My SUCCESS story with those PESKY 5am Toddler wakes. Update 1st post 4-19-07

[becky1969]

Efka, I can't give good advice because we're struggling with our own NW right now, but I think I agree with Gippie on this one. Owen started waking at exactly the same age as your LO - 10 months - for a feed. NOTHING else would settle him. He was crying like crazy (that was unusual for my LO), and we tried settling other ways for over 2 hours; finally, a bottle sent him immediately to sleep. The next night when he woke crying, we immediately gave the bottle, and VOILA! He was back to sleep! However, it is now SIX long months later, and we STILL have this night waking and night feed. It's silly! When I've posted elsewhere on these boards, some of the moderators have suggested that at 10 months we went thru a growth spurt, but we never stopped the bottle habit. That very well may be. The fact that your LO isn't eating much during the day suggests that he's using that night feed for nutrition, which is robbing him of his other meals. The only other thing I can think of is if he's teething - when they're teething, the sucking is VERY soothing and easier than eating 'real' food. My LO is not eating much outside of his milk right now. I'm letting it go until this last molar is in.  I guess what I'm saying is think hard about this night feed - it could become a habit. I think following Gippie's advice might be the wisest course. i wish someone would have stopped me back when I started this awful night bottle habit! It's so frustrating for us since he went from 3-10 months with 0 night feeds.  I feel like we're going backwards instead of forwards.

[rinajack]

Yep I agree, but I also think that getting all the ideas you can from the solids board will help you to be sure that he really can't be waking up hungry.  Zara started that at about 9mo. and I just fed and fed and fed her during the day so I knew she wasn't hungry, then she still woke, but didn't need feeding to be resettled.

We have a 4am wakeup issue here.  For her lovie and dummy.  Both on the floor - how on earth does she manage to get them out through the bars in her sleep?  I will see if this timing continues when she has good naps at home, today is her last day of daycare this week, then home for 4 days.

Oh, it says 8:14pm 7 March, and for me it is 6:14am on 8 March.

[rinajack]

Oops, didn't mean to post.

Gippie, I too noticed that a small noise like that beep on your coffee machine was enough to wake Zara, but only if the house was quiet.  With the TV on, she doesn't notice sound, and since it is a constant volume, it doesn't bother her either.  It is totally a prop though.  Today we forgot to set it to come on, and she stirred and stirred a bit after 5, and I said to DH I can't hear her TV, so he rushed out and turned it on, and she stopped stirring straight away LOL.

[becky1969]

Rina - you're right too! Definitely filling them up during the day is a must. I just wanted to tell her our experience, which has sucked big donkey schlongs. 

we're using a HEPA filter in Owen's room for white noise, and we love it!!! Owen played with the buttons once, and put it on some kind of timer so that it went off in the night. Sure enough, he woke up a few minutes later.  I won't let that happen again! It's so nice too since we live about 2 blocks from a firestation! 

[rinajack]

We have tried white noise, that is on all night it didn't help.  I think with this, when she wakes, she knows we are there, goes back to sleep - and THEN our noises don't disturb her, because of the TV.  I think with a noise that is there all night, and is there when she goes to sleep - she knows it isn't us iykwim....I think that is why TV/Radio noise helps, as we always have one or the other on, except when we sleep.

[Gippie]

Becky - Owen is a doll - to die for - adorable!   I am also laughing my A$$ off over the donly schlong!   I read your bottle feed story and the one thing that strikes me is what i read everywhere...and it's the growth spurt, teething, hunger stuff....I think moms are so vulnerable and we are going to grab onto and HANG On any thing that answers the WHY about our kids and gives us a green light to hug and hold them beyond what we know is enough.   I hope that does not sound mean - I just think that our kids can do more than we give them credit ad a chance to do.   

I think the night feeds are helpful to bridge a gap between wake and sleep - but they have to be used as a bridge - not a crutch.  Becky - are you still night feeding.....what are you doing to stop them?   

Rina - damned coffee pot.    I agree, she wakes when she hears something, I think I will try the tv on......If I have to I will get a damned timer on the TV - I will NOT let a freaking COFFEE POT throw off all of our hard work - go figure - a coffee pot.   

We put her to bed at 7:30 again to see if she goes past the evil 5am wake....so far this is proving true - but only time can tell.   

Alright ladies, lets hear some sleep decisions and see some others hunker down and make something happen.    I know that some people are just OK to accept wakes and feeds, my SIL is 100% OK with it...she insists her LO is hungry - ad I think our feelings that they can achieve a certian goal is a BW thing - thats why we keep hunting for an answer....and I think you have to find the one that works for YOU and YOU can live with. - I think we all have a certian threshold.

Quinn peed on the potty before tubby time again!!!!

[rinajack]

Gippie - our TV has a built in timer....somewhere in the menu, maybe all TV's do? These days anyway, our TV is about 7 years old? I think?

I too was cracking up about the Donkey Schlong LOL..


My decision for today (hehe) is to wait and see with the 4am wakeup - I am wondering if it will continue when she is well rested from not going to daycare and napping properly at home.  If it does continue over the weekend, I will have another decision to make LOL.

Yay for Quinn peeing on the Potty!!!

[aisling]

Becky LOL at big donkey schlong! 

Rina: Love your new pic of Zara she is gorgeous.

