HELP! Baby Waking Up Too Early!

[AprilBaby]

Hello mommies!

My daughter is 14 months old & has been waking up in the 4am hour for about a 1.5 weeks. It's driving my husband & I crazy! Some days it's at 4:15am and others it's 4:45am. She is WIDE awake!

We've tried letting her cry-it-out and also going in her room every 10-15 minutes to lay her back down to tell her it's "night-night" time. Nothing is working & we're exhausted! We can also tell she needs more sleep...

Is anyone else having (or had) a similar experience? Any ideas???

Thank you,
Lisa
Orange County, CA
http://www.NewMommyOasis.com

[puddin_pops_mama]

Lisa,

I have a one-year-old, and a few weeks ago, she started waking around 4, then 4:15, then 4:30, etc. There was no explanation, and it was affecting her naps. We also tried what you did, plus we tried bringing her into our bed. Occasionally I could get her back to sleep by rocking her, but not much worked for very long. This lasted for about two weeks, and then things have gone back to normal. This is what might have been the culprit: she might have just been teething, and couldn't maintain her sleep as she got close to her regular waking time. She is getting about 4 teeth in. Another possible issue: sunlight. We covered her window with a blanket (in addition to the curtains), to maintain darkness in her room. 3rd possible issue: growth spurt - she has definitely sprouted up in the last month. Final possible issue for us: bedtime was a little too late. We moved it up by 15 minutes, and saw results.

Now, I'm not sure if any of this applies to your daughter, but it's a start. I think if you keep her at her regular schedule, she'll get back to a regular sleep pattern.

I hope this helps, and I hope you all get some good sleep soon.

[MommaChristy]

My son did this for a while. I thought I had tried it all. Nothing worked. Until I got thicker curtains for his room, I keep them closed all the time (which even keeps it cooler!) I know at 4am, the sun isn't quite a problem yet... but at 6 it was for us. (If he woke up at 6 or 6:30, I noticed he would be grouchy the entire day.) I didn't want him to be dependent on me sitting next to him to fall asleep, or even in a rocking chair or swing. So I would simply keep the curtains closed, let him play in his crib, or his room (once he moved into a bed.) Until it was time to get up.

Eventually he started climbing back into bed and going back to sleep himself. Even on days he does not.... he just plays quietly. (I use this time to get ready in the morning before work, without him clinging to me the entire time.) Then I simply let him get up/out of bed usually around 7:30, and get him ready.


No matter what time she gets up, try keeping her nap time the same. Even if that means just letting her sit in her crib/bed. I learned quickly as a child that if I wasn't going to nap, I need to at least lay there and be quiet for some down time. When I let my son just "sit" in his crib/bed in his room, he would end up falling asleep anyway (still does!)


Hope you find something that works for ya soon!

[ELLEND]

I've had the same problem with my son. I had already done the "works" (even resorting to taping trash bags over the windows and then closing the curtains). So I started cutting his afternoon naptime down. He sleeps about an hour 10 in the am so I leave that alone and then let him sleep 1.5 hours in the afternoon, unless he wakes on his own. Most of the time that seems to push his wake time a little later.

I found that he was sleeping a lot during the day (when he dropped his third nap it just got added to nap #2 instead of nighttime) so trying to shift that to nighttime seems to help. Also make sure the temp in the room is comfortable and so is how she's dressed. My son won't sleep without his lovey, and when he started teething then he wanted a paci.

Observe her sleeping patterns for a few days and see what you can tweak and try it.