Sleeping FAQ: 3-4 Months – Early Morning Waking

My 15-week-old son has begun to wake early and not settle as he used to

My son has been waking up at 5am for the past 3 mornings, after waking at around 7am most mornings before that, for about 2.5 weeks. In the case where he did wake up before 7am, I could always get him back to sleep by either leaving him to cry for a few minutes or giving him a dummy or red bush tea/water. No matter what I tried these past 3 mornings, I could not manage to settle him back to sleep after he woke up at 5am; I left him to cry to 6am, but this does him no good.

I have fitted the blackout blinds and curtains in his bedroom, and in addition to this, I also cover his cot with black fabric which removes all light.

His bedroom is quite warm; I try to keep it cool with a fan. I don’t think the heat is related to his early morning waking, as he doesn’t always wake when it is warm.
I find him completely unswaddled in the mornings. He may even wake earlier than 5am, having undone his swaddle. I swaddle him with a cotton blanket and a light sheet over that so it is very secure. But he is very strong and seems to get himself out of it at night. He does not unswaddle himself during his lunchtime or morning sleeps. I have tried weaning him from his swaddle, but he does not sleep well without it.

I put him down on his stomach yesterday- without a swaddle and he slept well, but still woke up early this morning.

It seems as if he has outgrown his reflux; we have stopped thickening his milk for the last 6 or so days without any vomiting. He might still have quite a lot of acid in his tummy, as he does seem uncomfortable after some of his feeds.

We think he is teething. He has been chewing on things and his hands for quite some time. I use teething gels and powders and give him Calpol when he cries for no apparent reason. He is not usually a baby that cries often. The Gina routine has helped me to know his cries and what they are for. If he cries other than the times that I expect it, I always know it is discomfort, due to either teething/tummy-ache etc.

As he has been crying about 40 minutes before a feed is due and chewing his fingers, I have introduced baby rice at the 11am feed for the last 3 days. I know he is not yet 4 months but seems so very hungry. He takes the rice well.
The daily progress report below contains information on my normal schedule before he started waking at 5 and 6am. When he wakes this early, he is tired by 7.30am and needs a sleep. I let him sleep till 10am and wake him as I normally would.

However, this morning I managed to keep him occupied and distracted till 9am, so his sleep was not affected. This was very difficult, as he was extremely upset and cranky.
He feeds at 7am 7.5oz, 11am 7.5oz, 2pm 7oz, 5pm 4 oz, 6pm 7.5oz and 10.30pm 5 ozs. All feeds except the 10.30pm are expressed breast milk. He is given formula at 10.30pm. At present he weighs 16.4 lbs.

He sleeps 9-9.45am, 11.30-1.45pm and 4.15-4.45pm.

A baby of your son’s size could well need an early morning feed before he is fully weaned. This is especially true with fully breast-fed babies. Even though he takes formula at 10pm he does seem to have a fairly big appetite which is why he will no longer be settled with just water in the early morning. Although you have already started to wean him, it would be advisable to ask your doctor’s or health visitor’s advice before introducing too much solid food to him. Giving him a small early morning feed for a few weeks until he is over 4 months could help is digestive system mature just a little bit more. As you have also stopped thickening his feeds he may be feeling generally hungrier. Once you have got your son settling back to sleep until 7/7.30am and having a top-up feed then his daytime sleep should improve.

Although darkness is a major factor in getting babies to sleep on in the early morning, you should also be aware of the dangers of overheating, and of having full air circulation around your son’s cot. As you state that the room is already warm and needs a fan, be aware that by covering the cot with fabric you are not allowing any real free circulation of air around his head. This is one of the concerns about SIDS and is the reason behind both sleeping babies on their backs and removing cot bumpers.

Swaddling could also cause a baby to become overheated at this age. Although your son sleeps well when swaddled, it would be a good idea to begin to wean him off it. Begin with the morning nap and only have one arm swaddled. Once he is used to that then progress to half swaddling with both arms out. As he gets more used to being half-swaddled begin to do so at the midday nap and then from 7-10pm. If you very gradually wean him off it should not affect his sleep too much. Once he is sleeping half-swaddled at all these times, move him into a lightweight sleeping bag which you can use with a sheet to still tuck him in. If you introduce this too much later, you may find your son resists the idea more.

As mentioned before, regarding SIDS: It is of utmost importance to put your baby on his back to sleep initially. Once your son becomes more mobile and able to roll over he may begin to prefer to sleep on his stomach. It is important that should he roll onto his tummy, he will be able to roll back when he wants. This usually occurs after 6 months. Practise rolling with him both ways during the day. Once he is sleeping in a bag he may well begin to find his own sleeping position in the cot and sleep better for it. Once he is mobile and rolling over well both ways it is a good idea to get him to go down for some of his daytime naps on his tummy. He will be better then in a warmer sleeping bag with no sheets or bedding to be tangled in.