Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Early Morning Waking

My 5.5 mth son is waking early after dropping his afternoon nap and 10pm feed

I really hope you can help as I am really struggling to follow the routine that has worked so well until recently.
Over the last 4 weeks Jack has been waking too early. He used to settle back off if he woke between 5-6 am but in the last week or so, he has refused this. This morning he woke the earliest time ever at 4.50am and would not settle himself. He wasn’t crying but would not go back to sleep so I gave him a small drink of water and he finally settled back at 5.40am.
Two things have changed in the last week or so: firstly I dropped the 10.30pm feed just over a week ago because he had only been having 1.5-2 oz for a week, and it was really putting him off his morning feed. Secondly, in the last week he has refused to have an afternoon nap. I have always taken him a short walk for this nap and until last week he would have a 10min nap without any problem. Then suddenly he started screaming when I tried to lie him back in his stroller and would not sleep in the upright position. I tried walking for longer but he just cried all the time. When he hasn’t had a 10 min nap he wakes even earlier.
I have tried his milk then solids at 5.30/5.45pm and rest of milk after bath but he still woke early. In the last few days I have tried his solids at 5pm with water because he is only a week off being 6 months and was looking for his feed at 5pm. This has not put him off his last bottle.
I have also introduced a bit of chicken casserole to his veg at lunchtime as I wondered if he was needing protein given his weight and age, but have decided to stop this and re-introduce his milk feed. I have also tried mixing a bit of home made macaroni cheese with his baby rice at tea time to get him used to having something else for tea.
I have tried everything I can think of, but with no effect. He seems to be telling me he doesn’t need an afternoon nap, but his early waking suggests otherwise. Should I persist with trying to get him to nap, even if it means putting him in his room?
Jack was doing so well on the routine and was so settled but he isn’t lately.
I am also concerned about how he will sleep in the day when I go back to work in 9 weeks. The nursery I have chosen has a sectioned area with the cots, but it is nowhere near as dark as Jack’s room. Should I start having his room a bit lighter for his lunchtime nap to get him used to how it will be at nursery?
I really hope you can give me some guidance,m as I can’t see where I am going so wrong and I am at my wits end.
He feeds at 7.20am 6 oz formula, 2oz with 5.5 teaspoons cereal and 2 cubes of apple, 11.15am 6 ozs formula, 3-5 cubes of vegetables, small yoghurt, 2.20pm 6 oz formula, 5pm 2oz formula mixed with 4tsp baby rice and milk in cheese sauce/macaroni. 6.30pm 8ozs. He weighed 19lbs 2 weeks ago.
He naps at 9.20-9.55am and 12.15-1.55pm.

Now your son seems to have abandoned his afternoon sleep, try bringing his whole evening forward by about 15 minutes. Also the split-feed method can work well at this time. It would be better to go back to giving him rice and fruit puree at this time so you can give him half of his solids at 5/5.15pm with a couple of ozs of milk and then offer him the rest of the solids with his bedtime bottle. Bring his bath time earlier and then have him settled by 6.45pm. This may help him from falling into an exhausted sleep, which can be a cause of early morning waking. Although in a week or so you may want to introduce a vegetarian tea at 5pm, it would be better to try to sort out his early morning waking first. Until a baby is well past six months/ milk needs to take priority over his solids.

Increase the amounts you give him at lunchtime so he is receiving 6 cubes of vegetables, including potato or sweet potato, which will give him the carbohydrates he needs. This should help him have a good lunchtime sleep which he now needs having cut out his afternoon sleep. When you re-introduce protein at this time, cut back on the milk he takes rather than cutting it out completely straight away. Still use the “tier” method in the early stages of protein introduction. As he increases his solids he will cut back on the milk and once down to 2ozs it can be dropped and replaced with water.

Re-introducing a very small feed at 10pm could rule out the possibility that your son is waking early because he is feeling hungry. But this should be done once you have tried giving a slightly bigger split feed at 5/6pm.
Giving the right balance of food and milk is still important into the sixth month. It can have quite an effect on sleeping patterns of babies. The case study of Edward p92 in the Complete Sleep Guide could help you with this.

Getting your son more used to sleeping in a lighter room, could be done by leaving his door open slightly during his lunchtime naps on some days. As he is still getting used to going without his afternoon nap, begin to do this once you have sorted out his early morning waking, so he does not become too sleep deprived.