Sudden early waking?

mediaperuana

JJ usually wakes around 6:30a, which is plenty early for me, but for the last several days, he's been up at 5:45a! I'm sure he needs more sleep--he dropped his morning nap several weeks ago, but with this earlier wake up time, he's been taking a half hour morning nap again. I'd much rather have him sleep until a reasonable hour and skip the morning nap (well, ok, I'd rather have him sleep until a reasonable hour AND take a morning nap, but let's be realistic.). Any suggestions for getting him back on track? We've tried making him wait it out in his crib until 6:30 (not crying, just babbling to himself), hoping he'll fall back asleep, and we've also tried going in to put him back to sleep, and both have been miserable failures.
His bedtime and afternoon nap are the same as they've always been, so I'm baffled.

Drea926

mediaperuana said:

JJ usually wakes around 6:30a, which is plenty early for me, but for the last several days, he's been up at 5:45a! I'm sure he needs more sleep--he dropped his morning nap several weeks ago, but with this earlier wake up time, he's been taking a half hour morning nap again. I'd much rather have him sleep until a reasonable hour and skip the morning nap (well, ok, I'd rather have him sleep until a reasonable hour AND take a morning nap, but let's be realistic.). Any suggestions for getting him back on track? We've tried making him wait it out in his crib until 6:30 (not crying, just babbling to himself), hoping he'll fall back asleep, and we've also tried going in to put him back to sleep, and both have been miserable failures.
His bedtime and afternoon nap are the same as they've always been, so I'm baffled.

We have a similar situation. From 6 months+ DS has STTN, with an early morning feeding around 5:30. When he was younger and eating less solids, I felt he truly needed to eat at that point. But for the last couple months when he would wake, he would be babbling/playing and I thought, "Okay, I don't think he really needs the food - it's just become habit." (For both of us!) Also, sometimes he will sleep through without waking until about 6:30. So I've been trying to drop the early morning feeding and just have him go straight to breakfast.

So yesterday morning he woke at 5:45, and I dozed on and off listening to him. At 6:30 I decided to get up. I went to the bathroom and by the time I got out, got my bathrobe and slippers, the little stinker did go back to sleep - but I was already awake!

I guess I have no advice, except to maybe try letting LO wait it out again?

djm31012

could he be hungry?

Drea926

Teacher Clark said:

DD1 did that when she was working on dropping a nap. I want to say it lasted a few weeks. DD2 is doing this right now. If she gets two naps, she wakes up early, if not she wakes up late. I'm just letting it play out while her body transitions and hoping it doesn't last too long.

Interesting! I think you may be on to something. A couple of weeks ago, DS took only one long nap for 3 days in a row, and those were days he slept through until 6:30-7. Makes sense. I'm with you though too - I usually just let the sleep transitions go on their own since there seems to be a lot of back and forth with them.

DublinMama

This morning we got treated with a 5:15 wake up. Five, friggin' fifteen. I don't get up until 5:45 on work days, and hopefully not until at least 6 on weekends. I also wait him out and see if he'll put himself back down. Has yet to happen lol. He also took two long naps yesterday, though, so I think that is impacting his wake up times. I'm with PPs, I don't get too regimented with sleep. If he's taking long naps, I assume he needs them and resign myself to the early wake ups. Soon enough I figure he will drop a nap and things will regulate themselves. The patterns change frequently enough that I don't count on one behavior sticking around too long.

mediaperuana

his bedtime is around 7:30, i definitely don't want to go later than that. and if he's hungry, he's usually much crabbier, so i don't think that's the problem. he doesn't seem particularly ravenous at breakfast.

it's just frustrating because i hoped dropping the morning nap would mean sleeping later, and that didn't happen. and now instead, he's waking earlier and wants to reinstate the morning nap. tricky little bugger.

i refuse to get out of bed before 6 fortunately when he wakes, he doesn't cry (knock on wood), he just talks to himself, so i guess i'll keep waiting him out. maybe he'll eventually get the hint.