2 Questions re Early Waking....

[R & J's Mum]

We've now got naps sorted with 10 month old LO, and they are totalling about 2.5 hours (2x1.25), which leaves 11.5 hours for his nighttime sleep if you work on the 14 hour theory. However, he's still waking between 5 and 5.30 each morning.  So a couple of questions about the two common suggestions of longer A time in the morning and earlier bedtime at night.

Question one - by 8.45 he's definately ready for his morning nap, rubbing his eyes etc and settles fairly easy at this time and sleeps until 10. Should I be pushing this out further? This would mean his first A time is more than 4 hours which seems a lot, and would he then be overtired and hard to settle?

Question two - lots of post suggest an earlier bedtime but he's down by around 7. Any earlier and his 11.5 hours would bring him close to a 5.30-6 start anyway...

Or do you think this is all developmental and I should just hang in with current situation and it might resolve itself?

BTW, should "Early Waking" come under General Sleep Issues or Night Waking?!  There seems to be so many of us maybe we could start our own place to post!! 

[Jaime]

LOL - i don't think you managed to squeeze enough questions into one tiny little post!   

let's see...

BTW, should "Early Waking" come under General Sleep Issues or Night Waking?!  There seems to be so many of us maybe we could start our own place to post!!

technically, night waking, but i think everyone reads just quite a bit anyhow!

you didn't post your routine, but i think you have things spaced out pretty well.  truthfully, it sounds like your lo just happens to be on the low side of nighttime sleep.  anywhere between 10-12 hrs at night is normal and perfectly okay. 

the only think i can think of to try is a gradual shift of his whole day.  this MIGHT work... try putting him down 15 minutes later for bed.  then try to delay his wakeup by 15 minutes.  then shift everything in your day by 15 minutes.  then, a couple days later, repeat. 

but if you would rather the 7pm bedtime, you just may start to enjoy the sunrise.  i have a friend (a definite night owl) and both her kids are like that. 

HTH a little 

[summersusu]

I would love to hear how it works if you are shifting everything by 15 minutes.  My LO 5months is the same way.  I put him down around 7 and he wakes at 5ish.  I put him down earlier and the same thing.  He is ready for his morning nap at 8 and sleeps 2 hours or so.  I guess I could try shifting his whole day.  He sleeps 10-12 hours at night but because he goes to bed sometimes at 6:30 how can I expect him to sleep much longer after 5am?  I am going to try to fit in a later catnap so maybe he can stay up later to shift his day.  We will see