Author Topic: Still waking early ...1 mo later  (Read 1652 times)

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Offline x95stocchier

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Still waking early ...1 mo later
« on: June 28, 2006, 15:28:38 pm »
DS has been having early wakes for more than 1 month.  He is 6.5 mo old.  We've dropped the catnap, limited day sleep to 3 hrs, pulled bedtime earlier, but no luck.  He wakes anywhere from 4:45~5:50.  I don't think it's teething, as I don't see anything at all in his mouth.  I don't think it's hunger, because he still eats 2X at night (10~11:30, and 2~4)  Often his first wake in the morning is just 2.5~3 hrs after the last feed.  However, the nights the second feed has come later...like 4 or after, he has slept through till 6:30.  He usually talks/plays in his crib for a while.  if he gets tired of that he'll start to fuss, then sometimes cry.  PU/PD does not work, and we just fight until it's wake up time.  We have no props.  A time = 2:45 We just started solids this week.  Can you help me resolve this problem?

Our current routine:
6:30 up & E (used to be 7)
9:15 nap (usually 1:20~1:30)
10:35 E
11:30 solids
1:20 nap (usually 1:30~1:40)
3 E
5:15 E & bedtime routine (massage, etc)
6 top off and bed
(bedtime used to be 7, but since dropping catnap, we've been at 6 pm for more than 3 weeks....tried moving out slowly but he added nw, so we are back at 6 pm.)

Thanks to anyone who has a suggestion.  I'm tired from the early wakes, but more importantly, it's really throwing off his routine.  he's so tired in the morning it's difficult to last until his nap, but I've read giving an earlier nap will encourage early wakes, so we suffer through rough mornings.
Sarah

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2006, 22:26:04 pm »
Hi Sarah,

I love your avatar - my DS used to have that same shirt and I was sooo sad when he outgrew it!

2:45 is a bit long A time for a 6.5 mo old, have you tried cutting that back? I suspect that he is getting overtired and that is causing your wakings. Plus, at this point I would think that one night feed would be sufficient. I also wonder if maybe having two is disturbing his biorhythms.
Jessica
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Offline x95stocchier

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2006, 23:01:22 pm »
Jessica,
Thanks for the reply.  If I cut A time, I'll need more naps, right?.  Or have to put him to bed at 5pm....   ???  I'm not sure how to make a routine through the day with less A time and only these 2 naps...end of day A time would be 4 hrs+   I've been working on extending it to 2:45 so he could space out his naps/not have such a long A time at end of day.  This is all so confusing!

I've been thinking I need to cut a night feed, but never thought it could be throwing him off.  That's interesting.  I bf, and he doesn't always eat at the same time at night.  ie second feed is b/w 2~4.  How long he eats is also variable. Should I cut the second feed cold turkey?  He has skipped it sometimes on his own, espec if his first night feed is late.   I have thought about cutting back min he eats to eliminate it, but like I said it's so variable...Also, then I always wonder in the AM if he wakes early, should I feed him? 

Sorry so many questions.  I feel so lost!
Sarah

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2006, 23:27:47 pm »
You know, the 6 - 7 mo period is a rough sleeping time for los. But if you're only issue is early waking, that's pretty good! I would start with trying to eliminate one feed. There's a sticky in the FAQ section called How I Stopped the Night Feeds with a 9 mo Old - check that out. It's great info! I did the water down method with my DS when the time came and it only took 4 days. If you are BFing, you can do it by cutting back the minutes like you said. Anyway, check out the sticky and see what you think. I would definitely try this rather than cold turkey. If he's waking at varies times, then that does indicate that he's actually hungry, although if he has skipped one feed on his own sometimes, then he should definitely be fine to wean one feed and keep the other as long as he needs. The time of the other may adjust though.

If he wakes early in the AM is truly is hungry then definitely feed him - but be sure that it's really hunger.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline x95stocchier

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2006, 19:12:31 pm »
How do you know it's hunger with an early wake ???
Sarah

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #5 on: July 02, 2006, 05:11:29 am »
What does he do when he wakes? A hunger cry will usually have a coughlike quality to it so that's a dead giveaway. With my DS I could hear his tummy growl.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
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Offline x95stocchier

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #6 on: July 02, 2006, 14:16:24 pm »
He usually starts off talking....then fussing....then crying.  Probably not hungry when he wakes, but I always wonder 45 min or an hr later, (sometimes he wakes as much as 1.75 hrs before wake up time), especially if he only ate once in the night.  I'm afraid I'm not very good at reading his cues, other than, once on a BW routine, I could tell it was hunger because it was after sleep, and about the right time of day KWIM?
Sarah

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #7 on: July 02, 2006, 20:09:07 pm »
Do you know what personality type your lo is? That can help a lot in reading cues.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
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Offline x95stocchier

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2006, 23:21:09 pm »
supposively textbook, but not lately!  I think I need to re-evaluate that.  If textbook, should be the cough cry, right?
Sarah

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Re: Still waking early ...1 mo later
« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2006, 03:16:08 am »
Yes, definitely.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o