Early wakings - wi/wo or wake to sleep?

[SophieB]

Hi,

I've had some fabulous success with wi/wo just recently (OMG, did I actually say that out loud, please forget that bit immediately) and am now struggling somewhat with early wakings (5.30 or so each morning).

I've already tried bringing bedtime forward from 7pm to 6.30pm, without success.  So now I'm wondering - do I try wi/wo or try wake to sleep.

The pro for WI/WO - I've done it and know it works at bedtimes and early-night wakings
The con for WI/WO - Ellie seems to 'know' that she's had 11 hours sleep at 5.30, and seems pretty determined to start the day.  I'm worried it will be hard to convince her it's still night (although it's still freakin' dark)

The pro for WTS - dunno.
The con for WTS - I've never done it, and am worried I'll wake her up properly, thereby creating a BIGGER problem.

What would you suggest?

Thanks in advance.

Soph

[imsmum]

If she has had 11 hours sleep by 5:30 I think that neither method will work, since that is a good long sleep for a lo.  How about trying to shift sleep times?  In Ferber's book--which I do NOT read for sleep training but does have some useful info on sleep physiology--he describes a method basically where you have to shift everything, naptimes, mealtimes bedtimes in 15 minute increments over 3 days

[Florencia]

Totally agree with imsmum, i don't think there's much you can do if she's had 11 hours straight at night... some lo's around here get only 10-10.5 and they seem pretty rested even with that amount. Unless she gets a nap under than 1 hour, i'd say she's getting the amount of sleep she needs, and that's confirmed with her waking ready to start the day.

Maybe if you try a later bedtime (as imsmum suggested, changing that one in 15 mins intervals) you can get her to sleep later in the morning, but you have to be extra careful that she doesn't get overtired with the changes. You'll have to stop tweaking if you notice that.

Another thing you can do is encourage her to entretain herself in her crib for longer periods, that way you get to spend extra time in bed in early mornings.

HTH and good luck!

[SophieB]

Eeek, I think I was being really greedy.   .  Sorry.

Just that I read that optimal sleep for an 18mo is 13.5 hours.  With 11 hours or so a night, and one nap, which can be as short as 1.25, during the day - I was a bit worried she might be getting overtired.

Or perhaps I was worried I was overtired  .

Right - it's actually me that needs training.  Training to get off here at night and get to bed earlier so that I'm ready to start the day at 5.30 if I have to.  Thanks for the 'wake up call' (pun intended).

Soph

[kerrisspencer]

Sophie,
I have tried the "putting to bed early, sleep later in the morning" and it has never worked for either of my children. It may temporarily work for a day or two but then adjusts back! My ds is 2 /12 and has no day time nap. He goes to bed at 8pm and wakes about 6.30 - 7pm. (He also wakes in the night) He wakes up refreshed though and I have just had to accept that he doesn't have the need for the sleep he's "supposed" to have! I have bought various books on sleep and they all, without exception, say that he should still be having a 2hr sleep during the day!! It's a good job I have an older child of 10, so that I know that not every child fits the rule!
Kerris

[Sylvia.]

no not greedy at all, waking up at 5.30 is such a change to the norm for most and it is often hard to except, we don'tput dd down until close to 8.30 and she wakes at about 7.30 which is 11 hours or so, dd also used to have an early bed time and earlier wakeups, for us the time just happened gradually, we are just not ready at 7-7.30pm for bed time

[Little Dot]

Sophie, that is exactly what happens with us. My dd is 18 months and having successfully got her to bed using wi/wo by 6.30, sometimes even earlier, she wakes almost every day at 5.30! She has an hour and a half or 2 hours sleep in the day so although it seems awful to be getting up so early, as someone pointed out to me recently, 11 hours at night an a good nap is all we can ask. My dd slept terribly before wi/wo, waking at night and still getting up early. So, like you said, I just go to bed earlier and try to appreciate that I have all of my evenings free from 6.30pm and actually, I always said that 6am was an acceptable start to the day and it's only 30 mins away from that. It's hard but it could be worse. I know, as we have had some horror nights in her 18 months!
Also, some days are different. Every now and then she wakes at 6 or 6.30 if she's maybe gone to bed a bit later (although that doesn't always work for us).
Sounds like your lo is sleeping really well. Well done for success with wi/wo. It's a good feeling so be proud to say she's sleeping well. We did it on henrysmamas suggestion and with her support we had bedtimes and night wakings cracked in 3 nights. This site has got me through some toughies!!

[SophieB]

Thanks Little Dot, RUSSYL and Kerris.

I just needed a nudge - after all, waking at 5.30 is better than being woken at 11.30 and kept awake for up to four hours, which was happening in the weeks just before I started wi/wo  .  Counting my blessings now that I think about that.

Funnily, I used to get up at 5.30 before I was pregnant, because I was always a morning person -  used to do my housework before I went to work.  Somehow, though, I get so much more tired.  Wonder why? 

Good to know I'm not the only one, anyway.

Soph

[Harrisonsmummy]

It probably doesn't help much, but I have been waking up for ages now at around 5.30am and I am used to it. The last few days we have had 5ams! ...5.30am feels like a lie in!

Anyway -it's nice to know we are all up at 5.30am. I put Harrison in bed with me, DH gets a cuddle before he gets up for work, and then we flip between the baby channels until an appropriate get up time! Sometimes I get another 20 minute doze while he watches Pocoyo and Postman pat!

However at the weekend DH gets up and does breakfast while I watch Breakfast News!!! Luxury!

[SophieB]

Hey there - yes, putting her to bed at 7pm seemed to make a difference.  She's waking around 6.15 or so these days (although we got a couple of 7am starts last week  , which we paid for with night wakings  ).