6am
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34351
Printed Date: 27 August 2025 at 5:29am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: 6am
Posted By: FionaS
Subject: 6am
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 8:25am
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In many ways I realise that 6am is a reasonable time to start the day. However, we struggle with it as we are soooo tired after years of sleep deprivation with Elle and now almost a year of nightwakings from Ashley. I get the feeling that Ashley would actually rather have a breastfeed and go back to bed for an hour or so than get up for solids. She doesn't seem to be adjusting well to getting up and eating solids at that time.
What do you do with 6am wakings? Do you start the day or treat it as a night feed? Ashley is 11 months old soon so she technically should have solids before milk. However, I'm having to feed her at 10pm and then she wakes again in the night for a short time as well. Then up at 6 and through the day she only does 2 naps of about 40mins so it makes for very long days and a very tired Mummy. Solids wise she only ever eats about 3 tablespoons at a time so is pretty dependant on milk, hence why we've been trying to do solids first in the morning. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Replies:
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 8:32am
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With Lily, and she's a lot younger, it depends on how awake she looks and if I think she is likely to go straight back to sleep, or to sleep within 10-15 mins after a quick feed or if she looks too awake. If she looks too awake and is quite excited etc we start the day other wise I feed her and get her back to bed.
I also keep the curtains shut and light off if she looks like she'll go back to sleep. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MamaT
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 8:59am
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Any wakings before 7.30am in our house are treated as night. I'll try to resettle him just like I do at night time, no talking, no eye contact. If I can't resettle him I'll feed him and pop him back into bed. Sometimes he'll sleep until 7.30am, other times he'll just chat away to himself for a while which I'm quite happy with -------------  
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:04am
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I was trying to stop night feeds so introduced the 10pm dreamfeed and get her up for breakfast when she wakes at 6 then if she wakes in between we resettle without a feed. She doesn't eat solids well so plunket said to be strong with solids before milk but I'd rather get a little more sleep in the morning really! ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Mum_me
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:14am
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6am is a night feed here too. DD usually sleeps in our bed after early feeds.
In fact shes still there now 
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:15am
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Aww sweet. We used to do that but Ash won't go to sleep with us anymore. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: lilfatty
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:35am
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If you dont want her to get up treat it as a night feed.
Elias is over one and we still give him a bottle first .. in the mornings.  ------------- Mummy to Issy (3) and Elias (18 months) I did it .. 41 kgs gone! From flab to fab in under a year  http://www.femininefitness.co.nz/category/blog - LFs weight blog
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Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:41am
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Thats hard. We tend to start our day at 7am, but this morning DS decided to wake fro a feed at 5.30am. I also had to change him which I dont usually do for night feeds. Anyway, after the feed I tucked him in with me and he slept until 7.45. Not great when we are trying to establish a routine, but if I had woken him at 7am he wouldnt have been hungry anyway.
If he wakes after about 6.30am he is wide awake and wants to play so we start our day then. I guess it all depends on how bubs is feeling. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 9:42am
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Haha yeah lilfatty I really don't want to get her up at 6 but don't want to be unreasonable.
She is still on 6 breastfeeds a day and only has about 3 tablespoons of solid food at each meal if that but she is so determined when it comes to milk (oh and short naps....20mins is quite common). Monkey. I'm trying really hard to reduce the breastfeeds so the solids intake will increase but it is not an easy task. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 10:45am
Seems to me you have your answer If you are happy with feeding her, then do so. She'll eat solids when she's ready. Plunket seem to have this idea of "normal" that they want all babies to fit. In reality, there is a wide range of whats normal. Think about the variation in when babies learn to walk. Why should it be different with solids?
Have you thought about switching to BLW? It might help with your stubborn we girl? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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FionaS wrote:Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 10:49am
| I have the opposite probelm - loves solids not into milk. To be honest we get our 11 month old up from 6am on, she's usually hungry and although I still DF at 10 pm, she doesn't night feeds and if she went back to sleep I reckon she'd start wanting night feeds to resettle. If she sleeps longer its a bonus and we have to get up at 6.30 am anyway. At that point she's had 11 hours sleep, which is heaps for her age. I don't feed breakfast till 6.45 as I read that feeding too early triggers early waking. So we play, get dressed etc. Sometimes she has phases of 5.30 wakings grgghhh and soemtimes doesn't go back to sleep. |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 10:53am
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millymollymandy - you pretty much described Ashley there.
