EARLY WIDE AWAKE CLUB!! WANT SUPPORT? JOIN US!

[Carys' mom]

Still no rest for the weary parents . This week has been bad. Monday, dd woke at 3:30am and would not go back to sleep. Yesterday was 5:30am (much better, but not ideal), and today was 4:30am . I believe she's finally cutting her last canine tooth, and it seems that her 2-year molars are also now causing pain. I try to keep telling myself that this will all pass, but it seems to last forever.

[andibig]

Carys mum
Sasha is starting to work on her 2nd year molars (already Agggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!). was thinking of you at the w/ends as DD woke up at 2 and 3.30am  . always seems to be at the weekends when DH kids are over

[james030405]

Hi everyone,

I came onto this thread when it first started and then for various reasons, didn't continue.   :'(Sorry.  Anyway, I have James who is 19mths and I am 27 weeks pregnant (with a girl .

We have always had early wakings and as I have now tried everything (I think), I thought I would come back and get support.  None of my friends who have lo's the same age are going through this but I keep getting told that it is normal.  So for moral support, I hope youdon't mind me re-joining. 

Our days usually start anywhere between 4:30am-5am. Our routine looks like this:

4:40-5am  awake, a small drink of milk
7am breakfast
9:30am morning tea
11-12pm - lunch, milk and nap
2pm awake and play
2:30 afternoon tea
5pm bath
5:30-6pm dinner and milk
7pm bed

There are a couple of days per week where he will have to have 2 naps ie 9-10am and then 1-3pm.  I can lay him down for naps/bedtime and walk out and he goes to sleep.

Things I have tried:
*staying in his room with him until at least 5:30am (this was easy to do before the sun started to come up at 4:45am  )
* keep taking him back to his room ie WI/WO till 5:30am
* given him milk in case he is hungry
* given him formula for his last milk of the night
* use blackout curtains
* taken himfor a walk as soon as he wakes to see ifI can get him back to sleep
* let him come into our bed

I know there seems a lot of things, but it has been over a long period of time.  I have now just learnt to accept that he is an early riser.  He is a good eater thoughout the day, he naps are between 2-3hrs a day and he doesn't usually wake during the night unless he is sick.  He has all of his teeth except his 2yr old molars.

Anyway, hope I can come back and keep in touch.

Chat soon

Lisa

[rinajack]

I am enjoying our 5am wakeups now that I have embraced them.  However, she is currently overtired because we dared to go away for the weekend.  So now it is closer to 4am.  This is absolutely unacceptable, but she isn't listening to me when I tell her that (at 7mo who can blame her ).

James mum - have you tried W2S  -  I am not even sure if that can be used on a toddler, but it would be worth asking the mods the question.  Otherwise, you sound as though all other aspects of raising James are going really well, so maybe make it a special quiet time for James and mummy!  He might really value that when the little baby comes.

[andibig]

well sasha woke up at 1am and 2am this morning . first time i went in just rubbed her back and she went straight back to sleep.managed to get out of her room as previously i was struggling to do even that!!! then at 2am i just went into her room and got into the bed beside her cot and she went straight back to sleep.
i know this is AP but quite frankly i need my sleep and it works .
i have a feeling its a bit of sep anx so not quite sure what to do as she doesn't need me to get her to sleep. i'm pretty sure its not her teeth although shes teething with 2nd year molars but not near to cutting them and i don't want to medicate her every night (i did give her some calpol for a few nights when she was very dribbly and she slept all night

[legend_018]

I think I belong to this club. I was going to join it before, but than she finally started sleeping until at least 6:20am sometimes even until 7am. Ever since the clock changing back and her having ear infections plus teething - well even if she seems fine......she gets up early. She's been up since 5:30am this morning.  She is just a amazing these days with her sleep. Its like she doesn't want to sleep. She did manage to take 2 half way decent naps yesterday and last night finally went down between 8:30 and 9:00pm. She also woke up for a 5 oz bottle around 2am.

[jmosery]

Hi Ladies

I think its time for me to join you guys. Can I ask you your opinions. My son has been getting up at 6-6:30 lately. this mroning was 5:45. I've begun to accept it and I go to bed at 10 so I do get good sleep. but he's 4 months tomorrow and i'm all confused with his day

here is a "typical Schedule"

wake at 6- have 6 oz. bottle
A- till 7:30
S- 7:30-9:30
E- 10
A- 11-11:30- sometime he can stay up 2 hours sometimes not
S- 11:30- 1:30
E- 2
A- 2-3:30
S- 3:30- 5

now here is my problem. its too hard for him to stay up from 5-7 this late in the day as we are just getting used to 2 hour activity time. I can't feed him before 4 hours, he just isn't hungry and doesn't finish bottles and then we're snacking all day. so we are kind of in the middle

i'm afraid to let him sleep another 2 hours in the afternoon because thats 6 hours of sleep during the day.

