Early waking- advice please!!!

[NumNumMum]

My lo is 15 wks old and was sleeping through till 7am but a few weeks ago (3 or 4) started waking at 5am. He used to disturb and drift back off. Could he now be hungry, tho sometimes he makes it till 6.30? would a dreamfeed help maybe? Is this a good age to start this or too late? Or could it be he's going to bed overtired as I read in another thread? He doesn't sleep for very long in the day, usually 30 mins at a go, and is very tired at bedtime, 7.30ish. Other days he seems to do a big catch-up. Or maybe I should just count myself lucky that he sleeps as well as he does and wait till he's older to sleep longer again. just worry he's not getting enough food and/or sleep.

[jambot]

Are you breast or bottle feeding? How big is he and what does his feeding schedule look like?

[NumNumMum]

Breast and bottle feeding, he weighs 14lb 6oz and is gaining well. His routine(ish) generally goes bf on waking, (if it's really early I take him in bed and let him help himself!) then bf 7.30-8am, bf topped with 7oz 1st milk 10-10.30, same again 1-1.30, same again 4-4.30, bit of a bf 6ish then 7oz of second milk 7ish and bed.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

bumping this for you as im in the same boat. Have started dream feeding but tbh my ds still wakes at the same time. He has 7oz at about 8.30pm then bed, dream feed about 3-4 oz at 11 ish then sleeps until 6.30. Used to go back off until about 8-9 but has started staying awake at 6.30.

[NumNumMum]

Thanks Fifi, this is one of my worries too- that early waking will become the norm. I liked 7.00 more!! Will seem worse with approaching dark mornings, I'm sure. Did notice he seemed a bit chilly and wondered if that was the problem. Started covering up more tho don't want to overheat him, and he's done a couple of 6.30s. I think if I do a dream feed he may wake properly and it's a job to get him back to sleep in his bed and not in mine. It's a gamble I'm not sure about if it may not help anyway. I tried putting him in bed a little earlier tonight and he slept ok today so he wasn't overtired. Wonder if that'll help. I'll let you know. Did have jabs today though! How old's your lo and what's his daytime sleeping like? Any sort of a pattern? Does he have a bedtime routine?

[fifiandtheflowertots]

hi, his routine his normally, bath at 7pm, ready for bed, 7oz at 8.30 then bed, wakes at 6.30,7oz bottle then used to go back to sleep until 8 but has now started staying awake. 6oz at 11, falls asleep for about a hour, 6oz at 3. Ive started him on solids so he has a jar of something about 6.30, normally has a nap only 30 mins then his bedtime bottle again 7oz.
Ive gave him a dream feed for the past ciuple of nights but he's still waking at his normal time which i dont mind but i cant get him back off to sleep.

[NumNumMum]

How old is your lo? mine's on bf topped up with 7 or 8 oz about every 3 hours give or take 30 mins so that's 4 bottles per day and gradually phasing in second milk. He's been having a bottle at 4ish and then a quick sleep- about 30mins 5.30ish- then bath about 6 and is really hungry for last bottle at 6.30-7.00. Am going to try a bottle before the bath I think and a small one after? Maybe i's a calorie thing as they're growing and need more? By the way, last night pretty bad- disturbed at 3.30 but went back off, then he woke at 4.15am and wouldnt settle after a feed so came in bed, dozing and feeding till 7.00. So much for the overtired theory?I need to get something consistant sorted.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

he's 5 month, i think he's teething as he's been chewing his fists and anything else he can get hold of and he's drooling all the time. I tried giving him bonjela and calpol last night before bed but it didnt really help.
Have you tried giving him a dream feed before you go to bed?

[NumNumMum]

Not tried a dream feed yet because of trouble getting him back off if he wakes up. It'll be a last resort, I think. Tried slotting in that extra bottle tonight, so the last part of the day went 7oz at 6pm, bath 6.30, 4oz 7.15pm, 7.30 bed. He went down really easily, out like a light, so we'll see! Are you sure your lo is getting enough calories during the day? Mine seems to have much more, though maybe he's just a bit of a pig! He's had 33oz today- plus bfs!! Feel for you- and him, with the teething though. That'll throw everything out of kilter, won't it. Just hope they come through quick! Keep me posted.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

yeah he's getting enough during the day, tried to top him up yesterday throughout the day but he wasnt interested, he's on the plus milk now though and ive been giving him mashed up rusks with milk and he sometimes has a jar of food as well.
Last night was better for us, went to sleep for 30 mins at 2 then had 1 hour at 4.30, jar of food, stayed awake until 8.30 then 7oz then bed, dream feed 3oz at 11 and he didnt properly wake up and slept until 7.15 so we had over an hour extra.
Going to try that tonight again and see if it works. How old is your lo?
If he's waking up anyway you could try the dream feeding and see if it works for you.

[NumNumMum]

He's 15 weeks and sleeps all through till the early waking thing, so loathe to wake him but think I may have to. He's too young for solids, I think. Woke 4.15am for second time in a row!!!Then in bed till 8. This seems to be getting worse.{sad}

[fifiandtheflowertots]

is there no way he'll stay up any later than 7.30, even if its until 8?
does he sleep much during the day?

[hub2dee]

Still quite young to expect perfect nights I think. Just because he had a period where he did sleep through doesn't mean it will continue indefinitely ! (IMHO)

[oops]

Message withdrawn

[NumNumMum]

Sorry not to answer sooner- computer troubles. Can't go later, Fi- he's nodding by 7.30! Hope we go back to later waking soon then, Oops, it wasn't a good night last night, could do with a "lay in" till 7.00, well I can always hope!

