Hi everyone!

DS is almost nine months old and, in general, he is a good sleeper. He passes out right after his bath and bottle, usually between 6:30-7pm. I can put him in his crib drowsy but awake and he gets himself to sleep on his own.

At the seven month mark, he started sleeping through the night until about 6am. It was blissful. However, he has now started waking up at 4:30am every morning. He is more reliable than my alarm clock! I KNOW he is not ready to start the day at this time because he will rub his eyes and act cranky all morning.

For the past few weeks, we've been bringing him into bed with us to give him a bottle. Right after his bottle, he falls back asleep (in our bed) until we all get up for work at 6am. I stay in bed with him beside me and close my eyes, but I am not able to actually get any restful sleep with this set up.

We've tried adjusting the bedtime. We've tried having him cry it out in the morning but his screaming just escalates. We've tried rocking back to sleep in the crib after the bottle, giving a pacifier, giving a blanket. I am at a loss! Any other ideas or am I destined to never sleep past 4:30am again?