T-Rex - we've done BLW right from the start at 6 months. She'll eat anythiing she can hold but very little of it actually gets as far as her tummy hahaha. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 11:39am
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What would happen if you held off doing the dream feed until 11pm or even midnight?
I find if I give Lily her dream feed too soon she will still wake 2-3 times in the night but if I hold off until 11/12 she will only wake 1-2 times. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: ElfsMum
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 11:48am
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I would start the day then..but although i like a basic routine I just let them get up anytime after 6.. Liam has been up at 530 but then he sleeps at 530 at night too..lol
at 11 months I would still be the same.. I let Ethan up anytime after 6 as well..but he has a 2 hour day sleep and 12 hours at night.. Liam is similar in sleep to Ashley as he does nights and then 2/3 45mins to an hour sleep:) anyway it's what fits your family and for us 6am is fine:) ------------- Mum to two amazing boys! |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 11:48am
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Doesn't make any difference Lil-Nic - if I feed at midnight she will still be up at 6 but I'm even more tired! I was doing it at 11 but have just shifted it to 10 as I've been so tired I get dizzy etc. Trying to get more sleep. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Febgirl
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 1:08pm
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If you bf her at 6am, will she go back to sleep for a couple of hours? If yes, then that's what I'd do - if she has breakfast a few hours later then it's not as if you're trying to feed her solids immediately after milk anyway. ------------- Two little girls under 2! 
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Posted By: Bel
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 1:39pm
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Fiona, I have always given my kids their morning limk (BF or formula) before their breakfast, as otherwise we would be giving them breakfast at 6am too. I found giving them that break of an hour or so between milk and solids meant that they were hungry again anyway.
As for the sleeping thing, I would try getting her back to bed, if you think this would suit you... my kids have always been early risers, so we are usually starting the day at 6am round here anyway. BF her, put her back and see what happens... ------------- Mum to two beautiful kids 
Luke (09.11.2007) Amy (01.04.2009) |
Posted By: SpecialK
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 3:32pm
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hey Harry was doing the same thing at 11 months. I got a major telling off from one Plunket nurse about giving him too much milk not enough solids etc etc... anyway, we kept treating anything before 7am as night time, and would give him a bottle first. Then breakfast around 8am. To be honest, H is never into his breakfast if I give it to him first thing - usually waiting around 30-45 min after he wakes seems to be best for him in terms of being interested in solids and eating a good breakfast.
We gradually reduced the amount of milk he drank during the day so that subsequent solids feed became bigger (so less milk after lunch so that hungrier for dinner; but he was getting formula so was easier to control amount) and then after about 3 weeks we were able to drop the dreamfeed and he self adjusted to waking up between 7-7.30am most mornings. Sorry about the novel, I hope it helps ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 29 June 2010 at 8:20pm
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i have always given a bf before solids if my kids wake too early... and in fact eden still has her brekkie after a bf most mornings and shes 2!
in our house i try and stay in bed as long as possible so 6am wakings we took bub into bed with us for a bf and a cuddle...and if we are lucky we all get some more sleep. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: anon
Date Posted: 30 June 2010 at 3:51pm
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6am is a normal time to wake for a baby - not sure how old your's are?? Nathan can wake anything from 6am-9am. If it's really that bad, you can try pulling your baby into bed with you at 6am. If I do that with Nathan he will eventually fall back to sleep for quite some time! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 7:39am
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My 2 year old still wakes at 6am even tho he goes to be at 7-8ish (Dont spaz, I know it's late but anything before that and he screams the neighbourhood down) Lily wakes up at 6am as well after a 6 hour sleep.
