancing again kwim?  def don't watch the clock too closely - what is important is your lo!  i know i had a 'clock watching' problem as for my job time was everything (restaurant mgt) and still now i do 'time' things (feedings, etc) but don't start freaking out if it isn't what is 'usual' or 'normal' for my lo.  just kinda roll with the punches for the next little while and everything will start to iron itself out within time.

what do you do now when lo wakes at 4 am??
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2006, 23:18:59 pm »
I think you are right about perhaps dropping the DF. Cory doesn't stay asleep... Even getting him out of the crib wakes him. Last night I didn't wake him and at 12:30 he woke naturally. I fed him and he slept through until 6:40. He was much hungrier when he woke... fed better and slept longer. I think I am going to let him tell me when he needs his last feed plus decrease his naps.
As for the growth spurt... Cory went through his about 1 week ago.. so at least that is out of the way:-).
I wish I could get more into him during the day... but he is BF
BTW.. I really appreciate your help. I am a clock watcher... but I will start to try and roll with it - Cory. By the way, those are great tips on how to extend A time.
Thanks again
Sarina





Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2006, 01:13:25 am »
good glad he slept better!!

once you have this down with the nights/days you can work on weaning him off the night feeds if you so desire. i have some info on that if you are interested but like i said take things slow and in a week or two see how you feel about everything! don't know if i mentioned this but it was at about 6 months i started weaning my lo off of her 1 to 2 night feedings and it took a good month for it to actually work but was well worth the bit of sleep training i had to do after that to break the waking habit as by 8 months she was sleeping through the night (11 hrs) ahhhh heaven!!  she also wouldn't take more calories during the day until i weaned her off the night feedings. k well again good luck and keep me posted and don't hesitate if you need anything!

btw i really like your name!

Tawnya
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June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2006, 01:24:39 am »
I can't wait to wean off the night feed. Right now he only has 1 feed after the 7pm feed and the 7am feed. He hasn't started solids yet and is exclusively BF... so I think I can handle 1 feed around midnight!!! Hopefully, when solids are established, he'll naturally drop it:-) Otherwise.... we will do that water down technique.... It really works:-)
When did you introduce solids???
« Last Edit: April 08, 2006, 01:26:58 am by Cory'stiredmommy »





Offline teezee

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2006, 02:52:34 am »
i do want to mention that 1 night feeding is nothing to complain about (not that you were) my lo fed at least  1 to 2 times a night at 6 months - 1 time consistantly would have been a dream!

i introduced solids at about 4 months as per dr's advice b/c of reflux - BIGGEST MISTAKE I have made with my dd!  it just created so many other gastro problems (and only helped the reflux very little... :-\ ) tummy aches, cramping, gas, constipation...ughh it was a totally new nightmare (which is why i would feed her at night ...i knew it was just to comfort her but i felt sooo bad that her first months of life were sooo miserable..) by 6 months though - mommy was really really tired! that's when i thought if i could just get down to 1 feed - i would be soo happy...but we got rid of all feedings (at that point too her night feedings were really buggering up her daytime intake..and so she was very dependant on those night feedings..) anyway, yes the weaning technique works fab! i do bf and alot of ppl don't opt to do it bfing (pump and give in bottle, or give formula watered down instead) but i found the bfing worked just fine eliminating min every few days...and convenient having the boob with me all the time too ;) it took us about a month but i think we were an extreme case..and then we had to deal with the habitual wakings - lotsofun!!..k well there's my history for ya - hope u don't mind the rambling :)

i hope that soon you can change your name for cory'stiredmommy to something like cory'srestedsupermommy!!!
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Cory'stiredmommy

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Re: Please someone tell me that 4-6am crying ends some day
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2006, 03:54:38 am »
I think it is time to change my name from corystiredmommy to coryshappymom.
You have been sooo helpful
thank you