[NumNumMum]

Oh and he sleeps about 2 1/2 hrs per day, over four naps.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

well ive had saturday and sunday morning of waking up at about 7am after id gave him a dream feed, but this morning it was just after 6 again and i didnt give him a dream feed.
So i really think that this might be helping him go that bit longer.
also i think it could be when he hears dp getting up for work it unsettles him. Anyway he had his 7oz then i just lay him on my bed and he went back off for about 30 mins or so, so its getting back to the way it was.
maybe you should try the dream feeds and see if it makes a difference, my ds doesnt even realise ive got him out his cot and just stays asleep

[dutchmummy]

Hi NumNummum,

my son is 3,5 years old now, but as I recall it he was also very restless when he was teething. I did notice that he did sleep a lot better when we made the surroundings more quiet. His bedroom was very simple, not too much distraction, I made sure he wasn't getting too much distraction during the day (which made him very restless) so I always gave him plenty of time to calm down before sleeping, no wild games that made him too busy in the head and stuff. Even now we notice that he is a child that needs stability and when he has been too hyped up during the last part of the day he still will make a big fuzz over getting to sleep and will wake up in the middle of the night dreaming and so on. We have to set his boundaries for him just like when he was a baby. Maybe that's a tip? look at the input he get's when he's awake, maybe that's too much for him? Hope you can use some of it.. Greetings, dutchmummy

[NumNumMum]

thanks, Dutchmummy! We do try to keep things as calm as possible, but it's not easy in a small house with a big sister! He's sleeping in with me and dp due to bedroom shortage. He woke up at 3.15 the other night but got himself back to sleep ok, then woke at 4.15 and by then was definately hungry. He's generally going for shorter periods in the day between feeds too. we're gradually switching to second milk at the moment, maybe that'll help tho the last 2 bottles have been 2nd milk for a little while now. Yey, Fifi! Two 7ams? Heaven! Maybe it is time to go for a dreamfeed. How can you tell when they no longer need it, and how do you go about stopping it? By the way, Think we may have a teething situation starting now.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

morning numnummum,
well its was 6.30 this morning but he didnt have a dream feed as he had his bottle at 9 pm and was full
i dont have a problem with him waking at this time but he always normally goes back to sleep intil about 8am but just isnt doing this. I have to get up and put him in his bouncy chair and he'll sometimes go back off in that.
I havent thought about when or how to drop the dreamfeeds, i think you'd probably just gradually drop the amounts then stop altogether or replace the milk with water.
I just wish i knew why he's suddenly stopped going back off after his bottles

[NumNumMum]

Morning! Afraid I can't help with that one, Fifi. Dd (now 10) did the same thing- suddenly started waking at five and not going back off till 7.30-8am and carried on for about a year, didn't know what to do- no mumsnet back then! Sorry to scare you!

[fifiandtheflowertots]

well he went back off at 7.30 until 9.15 this morning in his bouncy chair so i had another hour on the sofa. He just wont go back off in his cot or on my bed like he used to.
Now im worried that we'll be up even earlier when the clocks change.

[NumNumMum]

Yes- hadn't thought of that. I think it's a case of moving everything along slowly just a little at a time so you end up back at the right place. Horrible getting up when it's still dark though! I read somebody suggested making the first sleep a little later in the day in a similar thread running at the moment- said it was the only thing to work for them. Don't know what age that worked for though, must try and find out. Maybe it's just a grin and bear it thing.If mine wakes at 6.30 or later I just get up. Less of a rush getting dd to school then. Mine disturbed at 2.15, 3.30, 4.15 and woke up hungry at 5.15! Still not tried that dream feed.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

well i had a disturbed night last night. Gave ds his bottle before bed but he wasnt interested, he only had 4 oz and kept sticking his toungue out so i couldnt feed him. I put him down and tried again about 2 hours later to give him the rest of it but he wouldnt have it.
So..he was awake at 4.15, settled back with dummy,then at 5, then up properly at 6.15.
i've found myself going to bed just after 9 lately as im so knackered and im hardly spending time with dp
hope it gets back to normal soon

[NumNumMum]

I really sympathise with that. I usually fall asleep on the sofa pretty early then drag myself off to bed. Doesn't help a relationship, nor being generally tired and crabby. Does your dp help out at night? Mine usually just makes a couple of sympathetic noises and goes back to sleep, then snores to rub it in. Had a bit of a breakthrough last night, usless it's a fluke,lo woke about 2.45 but went back off after some shushing and patting, then slept till 7.30 and then he was woken by the alarm and may have gone longer ! Two things different. One was I tried the morning nap at a later time, (about half an hour, he was busy and didn't get too grumpy), and the other was he had all his naps in his cot for the first time. Anyway, he slept an extra half hour in the day. Was still tired by bedtime though. They do say sleep makes more sleep, I've read that before. Maybe it's worth a try? He's done even better today and slept an extra hour, so we'll see how he goes. Hope it's not a one off! Fingers crossed.

[fifiandtheflowertots]

well my ds went back to sleep yesterday morning but i had to put him in his bouncy chair and he slept for a couple of hours, woke up about 10, had his bottle then slept again between 12-2, then had another nap about 4.30 ish for 30 mins..he never normally sleeps for as long as that he normally has about 2 hours across the whole day.
Now he's up and it doesnt look like he will go back to sleep he's sitting blowing raspberries and squeeling which will no doubt wake the people upstairs up.