10 Month Old Getting up Too Early

I would try putting him to bed a little earlier. And keep those awesome naps! This is a stage that my son went through too, though you've got it harder because you can't let him fuss himself back to sleep! (That whole second child thing really changes things, doesn't it?)

Any way you could add a white noise machine to your daughter's room, just until your son remembers how to sleep until at least 6?? When my 13 month old wakes up before 6, I let him chat and fuss and he usually goes back to sleep.

Hi A.,
My daughter did the same thing at a similar age. She is a very physical, active child, too. What I did was sneak in after she fell asleep and put some "safe" toys in the crib with her. My daughter's favorites were a set of plastic measuring spoons and some measuring cups from my kitchen. When she woke up early, ready to play... there were some toys to play with. Usually she would only play for 15-20 mins then she would go right back to sleep until her normal wake up time. Just be sure to put the toys in at the opposite end of the crib so your son doesn't encounter them while still asleep. And of course no toys that could be a suffocation hazard.

My daughter is now nearly 14 months and she's so used to having the toys in the crib that I can just leave them in there all the time. No more sneaking in and quietly dropping them in. Extra bonus... when she isn't quite ready to go to sleep at bedtime she just plays with her toys until she's sleepy.

I hope that works for you. Trust me, the sounds of a happy baby playing at 3am are so much sweeter when you can listen from the warm comfort of your very own bed.

Good Luck!

Hi! Believe me, I can feel your pain! I would try increasing your son's bedtime by about 10-15 mins per night & that may end up where you can get him to sleep a little later. Our oldest was colicky thru 9 months so we never knew what sleep was - then went from double ear infections to the next thing - BUT our youngest slept from 8pm-5am after the first 3 months. She did start waking up earlier and our pediatrician told us to just shift her bedtime gradually and it worked. You never realize how good sleep is until you aren't getting it. Good luck!

just experiment for 2 weeks at a time. every baby is different. try putting him to bed earlier, later, then try to alter the naps. are you sure he may not be better off with one nap(then go to bed earlier)? my daughter stopped the 2nd nap around this age. now at 13 months, if we are at home, she takes just one. if we go out, she ends up falling asleep again, then those nights are the worst. she also takes her nap in the morning for 2+ hours, while most kids go down to just an afternoon nap. you have to keep experimenting.

as for the sleep training, i am highly against, but that aside, for your situation, sleep training wouldnt work. sleep training is to have a baby self soothe themselves to sleep. your baby isnt having a problem of getting himself back to sleep, he is saying he truly doesnt need that sleep. if you leave him their crying, and he does eventually fall back asleep, he is only falling asleep as he passes out from exhaustion, vs learning to sooth himself. his situation is not what sleep training was intended for. he isnt tired. you cant teach him to be tired when he isnt. the biggest thing you said was he wakes up happy. if a baby wakes up happy, he is done with his sleep, then if you leave him to cry, you are taking a happy baby and making him unhappy.

i know its difficult for you, but you need to address why he is waking up so early instead of coming up with a way to force him back to sleep. he is at an awkward age, sometimes sleep begets sleep so going to bed earlier might help, but he also might be needing less sleep and needs less napping(thats my opinion). just keep changing one thing at a time for 2 weeks straight and see what happens. it also may just be a temporary phase and next month be back to normal. good luck!!!!