Lila (7 months) has started early morning waking since I introduced protein
My problem is that Lila is 7 months and waking every morning around 5-6.30am. I have tried various methods, suggested in your book, to try and correct this. I have blackout curtains and have made sure it is completely dark in her room. The early morning waking started around 6 months when I introduced protein (vegetarian). I have been following the CLB routine since she was 2 weeks old.
Lila wakes 5-6.30am and I leave her until 7am when she drinks 6oz formula, then has breakfast. If awake early she naps around 9-9.15am until 10am. Around 11.30am she has a vegetarian lunch with some water then naps at 12.30pm until 2.30-2.45pm. At 3pm she has 4oz formula. At 5pm she has vegetarian tea and some water, then at 6.30pm she drinks 6-7½ oz of formula and goes down at 7pm to bed.
Can you help please as I have a 3½-year-old who is waking early because her sister disturbs her.
Many thanks
Jenny
There may be a couple of reasons why Lila has begun to wake early. This is quite a common problem in the second half of the first year.
Firstly, getting the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables and fruit with three milk feeds a day must be looked at. As your baby is on a vegetarian diet this is especially important so you can rule out hunger being the cause of early waking. A baby of Lila’s age needs a minimum of 20oz a day. This includes milk contained in dairy products such as cheese and yoghurt.
Secondly, although Lila is waking early and probably tired by 9am try to move this sleep forward by five minutes every few days until she is going down at 9:30am.
This should have the knock-on effect of Lila going down for her midday nap slighter later, nearer to 1pm. Often babies whose naps have not been moved forward like this begin to fall sleep exhausted at 7pm and immediately fall into a deep sleep. This has the knock-on effect of them waking early.