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December 2010 Moms
GrayGhost13
member
Sleep Advice WWYD
GrayGhost13
member
First of all, newborn moms, please don't hate me! :-) I know you guys have it much worse, but when you're used to getting decent sleep, somehow losing it seems so much worse. 
So, DS has been a pretty good, consistent sleeper for the past year or so. He goes to bed between 10 and 11 and wakes between 6 and 7. I know that's only 7 to 9 hours, which is less than recommended for his age, but he's seemed pretty well rested and slept well, so I never tried to tinker with his schedule.
Lately, more and more often, he's falling asleep early (sometimes as early as 7 or 8). If he goes down early, I let him go to bed for the night, hoping that he'll get a couple extra hours, but instead of getting extra sleep, he just wakes up earlier. Last night he went to bed at 7 and was up at 4 a.m. ready to play. (Yesterday it was 2 a.m.!!!) I always try to get him back down if he wakes up early, but when he's already had that much sleep it's a no-go; he will just run around the room, in the dark, and chatter to the pets if I don't get up with him.
So, I guess I need to star keeping him up 'till his normal bedtime again, right? And wake him up if he falls asleep at 7? It goes against everything in me to wake a sleeping baby but these early mornings are killing me.
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Re: Sleep Advice WWYD
Sorry rest is not coming easily! We do not have the same sleep pattern you're experiencing, but what you're describing is clearly a pattern than is discussed extensively in Ferber's book. His newborn techniques are what he is known for but that's really only a chapter in it. He tells you the technique for stretching it a bit and getting it in the general hours you'd like for it to be. I'd offer to lend you my copy but honestly I bought it used from Amazon for probably $8! I'm sure you could find it in your library too. Good luck and sleepy vibes!
BTW, I assume he's on one nap now right?
Thanks! I'll have to check out Ferber.
He is usually on one nap, but it's been kind of variable. Usually it's one nap around mid day ranging between one and three hours. Occasionally, he might take two shorter naps--one early, one late--of an hour or so each. I try to avoid the late afternoon naps lately though because it makes him less sleepy at bedtime.
Thanks for the advice. I like the idea of moving it just a little, but not a lot.
He bed-shares with us. Sometimes, he'll stay in bed a little while and cuddle when he wakes up early, which is nice, but eventually, he'll get up and start playing and talking and he'll let one of the dogs out of her crate and start playing with her (which I don't allow unsupervised) ... so I pretty much have to get up with him. ... He's such a 'lil monkey, it's hard to keep him contained for very long!
Isaac sleeps from 7:30 until 6-7 am which works great with our schedule. I would try to make his bedtime 9 and then gradually make it earlier and earlier so he gets more sleep at night and cut back to 1 nap consistently.
I hope things turn around quickly - not sleeping at night is no fun (or getting up at 2 or 4 am!)
How much total sleep is he getting between naps and night sleep? I think 11.5 is the minimum, with 13.5 being average. If he's one of those kids who only needs 11.5 (that's basically what Avery gets too...) then you need to cut back his daytime sleep if you want him to sleep longer at night. If he's waking up super early and then making up for it by taking a huge mid-day nap (or two), then he'll never get back on track.
For now, if he falls asleep at 7p, then maybe let him sleep for an hour and then wake him up. Then put him back to sleep at 10p or 11p. If that causes him to sleep too late in the morning, then it's easy to get him back on a good schedule just by waking him up in the morning when you want him to start waking up (7 a.m.?).
Would he do well if you did not bed-share? I know you make the choice that works best for your family, but your description right down the the dogs is exactly what C does if he is in bed with us. He sleeps infinitely longer in his own bed. Just a thought!
Thanks again everyone for the input!
@tiffanyp - I think with naps included, he's probably averaging 10 to 11 hrs most days. He does seem to nap more after nights when he's slept less, so I guess it evens out.
@lrn - We've thought a little bit about when we might make the transition to his own bed, but I'm not sure now is the right time for us. Its definitely something to consider in the future though if the other things we try don't pan out.
Much appreciated all. I'll let you know how things go.