Sleeping FAQ: 0-8 weeks – Early Morning Waking

Will my 7-week-old daughter settling at 6.40pm cause early-morning wakings?

The routines are working well so far. The only thing is that – as the routine suggests – I give her the 6.15pm feed (which she is well ready for!) but as I am bottle feeding, she will take a 6oz bottle and fall asleep at 6.40pm rather than 7pm and I am worried that she may start to wake earlier than 7am. At the moment I have to wake her and would like to keep it that way. Do I need to keep her awake so she goes down at 7pm or is it ok to let her settle earlier?

Your daughter seems to be doing exceptionally well for 7 weeks, settling for the night after her 10.30pm feed and being woken at 7am. Be guided by her needs as well as following the routines. If she needs to settle to sleep at 6.40pm and this has no effect like her waking earlier than 10pm or in the morning leave things as they are.

If she does begin to wake earlier in the morning, be aware that she does need to be fully awake for at least 45 minutes at 10.30pm. Sometimes this waking time needs to be extended with a split feed starting at 10pm and finishing around 11.30pm. This has the effect of helping a baby sleep on in the early hours of the morning if they have begun to wake earlier.