Author Topic: Early mornings, EASY  (Read 1030 times)

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Offline kiersten001

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Early mornings, EASY
« on: September 20, 2006, 13:38:11 pm »
I am so happy to know I am not the only one with an early riser! Please let me know what works! I too have been struggling with this problem for about a week now so I know it is a habit!  Someone please help!  I think I need a full schedule overhaul to remedy the early wake ups and I am not sure how to go about it! ???

Trent is 8 mos today and is about to start crawling, he rocks on his knees and is a very active Textbook baby. He usually stays awake about 2 hours before needing his nap (although, I now stretch him longer to try and stay on some sort of  schedule). He was previously on an impeccable 3 1/2-4 hour EASY...until the past month or so.

I am so confused about naps and bedtime since he is waking so early....I have tried to keep him on the 4 hour EASY but he takes a short 45 min morning nap, a longer afternoon 1 hr. 15-45 nap and sometimes is too overtired to catnap, it is not that he doesn't need it, it is just that he gets too tired to take it since I have to stretch him to get to a  decent bedtime time so that bedtime will not be around 5Pm, but be around 7.
I wonder if stretching him is causing him a less deep sleep and an early wake up time?

When he started waking early I was feeding him as well, and he would go back to sleep and with in a few days I found the same thing as with Zander, earlier wake up for bottle and no going back down.  SO....I stopped giving the bottle  and do not go into his room until  6-6:30 and then start my EASY.  However, by this time he has been awake almost an hour and is so hungry and is crying and upset. He never cried like this before, so I wonder if it is true hunger or the fact that he is now more aware- like a sep anxiety thing. The other part to that when I go get him he has been awake and hour and will only stay awake another hour and then needs his first nap at about 7:00-7:30 AM! Again, I try to strecth him but it results in an overtired baby.

Then we have bedtime....if he does not catnap, he will be awake anywhere from 3-5 hours  from his last naptime wake, which is WAY too long for him and this is where I think part of the problem may lie.  He goes to bed early (again, I  try to stretch him to 7PM)but may not have a good sleep since he is overtired, thus waking early?  LAst night he woke in the night for the first time since 3 mos old!!  He got up on his knees and cried (we have a video monitor, I did not go in!) and then went back to sleep, so is this a developmental thing  or an overtired thing or what? How can I shape up my schedule or do I just need to ride it out???

I am at a loss...Tracy says in the Solves all your Problems bookthat you have to ride out this age because of dev. things like crawling so it is unclear of any type of EASY for this age.
HELP!!!!!
Thanks!
K :-\

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2006, 17:16:30 pm »
K,

I split your post off of the thread that you originally posted on to make sure that you get the attention that you need. Can you please post Trent's daily routine specifically?

It is true that this stage is a major development period, which most always affects sleep. It's tough, and to some degree it does just have to be ridden out, but there are also things you can do to help. Make sure he's getting as much time during the day to practice whatever the skill is that he's learning or trying to learn. That way he gets the urge out of his system (hopefully) and won't be needing to practice so much at night.

Don't worry, one week doesn't necessarily mean that the early mornings are habit, so if you can send along your routine hopefully we can help.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline kiersten001

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2006, 20:22:25 pm »
Thanks for splitting it off for me, I wondered about that and didn't want to take all the attention away from Zander either! ;)



His schedule before the wakings was:

6:30 wake up
feed bottle 8 oz
play on floor with Mommy
7:30 breakfast
8:30-9:30 nap
wake and play/errands
10:30 bottle 5-6 oz
11:00 lunch
11:30-1:15 nap
2:30 bottle 5-7 oz
play/snack etc
3:15-4:15 or 4:30 nap
5:00 dinner
6:30 bed and 'top off' bottle

Now his schedule is so haphazard!
I have been observing for a few days and this is what I see:

Wake 5:30
bottle 8 oz
breakfast
Nap   7:30 for either 45 mins or up to 2 hours (most often 45-55 though)
so depending on this nap is when the next one happens and this is what is throwing me off, pu/pd gets him more upset and angry and hysterical or he just plays in his crib until I come get him again

Naps the rest of the day are typically every 2 or 2 1/2 hours (for 45 mins to 1 1/2 hours), however, today he was really tired and cranky after only 1 1/2 hours!