6am I think personally is a reasonable time to get up anyway! ------------- Alex, Thomas and Lily http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: kiwikid
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 9:21am
LOL @ 'dont spaz' MissAngel.. have you been given grief on that before??? My 2yr old is the same, he wakes at 6am and goes to bed 7 / 7.30pm - he still has a massive 2 / 3 hr nap during the day probably because he's shattered from the early wake up but I'm not ready to give up the day sleep just yet and not convinced he'd sleep later anyhow - the black out blind has made no difference and most mornings he's insisting on waking up the house at 5.45am  ------------- 
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Posted By: MissAngel
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 10:33am
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Yea, apparently that time of the day is faaaaar too late for a 2yr old to go to bed. ------------- Alex, Thomas and Lily http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 12:55pm
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Doesn't sound too late to me.
And yes, I agree that 6am is reasonable. My question was really based on the fact that she doesn't seem ready to get up and I wasn't sure whether to keep getting her up then or breastfeed and pop her back to bed. Generally she is more than happy to go back to sleep at that time so I guess that is my answer. She doesn't nap well and is often awake a bit in the night so for those 2 reasons 6am is too early for us at the mo. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: tiptoes
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 1:27pm
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I'd feed her and put her back to bed. We had a 6am wake up this morning but he didn't sound like he was ready to get up for the morning so I gave him a bottle. But 'cause I also had to change him all that seemed to wake him up and so we started our day then.
We're not at the solids before milk stage, but if you feed her and she goes back to sleep for an hour or so and then if you waited till 7.30-8am till breakfast then that's a pretty big gap anyway isn't it? ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">  
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Posted By: LittleBug
Date Posted: 01 July 2010 at 1:59pm
7am is our morning wake up time... that extra hour is precious to us in our sleep deprived household  Often Ollie wakes and won't resettle at about 6am so I give him a bottle in bed, then he will usually get up between 7-7.30ish.
At times when I've been worried about how much breakfast he will eat, I've given a small amount of milk diluted in water, so he doesn't fill up on milk. He's usually starving hungry by 7.30am that way ------------- Chloe (4 years) and Oliver (3 years). |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 04 July 2010 at 8:54pm
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Thanks for the replies. We've tried taking her into bed with us when she wakes at 6 but apparently that is too exciting and we end up with fingers up the nose and little feet climbing all over us. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 05 July 2010 at 1:55pm
Hi. I agree 6am is a night wake up in our house, I try to even get 7am to be a night wake up. DD at 11.5months goes to bed at 7.30pm although sometimes she isn't asleep till 9pm  sometimes thats just her staring at the ceiling sometimes its her screaming the house down (like last night) If she is wanting to go back to bed feed her and put her back down. I hold out and try and get DD to go back to sleep and wake after 7am for her feed. I stopped bfing over night awhile ago, as she didn't wake up, I struggled to get rid of the 5am wake up, but one day it just clicked with her. I personally think its mean of me to hold out until 7am to give her a bf and if she's still awake go ok you can have dudu now, so try to get her back to sleep before dudu.
DD's the same climbs all over us, and fingers start going places, scratching begins and as soon I hear "oh" then she is back in her bed, as she is more likely to settle there ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 06 July 2010 at 9:04am
i loved that... we would sing songs and do this little piggy... snuggling in bed is fun, well it beats getting up anyway. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: millymollymandy
Date Posted: 06 July 2010 at 4:25pm
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Hi Fiona,
Remember how I was getting woken at 5.15? I moved morning sleep back 1/2 an hour gradually and an DD is now sleeping till nearly 7am. Feel like new person. Now refuses afternoon sleep, but that's a whole new story. |
Posted By: Jelly
Date Posted: 06 July 2010 at 4:50pm
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C goes down at about 8.30 after his bath (an earlier bedtime was rejected, lol) and I can get him to sleep basically until I want to get him up.
He is BFed overnight but if he is wide awake and talking like he was this morning (also 6am) he gets rewrapped and put back in his own bed with a bottle. We all slept in until 10 when FIL came in and told us the PN was coming in half an hour. I couldn't believe it when I looked at the clock! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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