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

[texasmom]

Sure hope it does!!!!!!   

[rinajack]

Re nightlight.  We couldn't use one for our DD either, because she wants up if it is light! A little tip to help you though - we put one on outside her room, because when we went to go to her sometimes in the night, we couldn't see what we were doing....now we leave the door open and the night light outside her room is enough, and saves us having to turn a bright light on anywhere.

Litomi...you could try limiting the morning nap to 1/2 hr, even 20 mins, then the 2nd nap will fall a bit earlier, and your bedtime shouldn't need to change.

Brooke - same prob here - finding that dinner is the most important meal for Zara to prevent the early wakeups where she is starting to get hungry (is not necessarily starving hungry yet).

[jennyh]

well i thought we had the very early mornings sorted but once again for the last 6 days it has been a 5am start.help........

[texasmom]

Ugh, that is hard.  I know from experience.  We even had 4:30's and even in the 3:00's!  Ridiculous. 

Could you post a recent day or two with nap lengths and time of asleep/awake?  Also how old is your LO?

Jenny, you also might want to start a thread in General Sleep - that way more people will see it and you can get more opinions. 

[legend_018]

My LO is almost 1 years old. Her average up time lately has been between 6 and 7am. She is only on one nap a day, which has been successful for awhile now. But, the last 2 days she's been getting up between 5 and 5:30am. This changes the entire day around. for example this morning she woke up at 5:30am and there was no way she was staying up past 9:30am. Getting her to take a 2nd nap is a BEAR so I let her take a nice long nap. It's better when this nap is from say 11-1, but today it had to be 9:30-11:30. Actually it's 11:50 and she's still sleeping. but than she'll get up and stay up until bed time. I know a lot of people say limit the first nap and I have tried that in the past. She can't stay up more than 4 hours usually in the morning so even if she wakes at 7am, she's going down for a nap around 11am. Anyways, I appear to be in and out of this club 'lol'. Since the last 2 days she's been getting up between 5 and 5:30am. OH she isn't really eating much solids, just bottles. I also sometimes notice some extra crankiness during the day here and there. Nothing too serious I don't think. Teething? I don't know. I see nothing in her mouth that looks like any teeth coming but I guess ya never know.

[texasmom]

I know... I am in and out too...  Since 6 months for us.  URG. 

I just had two thoughts... Have you tried giving her solids before the bottle?  I'm sure you have. 

Also, are you sure she's ready to give up the 2nd nap?  She might need more sleep.  But you said she is resisting...

I bet you could get some good advice if you started a thread in Solids and in General Sleep.  I haven't done the 2-1 nap switch yet. 

 

[litomi]

Rina and Brooke, Thank you for your advices... sorry for replying late, both DD and I got a cold DD woke up at 4:30 this morning. Plus, I think she is teething... she bit my chin twice today.
DD stays with my mum while I go to work  (Mon-Fri).... and she has difficult time going down for her 1st nap Her 1st A time is usually more than 3.5hrs I guess even though she's tired already after 2.5-3hr of A time, it's hard for her to wind down    Weekends is usually all right, we can keep our regular bedtime... but weekdays and I've to go to work.
DD only takes 3-4oz bottle in the morning... she really doesn't start eating until we get to my mum's place. She's just so excited to leave the house  She knows her routine well...

[jennyh]

hi,India is 20 months.she wakes at 5am and we get up.she has breakfast and fennel tea,then plays or we read books.7am we dress and she has her milk.she has  a snack around 8.38-9am and by this time is shattered but will not sleep.we usually go to toddler group/shopping at 10am.she has her lunch around 11am.by 12 she is unbearable and will either give in to sleep in her pushchair or car seat.she then sleeps for6pm have approx 1-1.5 hours.2pm she has a snack+drink and we do activities.3pm pick up oldest lo from pre-school.3.30 have tea.4pm have time with toys etc.5-5.30 has some porridge or cereal.6pm have wind down-books/cuddles.6.30 bath,7pm 9oz bottle ,book,bed.do you think she just does not need much sleep?

