they have been waking up and playing at 4 am.......

For about 2 weeks now, my boys have been waking up and playing in their cribs (loudly, I might add) almost every night beween 3 and 5:30 am. I think one will wake up the other with giggling and loud talking and then the other one will wake up to play too. I usually find them standing in their cribs (which are across from each other), facing each other laughing. I have no idea why this started or why it's continuing. I go in their room, lay them both down (continually going back and forth between the two cribs because one will stand up while I'm laying the other one down) and either rub their legs or stroke their heads until they are drowsy and I know they won't stand up again. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour. I've never let them keep playing, because night time isn't for playing, it's for sleeping and I know once they are playing there is no way they will go back to sleep on their own (they wake up and play in their cribs at about 6:30am and stay up until I finally get out of bed around 7-7:30 to get them dressed and up for the day). I need help. How do I get this to stop? We have a bedtime routine that we tweaked about a month ago. We used to do baths, bottle, bed until we realized that the bath over stimulated them and they stopped going to bed for us, so, now we do baths earlier in the day and we do snack, playtime, bottle, quiet cuddle time and they are in bed by 7:45-8:00. What went wrong? HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :help:

Thanks in advance!

 

I dont really have any advice just that mine do this on occasion and although they are not standing in their cribs, I do not go in there. They eventually fall back to sleep on their own. But not without waking me up with the talking over the monitor. Those are the mornings I get up and turn it off It started at 4am then it moved to 5:30 and it still there. Hopefully it will go away soon. I need more sleep.

Rachel

 

This is just a phase.

Don't go in unless they are crying. They will eventually go to sleep on their own. This is super common behavior for babies, you haven't done anything wrong. Your kids are just being normal!

Good luck!

 

My twins just started doing this in the last couple of weeks also. I don't go in though unless they start crying - they are just learning to roll over and get stuck on their tummies. If they are playing, I leave them alone and they go back to sleep. They do get loud though which is how I know they are awake since we don't have a monitor in their room.

 

The girls have been doing this about once a week for a few months. We just ignore them and they will eventually go back to sleep. I only go in if one starts crying but that usually doesn't happen. I know you said they won't go back to sleep if you don't go in and sooth them, but maybe resist going in for a few mornings and see what happens?

 

I agree, if they are happily playing, let them (and turn down your monitor). Who cares if they are playing if they aren't grumpy all day?
My MIL keeps telling me I should go in there if they are up, but if they are happily squawking and giggling each other and not crying, what's wrong with them playing in their cribs - clearly it would be better if they didn't do it in the middle of the night, but they will grow out of it.

 

QUOTE(Her Royal Jennyness @ Aug 28 2007, 04:35 PM) [snapback]383796[/snapback]
This is just a phase.

Don't go in unless they are crying. They will eventually go to sleep on their own. This is super common behavior for babies, you haven't done anything wrong. Your kids are just being normal!

Good luck!


I completely agree with Jenny. One of my dds STILL does this sometimes. Fortunately she doesn't usually wake the other but I deffinately DO NOT go in there. She will eventually fall back asleep. Sometimes it's only 5 mintues and sometimes an hour. I do not go to get them until 6am which is when we start our day. Just look at it as a special bonding time between them. They are playing and communicating and having fun so let them. As long as no one is getting hurt or crying, I would just close your eyes and get that much needed rest you will need for the rest of the day.