Hi Fellow Moms! We recently did some "sleep learning" using the Sleepeasy Solution, and our little 5 1/2 month old is sleeping really well in his own bed now-woohoo! The only problem: he's waking up at 4am or a little earlier! When he wakes up, he nurses and we play for a while. He usually still seems sort of tired and is back to nap by 6am (sometimes as early as 5am). Any advice re: how to push back that wakeup time to a more reasonable hour?!? Thanks so much!
Thanks so much! I guess I didn't think it would work to just put him back down (and I didn't want him to cry and wake up his big brother), but he woke up even earlier last night (2am) so I quietly nursed him in a dark room and put him back to sleep. He slept until after 5! Yay! I think I'm torn because that's basically "nursing to sleep" which I've been trying to avoid with the sleep training thing...but we got more sleep so I'm happy for now! THANK YOU ALL!!
Why are you playing at 4 am? He is getting up for a feeding. Have you given him rice cereal yet or other foods yet? Also, how about putting a pacifier in his mouth - if he is getting enough to eat through out the day (really shouldn't need a 4 am feeding at 51/2 months) then he should be sleeping through the night.
I guess I don't understand why you're having "play time" at that ungodly hour. He needs to nurse and be put back down, don't talk to him much, keep it very low-key so not to rouse him much and put him down and walk away. Otherwise you're totally confusing him by "playing" with him. They don't know any better and if you're teaching him this is time to be awake and play, what else is he going to think.
My 9 month old gets up between 5-6 most mornings. We change her, feed her and then she goes right back to sleep. She may just need that morning bottle and diaper change. My older daughter did this for a period also where at 5:30 like clockwork she would get up (we changed her and fed her and then put her right back to sleep).
And we were giving the cereal bottles at night. Some children just have early internal clocks. Try changing and feeding her with little stimulation and putting her right back to bed. Good luck
We're in a similar boat with my 8 1/2 mo old. After two older kids, I'd say feed him and put him back in his crib and walk away. He will learn that this is not "wake up and play" time, it's just refill the tummy and go back to sleep time.
At about this stage I hung a few toys in our son's crib. One was a mirror and the others were using those plastic links, to hang something on the crib rail that would be about eye/arm level for him. I also left a pacifier in there for him to grab/chomp on.
Very soon he learned that "his friends" as I called them, were there for him to explore. When he'd go down for a nap, I'd put him down drowsy, but awake. Sometimes he'd fuss a bit, but soon the colors of his toys hanging on the side rails would catch his attention. He'd bat at them and talk to them.
Another mom also told me that when she was doing this "training" to get them used to their crib and learn how to play there a bit. She'd put her son down about 10 mins before his naptime. She'd walk around the house, singing, putting away laundry, walking in and out of his room so the baby could see her, but she wouldn't pick him up. She'd just smile, say hello and keep going about her business. Her son soon learned that mom is still there, and that my crib is an ok place to hang out and play until I get tired.
So back to your son. Good job on the sleep training. Now see if you can start teaching him to "self soothe". When he wakes at 4am, feed him with the lights low or use a nightlight, minimal talking and no playing. Feed him, rock him and put him back down and walk out. He may fuss a bit. That's ok. He'll learn that it's not time to wake up yet and (hopefully) go back to sleep.
It's a process. So rock him or sit with him until he's sleepy. DON'T PLAY or stimulate him. You'll just teach him that he's being rewarded to wake up "at night". He'll get it and you'll get some sleep.
Good luck Mama!
My youngest one who is now 18 months is an early riser and always has been regardless of when we put him down. His usual bedtime is 7:30pm, even if he goes to bed at 8:30pm, he's awake at 6am. When he was younger he was the same as your son, waking up so early and we had to just train him, by not going in the room, playing, and just letting him go back to sleep on his own. It may be a hunger issue, but I would not suggest cereal in a bottle. I'm not sure why people continue to suggest this when all the research lately has said how bad it is and that it does not help kids sleep better. If he needs a bottle, give him one and then back to bed, it will take a little time and even 6am is better than 4am, speaking from experience!!
What time is he going to sleep? How many hours per night is he getting? My son is usually a 10 hour sleeper but is in bed most nights by 7pm (8 if I can push it back). He's usually up by 5/530 (and this is after getting up 1x between 330/430 to eat or just wake up). If he's getting the recommended sleep but is just waking early, I do not know if there is anything other than what you are doing to prevent it. Do not turn on lights, keep everything very quiet and put him back into his bed even if he's talking. He may fall back asleep on his own.
Definitely do what Carrie suggested and remember to keep it very dark, and very quiet. Have a good sleep tonight!
S.
i had they same problem my periatrition told me to try to feed my daughter a bottle with cereal in it only before bed.its helps fill them up more so they can sleep longer.so we bathed our daughter and gave her the cereal bottle around 9 or so and she would sleep till atleast till 7:30 or 8 am. i was so happy after that we did it every night and low and behold every night she slept at least 10 to 12 hours and i was so happy i got some sleep to..hope this helps
