Baby waking earlier and earlier

Q: Until recently our six-month-old baby was sleeping until 4:00, waking for a bottle and then sleeping until 6:30. This changed this week. He has taken to waking up at 3:00 for a bottle and then at 5:00 again. When he wakes up at 5:00am he is not interested in going back to sleep. I give him a dummy but he is wide-awake. During the day he is awake for 2-hour periods, he is put to sleep in his cot every night at 7:00 in a happy awake state and has a baby sense blanket. Our plan was to wait until he was six months and then cut back on his nighttime bottle but he has had a cold so we have left things as they are. Do you have some advice for us on how to proceed? We feel that we have followed all of the "sleep principles" and are not quite sure what to do next.

A: It sounds like you have done excellently with your little guy. Waking any time from 4am to 6am is normal for this age and offering a bottle for him to go back to sleep is a good idea. It sounds like he is hungry and that is why he is waking earlier. At 6 months your baby's nutritional needs change. He now needs protein for the essential fatty acids. Give him three meals per day - cereal in the morning, veggies for lunch and supper and fruit after lunch and supper. Then add in 1 - 2 tablespoons of protein per meal. This includes yogurt for breakfast in the cereal, and cottage cheese, cream cheese, white sauce or chicken broth added to lunch and supper. Baby Sense has more ideas for proteins to add to his meals.