Hi mamas:
My 10 month old has recently learned to roll like a steam roller, and now he does so ALL over his crib. Not a problem, except that when he wakes in the early morning hours, about 5-6am, I usually bring him into our bed and nurse him on one side, back to sleep a bit longer. Now that he's a roly-poly-oly he won't sleep in our bed. Instead, after nursing he's wanting to roll and play and be awake. It's too too early for him to be up at this hour, as he then can't make it all the way until we leave for day-care at 9:30am without a nap. Any thoughts on ways to coax him back to sleep, at least until 7am? Even if he were just quietly resting I think he'd do better than getting up to start our day at 5:30 am :( He goes to sleep about 7:30pm and does great until that 5ish am hour. I know sleeeping those 9+ hours is wonderful, I just think he needs more rest. Before the rolling began, he'd typically sleep with us until at least 7-8am. Thanks!
Check out the book "On Becoming Babywise." They have some interesting theories on how to keep your baby asleep for longer. I am trying it out right now and it seems to be helping.
Goodluck!
Hate to say it, but, Get used to it! My kids are up with the sun too.
Regular naps. be super consistent, just like bedtime. tired kids(and mommies) have more tantrums.
Stay away from Babywise. Far away. www.ezzo.info It's extreme examples yes, but something to keep in mind, especially since that what's good about it can be found in better books. It wouldn't even fit into this situation anyway.
When babies reach a new milestone, they want to practice practice practice, regardless of the time. If he's getting 9+ hours sleep, that could be all the sleep he needs and now, with his new developmental milestone, this could be the time he wants to be up. If he's not tired and ready to be up, there isn't a whole lot you can do to make him go back to sleep.
What I used to do with my son (depending on the setup and the way he was moving around this varied) was I'd set him up on my bed with pillows around him and lie down next to him. I would sort of doze while he did his thing...not really sleeping but resting myself and I was there if he needed me. If it was crawling or rolling, I set him up with blankets, barriers, toys, in one specific area of the floor, pull out my blankets, pillows, even a sleeping bag as a mattress, and let him do his thing while I was there kinda sleeping. I know it sounds elaborate but it really wasn't...I got more sleep, and he did his thing since nothing I did got him back to sleep, so I adapted to it. Eventually his habits would change and he'd sleep a while longer. Kids are always changing at this stage.
Hi A.- I totally understand your frustration and the feelings you have about wanting him to sleep longer. I have learned from personal experience raising 2 toddler girls and from this mamasource board, that ultimately I cannot control 2 things... when they get up in the morning and potty training. I did not breastfeed my girls, so my situation is a little different but a couple of ideas come to mind.
1. Does he need the 5am feeding or can he wait to be fed another hour or so? If he can wait but is just trained that he will get fed when he wakes up, you can feed him a little later each day (5 minute increments) It may mean you need to listen to him cry a bit though as he gets used to the adjusted feeding schedule.
2. Has he tried a sippy cup yet? If he hasn't, maybe you could start practicing during the day with milk or water. If he already can use a sippy cup, one thing you could try is to go sooth him when we wakes up and give him a sippy cup of water or milk, darken the room, and possibly put on some very soft soothing lullaby music. Maybe this will sooth him back to sleep or at least give him some additional quiet time. This too can become a "crutch" for the parents ultimately and doesn't really solve the problem. But in my opinion, It gave me an extra half hour of sleep and peace and quiet when my little one would wake up at 5:15am!
Good luck- I am totally empathetic :)
Can't you just let him roll around in his crib?? It's good practice for him (and especially if he is roly poly, you dont want to discourage physical movement). Then he can sleep later either before, during the ride, or after he gets to daycare.
that's totally normal when your little one learns something new.... just wait until he's standing ;). It should pass quickly if you stick to your normal routine.
