I am very frustrated lately with my son, who is 10 1/2 months old, because he wakes up at 4:30am and won't go back to sleep! He is then starving at 6:00am, and ready for a nap by 7. This has been going on for about 3 weeks. (It's not a result of the time change). When he was teething, he was up a lot randomly at night, but slept until 7:30ish...now he sleeps a solid 8-4:30 or 5 and doesn't want to go back to sleep. I leave him in his crib and rub his back for a while; but doesn't want to go back. He falls alseep on his own when we put him down. I just don't get it. Any suggestions?? I've tried putting him to bed later, but he doesn't make it past 8.
I think the first post covers it pretty well. If I can recall, whenever either of mine got up before 7 they got a feeding and diaper change if needed and back in bed. 4:30 am is the middle of the night and the baby needs to get that, though it may take a little while to teach them. Depending on what and when he eats he could be waking up hungry though.
My son woke up at 4 or 5 am for the entire wonter when he was a baby. I just suffered through it. He would need a nap by 830. Crazy.
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My son woke up at 4 or 5 am for the entire wonter when he was a baby. I just suffered through it. He would need a nap by 830. Crazy.
I treat any child who wakes up before 6 as though they had woken in the middle of the night. That means no playing, no loud noises, and I don't let them get out of bed. When they cry, I go in there, cuddle them, sing to them, etc., but never, ever let them up. Sometimes it's just a phase, and sometimes kids need to learn that waking up at 4 has no advantages. It can take a couple of weeks, and a lot of your time (but probably no more than you're giving now). The key is to never, ever let the child get up before a certain time, or he'll learn that he just has to cry long enough and you will give in. Good luck. I've been there!
Mine is also doing this and her older sister did it as well. I love ananyous C's response, but was never able to enforce the stay in bed thing. I will say this, it was a phase. Hang in there.
Put him to bed earlier and enforce regular nap times. Worked for us!
Good luck!
Blackout curtains have been a lifesaver for us.
Have you tried putting him to bed earlier? DS is the same age and goes to sleep at 7. I've found that when he goes to bed later, his wake up time stays the same (and even earlier sometimes).
If he's sleeping less, it may be time to cut out one of his naps. Going to bed later doesn't make them sleep later, just makes them more tired. Also, if he is starving by 6 a.m., I would review what he's eating over the course of the day. If a growth spurt is coming and/or he has become more active, he may need more to eat, and then may sleep better. Good luck!
My kids went through this too.. it's frustrating and exhausting, but sometimes just the way they are. I found that putting them down earlier helped them sleep later. Someone suggested that to me and I thought they were nuts too! But it worked and helped a bit. Eventually, he will grow out of it.
