My 3.5mth son is doing well on the routines except I cannot get him to sleep beyond 6am
Since I started my son on the routines, he has been brilliant. He sleeps beautifully at all the times he should and we have recently cracked the ‘waking after 45 minute problem’ at lunchtime and he now sleeps well for 2 hours. He still wants about 30 minutes in the afternoon too usually from 4-4.30. He is so tired after his bath that I just cannot keep him awake until 7pm, so he is normally in bed by about 6.40-6.45pm. If I don’t put him down, he just falls asleep either in my arms or on my knee.
He sleeps through from his 10.30pm feed until 6am really well, but I cannot seem to get him to go to 7am. If I feed him at 6am (at which point I breastfeed him) he only feeds for about 10 minutes and will then resettle until 7am/7.30am with no problem at all. This leads me to think that he does still need the sleep, and is not particularly hungry – so how can I get him to just sleep right through until 7am? I have also tried to keep him awake for longer at 10.30pm but it just doesn’t work. I have tried to split the feed allowing him to kick in between, but he is not interested in the second part of the feed and so wakes at about 4.30-5am and is quite hungry. If he has the full feed, he will take 8oz but then fall asleep straight away. Nothing will keep him awake.
When he wakes at 6am (which is always to the minute!), I have tried leaving him to cry (which had been successful with sorting out the lunchtime nap) but he just will not have it and works himself in to such a frenzy he will not resettle at all. Also, even after a small feed at 6am, it puts him off a good feed at 7am and so he wakes from his morning nap at about 9.45am and is really shouting! He will drink 7oz – sometimes more – without even pausing for breath.
My son’s feeds are 6am breastfeed, 7/7.30am breast feed, 10.30am formula 7ozs, 2.20pm 8ozs formula, 5.15pm breast, 6.15pm 6ozs formula, 10.30pm 8ozs. He weighs 16lbs 4ozs.
My son naps at 9-9.45am, 12-2pm and 4-4.30pm.
As your son wakes at exactly the same time every morning it could be from habit or from his being disturbed by an external noise whilst in a light sleep. As his sleep at this time in the morning will be quite light he could be disturbed by noises such as your boiler firing up, traffic noise from outside or light coming into his room under the door.
Look at the case study of Joseph on page 78 of The Complete Sleep Guide or page 42 of Contented Baby to Confident Child about a case where light woke the baby. If you do suspect his waking is through some external noise or light spend a night in his room to see if you can find out what it is.
If you feel that your son’s waking is through habit then make sure he is well tucked in. If he stirs from a light sleep he may be waking up as the result of his Moro reflex disturbing him. Make sure he is not too cold or hot or that a wet nappy is making him chilled in the early hours of the morning.
To get your son to sleep until 7am without needing a feed, you may need to make some adjustments to his feeding and sleeping patterns during the day.
It can be difficult to wake a baby for the 10pm feed. It is better to start to wake him at 9.45pm as this is often a time of lighter sleep than that after 10pm. Put on the lights and undo any coverings around him. It may take him 15-20 minutes to wake up properly. Make sure he is well awake before starting the first part of the feed. Let him have 5-6ozs. Encourage him to stay awake by being in a well lit room with some background noise. By 11.15pm he will be ready to sleep again so change him and offer him the last 2-3ozs in his room with the lights dimmed. By being awake for over an hour he may well sleep through the extra hour in the morning.
It would also help if your son could manage to get to 7pm before going to sleep. Move his afternoon nap on slowly, by five minutes every few days, so he is sleeping from 4.15-4.45pm or even 4.30-5pm. If you take him out for a walk at this time of day you may find that, as he is busy looking around, he will able to stay awake to this later time. He may catnap on and off in his buggy rather than having a longer stretch of sleep but this will still help him to stay awake until nearer 7pm.
The amount of formula your son takes at 2.20pm could be affecting his feeds later in the day. He needs to be taking a good feed at 6.15pm to set him up for the night. As he does not need a feed in the night the split 5pm/6.15pm feed can be dropped and all the feed given to him after his bath. If you are concerned about your milk supply dropping if you stop feeding him at 5.15pm consider breast feeding him at 2.30pm. If your son seems a little fractious after his afternoon nap offer him some water in a bottle. It is a good idea to get your son used to the idea of drinking fluids, other than milk, from a bottle.
Once you have put all these changes into place you may find that your son is waking nearer to 7am. If he still wakes at 6am offer him a drink of boiled water to see if this will settle him. If he still will not settle without a feed the water will help to fill him a little so you can give him a shorter breast feed which will increase his appetite for the 7am/7.30am feed.