also, he's eating at 6pm. i can either give him an hour nap from 3:30-4:30 and put him to bed after his 6am bottle

but then he'll wake at 5am the next day. he sleeps through the night

but if he wakes at 5am, which is SUPER early, should I feed him and put him back to bed and then wake him at 7 or 8 and start our day then. he will do that

but am I then promoting waking to eat?? he has been dropping that middle of the night bottle the past three nights. its new.

also, now that he doesn't eat a bottle in the night, his oz. have gone down to 24 oz.(4 - 6oz. bottles). should i make up those six oz. he dropped during those 4 bottles during the day.

if he's starting to drop it, its nice, i would hate for him to bring it back

any suggestions to this mumble jumble

jaime

[EMRW Mum]

Hello everyone....I am new to the site....and think I might share your concerns.  My lo is 3 months old and used to sleep through the night (12 hours until 7ish) but recently has begun waking at 4:30....regardless of bedtime (early 4:30 or later 7:30)...I'm not sure what to do.....maybe I'm over worrying....she is still young...but I'm wondering why the change from great mornings to early mornings.  Any suggestions?

Corrine

[rinajack]

A sudden change to early wakings usually means your routine needs work.  For both of you it would be a good idea to start another thread in order to get teh attention of the mod and more people.

jmosery

Perhaps what you need to do is revert back to 3.5 hr easy for a couple of weeks.  If you lo can't handle a 2 hr A time for every A time, then they are not ready for 4 hr easy.  As for wake up times.  Choose one, and make that the time for every morning.  If lo wakes early, try to get them to go back to sleep until the time you have chosen.  If they sleep past, wake them up to start the day. Finally, you should be working towards a 12 hr day and 12 hr night.  If lo is starting the day at 6am, then bedtime in the evening should be at 6pm.

HTH

[jmosery]

RINAJACK- thank you

my LO ended up eating a bottle at 6pm, per his 4 hour schedule but we did bath afterwards and he was asleep by 6:30. i'd like to get the 7-7 or 8-8 back

so I think bevcause he ate at 6 today and not 7, he will probably wake up between 3-5 for a bottle and when he does I will feed him and treat it as a night feeding and put him back to bed. then wake him at 7 to start the day

jaime

[james030405]

Just wondering, for those with toddlers, has anyone tried W2S and had success?  That would be my last resort. 

Thanks Lisa

[Katet]

Lisa, I noticed in your list there is no mention of stopping the wake up milk... I found that when I stopped bf Liam on wake up & moved it to after Breakfast he woke later...I know 2 others who have had success with not offering food until later & succeeding with a later wakeup. James is only hungry at that time from learnt hunger & habit...at 12mo the only babies that may still not be able to go 12 hours without a feed are the 26-32 week premies. So if you haven't tried it I'd certainly suggest droping the milk you give him in when he first wakes.

[james030405]

Thanks for the advice Kate.  I only tried this once or twice, it was never an ongoing thing.  I think it is just him.  We have noticed that if he goes to bed after 7:30pm, he will wake at 4:30am.  If he goes to bed at 7pm/7:10pm, he will sleep till 5am.  When I think about it, this has been going on for at least a year.  We have always had early wakings.  I think as Dad gets up early to go to work, it has just become the norm.  Oh well.  Thanks again.

Lisa

[rinajack]

james030405 - sounds like our lo although she is younger.  She goes to bed at 6pm if we put her down after 6:30 she wakes at 4-4:30 otherwise it is 5am.  We are early risers also, for work, and generally, so we decided to embrace the early wake up and walk our dogs (our climate is very hot so this is quite a good arrangement).  but we do breakfast at 6:30, not when she wakes, so if she is ever capable of sleeping in, or maybe next winter, she won't be waking to eat.  Try the later feed time, if it doesn't help get creative about finding a reason to embrace it, it has definitely made me mind alot less about the wake up time, now I am waiting for her to wake instead of dreading it.

[legend_018]

ya i'm pretty much used to the fact that my LO gets up early and she doesn't go to bed until 8pm "9pm before time change". She wakes up lately around 2/3am for a feeding and than up for good between 5am and 6am. Although she has slept thru the night many times and this morning for the first time in a LONG time - she woke up at 4:30am instead of 5:30am and I got her to go back to sleep and than she slept until 7am. WOWIE. I accept it and just do things in the morning with her and I also try no to feed her right away unless I have to. However, before 5:30am is a little MUCH sometimes when it comes to getting up early.