We are doing ok still.  We still seem to get stuck in a rut of 12.5 total hours of sleep for the day and feel it is about a 1/2 hour too little.  He woke today at 6:30 from 8:00 last night, so that is better than his usual 6 after a late night. The only reason we had the late night was he fell asleep in the car on the way home around 4:30pm for a half hour, yet again more proof he is down a half hour on total sleep needs.  Usually we have 11 hour nights 1.5 nap except yesterday, 1.5 + .5 so then he did a 10.5 night.  Grrrr.  Hands constantly in the mouth way in the back and gagging himself practically, heard him whimpering last night when I went to bed at 11, so 2nd yr molars and teething alive and well here.    Using the teething tabs. Proud to say no AP'ing going on at all!  Slept in futon the other day, DH was a jerk to me...no, no just joking, thought I would wake you all up from my rambling boring post.    LOL! 

Nite, nite, Aisling x

[rinajack]

LOL aisling!

But sad and sorry old me wasn't even bored LOL.

[Gippie]

Nope not bored either.   Goon news on the sleep Aisling - I would LOOOVE 6:30.  YOu know, I am seeing Quinn wanting an exact 10 hours - and she gets 2.5 in the day come hell or high water.......I am charting and watching!

Timer.....like it, going to look into it right now....I am sure we have it, just never used it.   

Nighty Night!    PS - Have you all looked on the Sleep for Toddlers board, just skim down and look at the endless posts that address the SAME PESKY wake and reading in the boards is so interesting, we all have a different solution to the same problem. 

[¤ Efka ¤]

We go good sleep today.

He was asleep by 6.45,I would really like to push it little later as I believe as Stacie, that little later bedtime for him, means little later wakeup.
He gets about 10.5 hours sleep per night, last night it was then almost 11 hours. Anyway he slept til 5.38 and staied in bed until I got him at 6. Little fussing, little playing for this time. Bad thing was I was actually up before him SO this was long morning for me.

as for eating I really tried everything to stuff him at dinnertime. Even like giving him pudding and then stuff some spoonfuls of meat and potatoes

But I really dont  understand how this kid could manage at so little sleep. Give in that he usually naps on good day 3x30 min, regular day 2x30 min and yesterday only 30 minutes

[rinajack]

Wow Efka, that was a great night for you!!!

Zara did a little better sleeping at daycare today - kind of.  1st nap - 25 mins   And that was enough for her to really really fight a second nap (they won this time though).  2nd nap at 3:45 and I woke her at 4:55pm.  Probably won't go to bed on time, will allow her an extra half hour.  Hopefully that extra sleep will help her past the 4am issue, and tonight I will also put 2 of her lovies in the cot, in case she throws one out.  (we have 3, so glad we did that now).

[Gippie]

Yeah for Keir - thats a great start.....

Rina - Think I will add more teddies in her crib, but she knows the good one and will fuss if one is overboard - little bugger.

Sleep Update - DH is a policeman and works the overnight 12-8.    4 mornings a week he does not hear the "training" and some mornings it goes great.     LAst night I did the later bed and I heard her yell at 5:10, stuck to my guns and she was mantra crying and I left her, said my peonce, the whole deal and wehn I got out fo the shower, DH was in her room - ready to who knows what - take her back to bed with him???   I was ready to murder him.     He gives me the "why are you letting her cry" - I corrected him and said that is nOT crying and PLEASE do not mess with my hard work.    She wasnt resettling BUT thats OK - that's her choice and I cannot change it -ALL i CAN DO IS KEEP THE ROUTINE IN PLACE.  If he hadnt gotten up, the earliest I will go in if she is persistant is 5:45...I can handle that.    Of course I make a huge to-do about the am and he "resuced her"  .    We had a talk about what he needs to do - let me handle it.  I agree - it is hard to hear her unhappy and seeming to want us - but what she really wants is to go back to sleep....and at that hour, the tummy calls and your sort of rested - its hard to go back at that time - which is WHY there are 200 moms with the SAME stinking problem.

Anyway - the morning was less than I had hoped for, BUT no AP - cause I caught Mr. AP before it was too late!    I really think I want to TRY to do w2s for three nights....I have never made it for three nights since i started the whole thing 2.5 weeks ago....a day here and a day there......WITH success....but I never continued.    Think I will tonight.......I can do it right......ugh.   

[becky1969]

Gippie, I know the bottle is a crutch!! I knew it about 1 month into it, but life was so crazy I didn't dare change it (we were remodeling our house, DH was out of work, I was working 40 hours from home while watching baby, and then we moved!). I know excuses, excuses. Right now, he's just days away from getting that last molar in. I know he's going to be a bear with that tooth, and he's just not eating because of it. So, DH and I have set Saturday as the day we start sleep training -regardless of whether the tooth is in - but it should be really close to being done. 4 molars is a lot, and my LO has been notoriously unsettled during the teething. The good thing is he CAN self-settle. DH puts him back in the crib right after the bottle while he's awake, and LO goes to sleep on his own. He might fuss-fuss 20 minutes later (I think he jolts awake), but a little "It's night-night time!" puts him back to sleep. He self-settles for naps and bedtime too. So I KNOW he can -it's just that we have this horrible habit built in right now. We'll be kicking that habit's donkey schlong BUTT in a few days! Don't worry, I know we're got a crutch, but i'm about to kick it! Truly! 

[rinajack]

LOL becky - and good luck!

Last night was better - no 4am, so I was right, overtiredness.  It is just after 6 now, I have heard plenty of shuffling in there, but no talking, calling etc.  And all is quiet now.

I will probably leave for work before she wakes for the day, but no doubt I will call a heap of times to see how she goes today (and because I hate being at work when DH and Zara get to stay home).