Alarm clock baby?!

[Mamastalawatt]

Hi,

I hope someone can give me some pointers on this problem??

My DS is 7 1/2 months old and seems to be waking every morning at 4am on the dot.  He then is extremely restless for another 1 - 1.5 hours; just when you think he's gone back off to sleep he wakes up again.  Although we try to leave him for as long as possible to settle himself, once it turns into proper crying we go in to settle him.  He then sleeps until about 8am at the moment, even though it was always 7am before (I'm having to wake him up sometimes and will need him to be up for his feed at 7am when I go back to work next month).

I have just stopped doing his dream feed, but he doesn't seem to wake up around that time (10.00 - 10.30pm) and this 4am waking started way before I stopped it.

He's never been a consistent napper during the day - he's never had two long naps a day but usually has a morning nap of 45mins to an hour, then an afternoon one of 1.5 to 2.5 hours.  Occasionally he'll also have another 15 - 30 min catnap around 4pm (particularly if we're driving).

I'd really appreciate any hints...thanks!

Mama

[Shdef]

DS used to do that recently. Whatever you do, don't turn the light on as that will really get his internal clock going. I would also try to sleep in a different room than him, DS doesn't respond well to any snoring noise in the early morning!

[Mamastalawatt]

Hiya,

Thanks for your reply.  DS has a blackout (Velux) blind so his room is virtually pitch black at night, and he sleeps in his own room so we keep an ear out during the night via a baby monitor (although you can hear him anyway as he's just in the next room).  The reason we moved him into his own room early (we planned to keep him with us for his first year) was because we both snore badly    We would also disturb him when we came to bed, no matter how quiet we tried to be.

I'm not sure he's even properly awake when he starts moaning and whingeing - until he cries properly.

Thanks,

Mama

[Shdef]

We need to do a nappy change at about 2 or 3 or 4 every other night... We also give him a bit of water during the change and then put him back to bed. We leave the room really black and got used to it... Is it possible that he has a dirty nappy at that time of night 

[Colin Macs Mom]

Since he's waking at the same time each night I would suggest trying wake to sleep.

[Fife_Mum]

If it is exactly the same time each night could it be an outside noise disturbing him? We had the same with DS around the time we moved him to his own room at the front of the house and eventually I worked out it was when the post lady opposite left home to go to work  . Could it be something like that - a milk delivery or other external noise? I think we just lived with it but wake-to-sleep seems like a good idea if you can time it right.

I also just read your other post and would he settle right back down again after a feed? I know you have dropped his DF but maybe he is just hungry enough by 4am for it to disturb him? I know it would be a pain at that time of morning but if it saved you/him being awake for an hour it might be worth a try.

[Mamastalawatt]

Thanks for all your replies!

Last night DS woke at 3.30am because he was wedged across the bottom of his cot    But anyway, he woke again at 4ish and DH went in, gave him some water and changed his nappy.  He went straight back to sleep and woke up at exactly 7am   

Happy days here!

Mama

[macsmum]

Hi same thing happening here, we stopped the night feeds at just over 6 months, trouble is he has always still woken up usually at just 4 am, however now ds is teething he may wake up before 4am. It doesnt matter what time he first wakes he always wakes at 4 am , i dont switch on the lights and do wait for him to cry before i go in if he just mantra cries then i leave him, sometimes he settles on his own but most nights i have to go in, i give him some teething gel and his dummy.

Will he ever stop waking up or will i have to do w2s?
thanks Emma

[Colin Macs Mom]

Emma, it's pretty common for a LO to still wake at the normal feed time even after the feed is eliminated. You can do W2S if it's at the same time each night, or you can soothe with PU/PD or shhh/pat.

[macsmum]

Thanks for the advice i am going to wait till this other tooth is through before i make my next move
Emma