Help! DS waking earlier and earlier

MickeyM04 · June 2013

Since about 5 months, DS has been a great sleeper. Goes down at about 7:15 and STTN until the next morning. Usually he would wake up around six. Since daylight savings time started, he's started waking up for the day around 5:45. Not a biggie, we're kind of used to it. Plus he talks to himself in his crib for an hour so we use the opportunity to get ready for work. Well lately, he has been getting up earlier and earlier. A few nights ago he woke up for the day at 5:15. Then the next day it was 5:00. Then yesterday it was 4:50. Today it was 4:30. We never go in his room until after 6:00, a) because he's never distressed and just talks to himself anyway, b) we don't want him to learn that 4:30, 4:50, whatever is "time to get up time," and c) we are usually getting ready for work between 5:00 and 6:00 anyway. We always hope if we leave him in there, he'll go back to sleep, but he doesn't. Today he babbled from 4:30 until 6:00 when we went in there.

I am at a loss as to how to get him to sleep until a normal time like he used to. We got room darkening blinds awhile back. He goes to bed at like 7:15 which may seem early but he usually passes out as soon as he goes in his crib so it's not like we are putting him down too early or he wouldn't go right to sleep, right? He naps well during the day...usually either an hour in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon, or no morning nap and a two and a half hour nap in the afternoon.

Any suggestions?

I feel like this may turn into a vicious cycle. Yesterday he napped for almost 4 hours during the day (probably because he got up at 4:50), and then he woke up early today. I'm sure he'll nap a ton today because he got up even earlier, and then the same thing will happen. But trying to skip naps is a sh!t show. Blurg.

adoxyinherear · June 2013

Oh, man. That's rough. Could you wake him so he sleeps a little less during the day? DD goes down around 7:15, too, and I'm worried she's going to start waking earlier (she was getting up around 8, because she wakes a few times during the night). This morning she woke up at 6:15 and didn't want to go back to sleep. BABIES. Hope there are some good suggestions from others.

hopefulmom81 · June 2013

I have 2 suggestions, though, admittedly I am not a sleep expert. DD is pretty inconsistent, but a few things popped out.

1. Is he showing signs of being tired before you put him in his crib? Rubbing eyes, slowing down, etc?

2. I would not let him nap as many hours. DD only naps 2-3 hours a day. I know all babies are different, but if she got closer to 4, she wouldn't need to sleep as much at night, kwim?

Other than that, it sounds like you are doing just what you need to do by not going in there. If he seems alert when he is awake and not fussy due to lack of sleep, it might just be a phase.

MickeyM04 · June 2013

hopeful, before we put him in his crib for the night, he rubs his eyes and pulls his ears a lot, so he's definitely tired. Same thing for during the day when we are home with him, but usually the nanny is the one there during the day and she's been caring for him since he was 3 months old so I'm sure she's probably following his cues too.

With regard to not letting him nap as long that's something I'm wondering about too, except usually if we wake him from a nap to go somewhere like a birthday party or whatever, the rest of the day is a DISASTER and he's super cranky. It like throws off his rhythms or whatever. Here's hoping it's a phase.

crystalknpp · June 2013

Daylight savings time and DS cutting his first tooth happened right around the same time, he was about 7m old. Ever since then he's been waking up earlier and earlier. He gets a bath at 730 and is asleep every night by 8pm. He used to sleep until 7 or 8 but now he's up at 5. There were a few days he even woke up at 345, 400, 430 etc. We've tried making his bedtime later and all that does is make putting him to bed a nightmare. Nothing in his routine has changed so I have no idea how to make him sleep longer. The pediatrician said to just let him CIO but I haven't tried that route yet. I have no real advice but I just wanted to offer ((HUGS)) and let you know you're not the only one dealing with this.

martinimomma · June 2013

No real "advice" as much as validation that DS had a weird period of getting up early around 16 -18 months. Not as early as your little guy, but definitely earlier than usual (like 5 instead of 6). We just rode it out and he snapped back to his normal sleep schedule....did it again about a month later for a week, and then went back to (so far) stay. In his case we chalked it up to teething/pooping/late naps/you name it, we never really could figure out a reason. Long way of saying I vote "unfortunately phase". At least he is happy in his crib. DS would chant "Mamamamamamamamamama" which of course I heard through the monitor and could not help but respond to.

mork · June 2013

I don't have advice, but wanted to let you know you're not alone. DD has been waking earlier and earlier with the sun the last few months. We don't do daylight savings time in AZ, and her room is impossible to keep dark (long story). Anyway, she worked up from 7 to 445 finally, and we broke! (DH works swing, so we don't go to bed until 12 or 1.) We tried putting her to bed later, but that was a disaster. Now we treat the first wake like it's a MOTN (which she hasn't had in over 4 months): we change and feed her with the lights off, and then put her back to bed. It usually takes 30 mins of talking to herself, but she sleeps for another hour or so. GL and hugs!

tetiananina · June 2013

Jackson goes through these phases, his black out curtains come in today thankfully. He's asleep between 745815 everyday. If he naps from 57 he's asleep no later than 830. But get up early at times. I think every child is different. Hopefully it's a phase. Could it be that he knows you guys are awake and he hears you?

jertie · June 2013

Argh - I feel your pain! Pip started doing the same thing after the time change. She also has room-darkening curtains and still she woke up. I finally tried shutting her door and it worked!! Usually she starts chirping about 4:30, so I go in and check on her - then close her door - not completely shut, just enough to block out the light. The sky gets light a lot earlier these days and Pip sure can sense it. The good news is that the solstice is just around the corner and the days will start getting shorter soon! Good luck!

Karen1998 · June 2013

I disagree about not letting him nap as long, but agree that it may be time to move him to one long nap per day. You could just also be screwed with an early waker. I've found that DS will sleep longer and better at night when he gets good sleep during the day, and specifically during the afternoon. When he was on two naps, he started skipping one nap and would be a hot mess the rest of the day. He simply needed more sleep, but was unable to get there. When I moved him to one nap a day, he finally (it took a while - weeks) stretched his daytime sleep out and then gradually stretched his nighttime sleep out. So, I wonder if your LO is just ready to move to one nap. Yes, it's early to do it at 13m, but he's won't be the only child that age on one nap.

As for timing, to move to one nap, you just gradually push that morning nap back until it meshes with a normal afternoon nap time for you. Our nap time is 1-3. He rarely naps the full 2 hours, but I make him stay in the crib for it. That's how we "compromised" after a long battle of trying to get him to nap more than 30 minutes. Even if he doesn't nap, he rests during that time and it really improves his behavior for the rest of the day. Also, the 1pm time allows you to eat a normal lunch and gives him time to be up for several hours before bedtime.

JulyMomma2U2 · June 2013

I had posted something very similar a few months ago.. wasn't really sure what triggered it, but DS suddenly was getting up between 4-5. Like you, we still left him in the crib until 6:15 and he'd just babble. Unlike you, though, we didn't notice him napping more during the day, so I can't really comment on that part.. but, what I can say is it was just a phase for our DS. We stayed consistent with when we got him and it hasn't seemed to impact things a whole lot. There are still days here and there where he'll wake around 5-5:30, but he'll play for a bit and then almost always will catnap again until 6-6:30. We've actually gotten to the point now where we're having to wake him at 6:15, because he's gone back to sleep! It's nice because every now and then on a weekend he'll fall back to sleep and stay asleep until 7 or 8!! Anyway, don't give up hope just yet

Looks like it's very much a phase for us

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