[andibig]

Jenny
correct me if i'm wrong but when she wakes up at 5am you are getting up and having breakfast!!!.personally i wouldn't even get her up at that time as its just reinforcing the early wake up.if shes eating thatealry her body will wake up at that time ready for food.
what is she normally like when she wakes in the morning?
i also think her nap is too late.if sasha wakes at 5.30 (which she does very occ) then her nap is at 11.30 at the very latest.any later and you then make them overtired resulting in a short nap.
i would also consider an earlier bedtime if you can so that she can catch up on some sleep.
HTH
Andrea

[clairewillsmum]

hi all, haven't been on here for a wee while but the sleep doesn't seem to get too much better! Oliver is now 15 months and still wakes early! Here is his usual day:
4-6am :wakes wanting milk (5oz), usually more between 5-6am but it was 4.35am this   morning!
7am breakfast (cereal & toast)
8-9am back to bed, still sleeps 1-1half hrs
10am up by now
12pm lunch
1pm bed
3pm wake up around now, have to wake him!
5pm tea
6pm bath
6.20 milk (5oz)
6.40pm supper (tiny bit of cereal etc)
6.50 bed

should I be dropping the morning nap by now as he still seems to need it! H e is with a childminder 2 days a week while I am at work and doesn't sleep in the morning then but still wakes early the next day! would I have to do a whole week of no naps in the morning to see any difference? I do often leave him a bit before I go in in the morning but he quite often wakes my other son who is 4 and sometimes we can all be up by 6am! Will my other son then gets tired as he doesn't nap in the day! Help! Both me and my husband (he's also a shift worker which doesn't help!) are quite often really tired and grumpy because of this - not good for a relationship!
thanks for any help offered!

[andibig]

clairewillsmum

I'd start cutting down that AM nap as opposed to dropping it completely as that will make him overtired and thats why he'll wake early in the morning.

What you need to aim for is cutting down the AM nap to a catnap whilst bringing your PM nap earlier.so eventually you end up dropping the catnap.
HTH

[jennyh]

well,heres the update .i moved her day time nap forward to between 10.15 to 11am and her bedtime to 6pm.its took a few days but she woke up this morning at 6.49 hurrayyyyyyyyyy.

[andibig]

Jenny
great news
enjoy your lie-ins!!!

[MomOfTwoBoys]

Hi Mom,
My LO is 12mo. old and has only slept until 7am or later about 3 times in his life.
Within the last month we have discovered he has food allergies/intolerances to milk, egg and peanuts, and slightly to almonds.  He had 3 month of awful diarrhea and has "always been very fussy".  I have never given him milk or any nuts, but he was getting it through my breast milk.  However, I am learning from intense label reading, that these things are in SO many foods. 
Before we figured all this out, he was waking 3-4/night and crying inconsolably until he had a major BM and seemed to feel a little better.  Anyway, now that we have elimnated the foods from his diet and mine(since I'm still nursing him), we have seen a HUGE change in his demeanor and sleep habits!    Now you'd think I could just be thankful for all this and get over the early mornings.  Well, I can't.  I am on the tail-end of MONTHS of not being able to sleep past 3/4am (regardless of how the kiddos are sleeping) and am finally able to sleep until 5am or so.  My LO wakes anywhere b/tw 5am-6:10am.  So I am basically wondering if you think he's just stuck in the habit of getting up early after so long of doing so b/c of his stomach cramps and diarrhea, if this is "just how he is", or if it is something amiss in his daily routine.  Here is his routine.  Please let me know your thoughts:
5:15-6:10am Wake and BF (occasionally this will send him back to sleep)
7/7:30am breakfast
9am snack
9:30-10:30 goes down for a nap of 45min-1hr.
playtime/errands
12:30/1pm lunch
BF
1:30/2pm goes down for nap of about 2 hrs, sometimes a little more
snack
playtime/errands
5:30/6pm Dinner
6:45pm Bath
nurse and books
anytime b/tw 7:15-8pm asleep
Pretty much sleeping through now that we've changed our diets.  Will occasionally wake but resettle(cutting 2 molars).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can offer! 

[andibig]

Mumof two boys.
i think his pm can be cut down to no more of 1.5hrs.it could possibly be the long nap is stealing from his nighttime sleep.bedtime i'd do no later than 7.15.
when cutting down naps do it gradually by 15mins (or whatever your LO can handle) every 3 days or so.
HTH