early waking
my 10 month old has been mostly sleeping through for some time, for a long while his wake up time was anything from 0530-0630 which i felt was reasonable (he goes down at 1930 after bath and breast feed). Then it became normal for him to get up at 0530, rarely much later. the last few weeks if anything its been earlier and this morning was 0440.
Im back at work 3 days now and find it very tiring. I get him up and give him a morning breast feed, for a long time he would go back off for a bit (even if only half an hour) so i would too and this would really help. then for a while it was 50/50 whether he'd go off or not and now he never does.
I have always put him in my bed and (shamefully) put cbeebies on the tv for him to watch while i let him have a few toys around him and i doze. I know this is terrible at his age but honestly i cant go downstars with him so early everyday. this is getting harder now as he is so awake and active and yesterday i was woken by a tv remote being thrown at my head!
I rang the hv who said he wakes cause he likes the feed and then the snuggle with mummy in bed (although tbh he has never been a very snuggley baby and doesnt really want to cuddle). She asked me about his eating - he has 3 very ample meals a day, 0800,1200 and 1630 and breast feeds on waking, between 0900 and 1000 and then at bedtime, 1900.
She suggested half a weetabix before his bedtime feed to bulk him up and controlled crying until 6 in the morning with no breast feed until then. Im worried the weetabix will cut down my milk supply as i do like that he's still getting that goodness from me, and after the tea he eats and weetabix i wonder what room he will have left! also, if hes waking at 0530 what does half an hour of cc really teach him?
I see that i cant go on the way i am - she explained its not cruel as babies of 10 months need a good stretch of sleep and its our responsibility as parents to know whats best sometimes - even if it upsets them. I have done cc when he was 7.5 months and waking lots in the night - it was bloody awful to hear but was very effective very quickly. I dont see what it will really teach him in this case, unless he does wake up at 0430 or something when there is time for it to be effective and make him fall asleep again.
Im finding it tough to keep going, especially on work days. any advice would be appreciated.
