Earlier bedtime

So after reading stories from ladies on here & articles from various sleep experts, we've decided to try the earlier bedtime. Our boys usually go to bed between 6:30-7, so it's already early, but tonight we put them down right around 6. Both were for sure asleep by 6:15. We're hoping it'll alleviate our early morning wake ups (4-5am) & let them rest peacefully until 6am (which I'm ok with).

If they wake up EARLIER now, I may just very well scream & cry along with them! Hee hee hee....

We also separated them tonight so if we do get an early riser, he won't wake the other (or so we hope). I'm so sick of hearing giggles, coos, & squeals from their room at 4am! We usually leave them be, but it's quite rare that they fall back to sleep & then they're cranky & overtired all day. I just feel bad for my DS asleep in the PNP in the living room...those things look soooo uncomfortable! It's probably naughty, but I have some soft fluffy blankets beneath him to make it more cozy for him!

So, we'll see how this goes......

I hope I can add to the success stories I've read on here!

 

Good luck! I hope your babies have read HSHHC. Anyway, the earlier bedtime is definitely worth a shot. Let us know how it goes! Crossing my fingers for you...

 

We were suffering through a 5 a.m. wake up at one point and I too thought I was going to lose my mind. I used to leave them in there until 6 and then when they started sleeping closer to 6, I pushed it to 6:15, and so on.

I hope it works for you! GOod luck and make sure to update us in the morning!!

 

Good luck, I hope it works for you!

 

Well, no big success story to report.

My good sleeper did well. He woke up at 1am-ish, but after 10 mins of fussing, I went in & found him totally mushed up in the corner of his crib. I resituated him, gave him his blankie, turned on his music, & he went back to sleep easily. I wasn't worried about him....he's the one that's always woken up by my bad sleeper, so I think he probably enjoyed the night with the room to himself!

My bad sleeper woke screaming bloody murder around 10:30pm. This wasn't a 'fussing' cry, it was a SCREAM. I tried to settle him, which took a while, & gave him some teething tablets...wondering if it maybe wasn't his teeth irritating him (like we EVER know, right?). He was quiet & I was JUST about back to sleep when he started the bloody murder screaming again around 11pm. This time he got Ibuprofen (but not picked up) & I believe he was asleep within 15 mins after that.

He was then up screaming at 5:30am. It's hard to say if he was up before then b/c I realized I had turned the monitor WAY down (whoops), so he may have fussed prior to his downright screaming we heard at 5:30am. I let DH deal with him....and he was unable to get him back to sleep, so he laid in his crib & fussed til our '6am' rule. He didn't eat til 7am, so it wasn't hunger that was troubling him.

He has a doctor's appt at 10:30am today. He's been doing this SCREAMING out in his sleep for a few days now & hasn't been doing as well with his bottles (fussing during them). He's also been a bit crabbier. We've been assuming it was teething, but I want to MAKE SURE nothing is medically wrong with him (ie ears). If not, then I may just let him cry when he does that 10-11pm wake up & not try to soothe him. We'll see. I just hate hearing him cry.

And, per his usual, he only took a 30-35 min nap this morning. He's been in there playing for about 20 mins now, so I'm giving up hope that he'll go back to sleep. Oh well. Like I can wish for good naps & a good night's sleep all at once ....

Maybe tonight will be better.

One can only hope, right?

 

Good luck with the doctor's appointment. I also have an early riser, but thankfully she is my quiet girl so she doesn't wake her sister up, she just plays in her crib until we get her. Hopefully you'll find a solution that works for you too.

 

I am sorry that things are so rough right now. I can tell you that mine did not STTN until they were 9 months old and then they did the 5am wake up thing for months. I finally had gotten them to the point where they were not screaming for food when they woke up and I would gradually let them stay in there longer and longer until I finally decided I would not go in until 6am no matter what. Well that combined with them being able to stay up a bit later by one year finally allowed them to move back that time to at least 6:30 or if I am very lucky 7am. So, there is a light at the tunnel.

 

I love to hear about lights at the end of the tunnel !

Our doctor's appt went fine. My good sleeper (Conner) has a double ear infection! Poor baby !!!

My bad sleeper & bottle fighter...well, the doctor said, "I honestly don't know what to tell you. Maybe it's a phase. Maybe it's teething. Who knows!" GREAT! So, now that we know he's 'healthy', at least I won't feel so bad letting him fuss/cry longer. I said his diagnosis was PAIN IN THE TUSHIE! LOL. I still find it kinda perplexing that he's running a low grade fever. He got Ibuprofen this morning, so his fever should've been GONE & not still low grade. So, while there's nothing we can 'find' wrong with him, I wonder if SOMETHING still isn't up. He did run a low temp before popping his bottom teeth out, so maybe...maybe...maybe this IS teething related. Oh who knows. If only they could tell you!

Thanks again for the support! We're going to stick to the earlier bedtime; at least it gives him a little more sleep prior to his early morning wake up! I also wish he'd wake up & play quietly instead of YELLING loudly! He's soooo noisy!

Off to take naps...all 3 of us . I'm exhausted!!

 

Hang in there!

Almost as important as the early bedtime (with HSHHC technique) is limiting their wakefulness during the day, consistent naps. If that doesn't happen, then the early bedtime probably won't achieve the desired effect (STTN). The 2 things really do go hand in hand.

Good luck, keep us posted...