Early Risers

Ok, so apparantly my boys think it's fun to be up before the birds...especially my Aiden.

They go to bed between 6-6:30pm each night. We have a hard time getting them that late some days, especially if their 2nd nap ends before 2pm. They've dropped their 3rd nap a while ago. The naps they do take during the day range from 30 mins to 2 hrs. If they take 2 short ones, we usually do lay them down for a 3rd 'cat nap' in the late afternoon (getting them up by 4:30-5pm).

They do 4 bottles & 3 solids meals.

My problem is that despite going to sleep like perfect angels each night, they wake up & either cry, talk, or play in their cribs between 4-5am. My DH thinks they don't need 12 hrs of sleep at night, which is fine, but how in the world do I keep them up until 8Pm to alter their wake up to 6am?

We've done CIO. We've MADE them stay in their cribs til 6am for weeks, so it's not like they get to get up & play at that time. Some days they wake each other. Some days they don't. Some days they SCREAM from 4 til 6am, some days they play, some days they go back to sleep.

If this is a phase, it's a LONG one. I'm talking months. We've been working on CIO for the past 3 weeks at least. It's just getting soooo frustrating having to listen to them cry when we're so tired & wanting to sleep.

They don't get up to eat during the night & typically don't take their morning bottle til around 6:45am (so around 45 mins after they get out of their cribs). Most of the time, when we get them out, they're all happy & smiley the SECOND they're released from their crib prison .

What do we do to get them to sleep til 6am? I'm not asking for them to sleep til 9am or anything...just 6am.

Any suggestions???????

 

I read the Baby Whisperer Answers All of Your Questions. It is mainly for toddlers but it addresses early waking. It says you should go in an hour before they typically wake up (4am) and nudge them until they kind of wake up. (she states it in better terms). It breaks their sleep cycle and lets them sleep. I used this with my girls on several different occasions. It would sometimes take a couple of night for them to get their bodies on that schedule but it was easier to wake up for a few minutes than to be up listening to them for an hour. Hopefully it works for you!

 

But what if I nudge them & they stay awake? My luck, I'll nudge them around 4am & they'll be up for the day!

 

NO advice, just hugs. That is one of the most frustrating things, EVER! Can you put them in separate rooms?

 

Just wanted to let you know that we're in the same boat. Even when I can get my DD to stay up til 7 pm, she wants to get up at 4:30 in the morning, sometimes earlier. She doesn't sleep well throughout the night, either. She's usually up every few hours, but fortunately she just needs a pacifier and she'll go back to sleep. My other one sleeps like a rock.

Sorry I'm not much help. Hopefully they'll grow out of it

 

I recently read an article to put safe toys (small stuffed animals, teethers, foam blocks, etc.) in their cribs so they can entertain themselves if they wake and are bored (hence the screaming for mommy and daddy) it has worked for ours 'for the time being'.

I will keep mine up until 7 each night, despite the crankies and they generally sleep until 7ish the next morning (not always though).

I do anything and everything to keep them entertained with books or songs or playing with a fuzzy blanket as part of out nightime routine. I keep in pretty much the same each night. I have a corny way of saying goodnight to things like the toys or birds on our feeders and they seem to like it and it takes a little while (as to keep them up later). Then I sing them songs in their room (which takes a little longer) and then I will talk about something that occured during the day to each of them separately and give kisses and cuddles (taking a little longer)........................ Then they are off to sleep on their own.

I'll will admit it though, it is quite challenging as DH is not here (at bedtime 6 out of the 7 nights due to working the family business) and there are times I want to put them in bed at 4:30 but I tough it out and pray they sleep through the night!!

Maybe they are just going through a growth spurt and it will pass? We borrowed a book from a friend called the 'Wonder Weeks' which broke down each growth spurt by weeks (about every 6 or so weeks) and it was always right on when their sleep was affected and things to do to get through it.

Good luck! As my Mom always says "this too shall pass"....

 

:hug99: My girls also sometimes wake up at 5am. I have no idea how to change it since it doesn't matter how early or late I put them to bed.

 

I suffer from early risers as well. This has gone on for months. I wish I had the answer!

Reyna

 

This too shall pass....

This too shall pass....

If I keep saying it, will it pass sooner than later ?!?!

They ended up taking 3 naps today because they didn't nap well for their 1st 2, so hopefully they'll stay up a bit later tonight. I think they're teething, but I still don't think that's ok enough excuse to get up at 5am! Ugh!!!!!!!!!

This too shall pass.....

This too shall pass.........

 

I am right there with you. Oh the glorious post daylight savings days when we slept in until 6. Now it's 3;30-4:30. Been doing cio for ever. Does it work? What I've been wondering is the hshhc theory about putting them to bed earlier and they'll wake up later. It's scary to try because what if it is even earlier. And I'm with pp about the Baby Whisperer nudging awake - my boys are not sound sleepers and that would be the end of that. I can't even imagine the nightmare because, after waking them up, how could I not get up and play with them if they won't go back to sleep. I couldn't be that mean to wake them up and then let them cio.

I was going to post about this today too. Want to know about that putting them to bed earlier making for a later rising thing - has it worked for anybody?

 

Last night we put them down at 6:45pm & Conner slept until we WOKE him at 6:30am. He's always been the better sleeper & I assume it's Aiden who's waking him early. Last night we put him in a PNP in the basement...only a TEMPORARY solution. Aiden, as per his norm, was up at 5am. So, the earlier & the later bedtimes don't seem to effect his wake up. We're going to stick with the 'later' bedtime for a few days to see what happens & if it doesn't work, we'll move it back up to at least get him that little extra. I also did a 3rd nap yesterday b/c they hadn't napped well & I think that helped them stay up a little later. I'll DREAD having to add that 3rd nap again though, but I can't expect them to go from 2pm to 7pm without sleeping! They REALLY fight the 3rd nap, so we'll see if I get one in today or not .