Bedtime ends up being around 6:30 no matter what, even if he wakes from his last nap at 5 pm.  He goes down easily and typically sleeps well.

I noticed when he was younger (6 mos), I tried for weeks to be vigilant about getting him on a 4 hour easy but he always needed to eat every 3 1/2 hours and could never stay awake more than 1 1/2 hours at a time and that was stretching. At that time he napped for 1 1/2 hours at each nap, he was a dream and slept 6:30-6:30! now, he stays awake all different lengths of times and naps all different amounts of time.  I wonder if it relates to his activiy level?



Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2006, 20:38:04 pm »
The activity level is definitely a factor, although how much is always the question! By that I mean developmental things like the almost crawling, but also the A time and its length.

At 8 mo. he should be able to stay up quite a bit longer than 1.5 hrs, for sure. The fact that he's not, and waking at night and having short naps tells me that he's overtired and in a cycle of it. First thing to do is break that cycle. Naps should be longer than 45ish minutes. You might try W2S about 15 min after he falls asleep since PU/PD doesn't work for you (never did for me either). Is he waking at the same times at night, or close? Sorry if you already said  :-[  if so then try W2S for that too.

Once he catches up on sleep a bit, then you need to get back into a solid, consistent 4 hour EASY. Consistency really is key - LOs thrive on that and it doesn't sound like you guys have a lot right now.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline kiersten001

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2006, 20:53:22 pm »
Thanks for your reply!  He did not wake lastnight and only woke in the night once so far when he was so over tired, so I think the night waking part will go away.  I think you are right, he has been perpetually over tired! I forgot to mention that we have started a new Music class as well.  I originally scheduled it for after nap time but he just switched his wake up times so nap time falls in the middle of class instead! Again causing overtiredness one day a week for sure. Ok, so I will try to w2s about 15 mins into a nap (I never know exactly when to do it and would do it 15 mins before he wakes and then he would stay awake!)
Wish me luck!!! Thanks!
K

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2006, 21:37:47 pm »
Let me know how things go!!
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline kiersten001

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2006, 21:03:59 pm »
Ok....it didn't work. (w2s)..he did however, wake up a little later today but naps are still all off.  Should he still be on a 4 hour EASY or does it change as they get older?

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2006, 21:33:08 pm »
W2S will take at least 3 days to work, so keep that in mind  ;)  He should still be on a rough 4 hr EASY, but that will change as he gets older and closer to weaning.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline kiersten001

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2006, 15:05:21 pm »
Trent woke this morning at 5:20AM!!  It seems whether I do w2s or not he alternates lengths of naps. SOme mornings are a longer nap and some afternoons are the longer nap, I htink I remeber Tracy mentioning that, but again, it throws the whole day off.  He also seems really hungry sometimes when waking early.  I try to hold him off as long as possible but I can tell when he gets really hungry.  This morning I held him off on the bottle until 6 and then he went back to sleep until 7:30. SO is it hunger???  I try to make sure he gets enough calories during the day....

Offline Colin Macs Mom

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2006, 16:36:00 pm »
Sounds like hunger to me! At his age he's entering a phase where he'll be burning more calories and needing more energy, so he could very well need to up his intake a bit.
Jessica
Mom to Colin Ronald, August 18, 2005
Spirited + Reflux =  :o


Offline kiersten001

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Re: Early mornings, EASY
« Reply #10 on: September 30, 2006, 00:56:50 am »
I think hunger could be part of the problem. I try and feed him as much as he will take during the day- that usually means 4 8 oz bottles and 3 meals of oatmeal and 1 full stage 2 jar of food and finger foods!! (and he is still in the lower weight category) He is still waking sporatically from both naps and in the mornings.  I am thinking I just have to ride it out.  No matter what lately he cannot stay awake past 6:30-7...wake ups are still from 5:20-6:45.  He has me on a schedule!  I wake up and am wide awake now around 5:30. I am starting to go ot bed around 9!
Do you think I have to ride it out or is there something else I can try?
THANKS!!!!!