suggestions - waking up at 4:30am

candylies

I need some suggestions how to get DS back to sleep when he wakes up at 4:30am. Any other wake up I can put the paci in, turn on the seahorse and he falls right back to sleep but any wake up past 4:30am it usually takes an hour, if I can even get him back to sleep before the 6am bottle. I feel like I've tried everything. I've stayed in his room and patted his back till asleep, I've tried not staying in his room and doing checks. I've tried diaper change. Tried rocking back to sleep, he only stays asleep if we both fall asleep on the rocking chair. I've tried tummy massage incase he is gassy. I've tried white noise, I've tried no white noise. I've tried a blanket incase he was cold. Tried putting him to bed earlier, tried putting him to bed later. Tried bringing him into our bed but that just signals playtime to him....

He doesn't full out cry when he wakes up, he just whines and whines and whines. I am just out of ideas and very cranky in the mornings because of this. He weaned himself off night feedings around 6 months so I kind of hate starting it up again. I don't really think he is hungry he just has trouble falling back to sleep. I am just all out of ideas. I don't mind him waking up if I can get him back to sleep in a few minutes.  

chance13

Our little guys are about a week apart.... mine does the same thing.  Goes to bed around 7 and wakes up at 4:30...I usually change his diaper and give him a bottle...then immediately put him back down... he cries for a little awhile, but with a full belly passes out soon after.  If we don't feed him, he'll cry forevvvvver! 

Chunstad

candylies:

I need some suggestions how to get DS back to sleep when he wakes up at 4:30am. Any other wake up I can put the paci in, turn on the seahorse and he falls right back to sleep but any wake up past 4:30am it usually takes an hour, if I can even get him back to sleep before the 6am bottle. I feel like I've tried everything. I've stayed in his room and patted his back till asleep, I've tried not staying in his room and doing checks. I've tried diaper change. Tried rocking back to sleep, he only stays asleep if we both fall asleep on the rocking chair. I've tried tummy massage incase he is gassy. I've tried white noise, I've tried no white noise. I've tried a blanket incase he was cold. Tried putting him to bed earlier, tried putting him to bed later. Tried bringing him into our bed but that just signals playtime to him....

He doesn't full out cry when he wakes up, he just whines and whines and whines. I am just out of ideas and very cranky in the mornings because of this. He weaned himself off night feedings around 6 months so I kind of hate starting it up again. I don't really think he is hungry he just has trouble falling back to sleep. I am just all out of ideas. I don't mind him waking up if I can get him back to sleep in a few minutes.  

If it was me and I'd tried everything else, I would think that he is hungry.  C sometimes sleeps 'till 7or 8am, sometimes (like this morning) he wakes up at 4 or 5am.  I feed him, and he goes right back to sleep, the whole thing takes about 15-20 minutes.  I know that sometimes I wake up hungry during the night, he might be hungry, too.  Also, just because you'd be reintroducing feeding doesn't mean that he'll want a feed every morning.  I'm sorry that you are going through this, good luck!

livinirie84

Try keeping him up longer during the day and maybe not letting him nap so much if he's a strong napper. It sounds like his sleep needs are changing. 

candylies

Sounds like trying a bottle may be the way to go. It's only thing I haven't tried just cause I was thinking he had weaned himself off it a few months ago but he is a growing boy.

 

Soon2BMrsN

candylies:

Sounds like trying a bottle may be the way to go. It's only thing I haven't tried just cause I was thinking he had weaned himself off it a few months ago but he is a growing boy.

 

Maybe it's because I breastfeed, but feeding is always the first thing I try (and my DS often wakes before 5am).  He nearly always goes back to sleep.  Just because your LO "weaned" himself off needing an early bottle doesn't mean he can't change his mind if he's in a growth spurt or wants comfort.  He's a baby, not a machine.

candylies

Soon2BMrsN:

candylies:

Sounds like trying a bottle may be the way to go. It's only thing I haven't tried just cause I was thinking he had weaned himself off it a few months ago but he is a growing boy.

 

Maybe it's because I breastfeed, but feeding is always the first thing I try (and my DS often wakes before 5am).  He nearly always goes back to sleep.  Just because your LO "weaned" himself off needing an early bottle doesn't mean he can't change his mind if he's in a growth spurt or wants comfort.  He's a baby, not a machine.

 

Little harsh, I obviously I don't think he's a machine and I tend to let him guide our daily schedule but it's just confusing when you have a pedi tell you not to feed at night so you try everything else you can thinking okay maybe a nine month old is not supposed to eat in the night. I think I will try a bottle tonight and see what happens. Even when we were nursing in the middle of the night he always had a hard time going back down after any feeding after 4:30am so not convinced it's the answer but I am willing to try since I exhausted other methods of soothing to sleep.

alubins

We're in the same boat as you.  This has been going on for the past 4 weeks, ever since he got sick.  We've tried everything you have done, and we offer a bottle at wakeup (FWIW, we haven't stopped offering the bottle if he wakes up after 3am b/c he still exclusively takes bm), but DS will still NOT go to sleep!  He's obviously tired because he will sleep if we hold him.  DH resorted to taking him for a car ride last week at 4am.  He fell back asleep within minutes. 

This morning though DS woke up at 3:30am, but there was a miracle!  After the bottle, we brought DS to bed with us hoping and praying he'd fall asleep.  After rubbing his back for 30min (hey, it's better than falling asleep holding him or taking the car route), DS slept till 7am!  I hope it's not a fluke because we are EXHAUSTED!  I feel for you!