Bad Sleep Habits 3 Month Old

Hi J., as a mum of a 7mth old and an energetic toddler i can totally sympathise. I gave myself such a hard time trying to settle my youngest into a sleep routine,(she used to wake 4 times a night for a feed religiously) the advice i would give is to relax,(easy to say i know) babies naturally change their sleep and feeding patterns as their bodies needs change. he may be having a growth spurt, starting to teeth, coming down with a cold, getting ready for weaning. Also i started 'dream feeding' my daughter a bottle of formula before i went to bed this made a huge difference, the formula stays in their system longer so they are fuller for longer. I personally wouldnt 'startle' a child awake, maybe other mums on this sight can advise on that.
Is there someone who could take over from you to give you a rest for a night? Its so much easier to deal with these trials when youve had a good nights sleep!
I hope this phase doesnt last long for you!

L.

It sounds like your little one is going thru a growth spurt. If I remember correctly it should last about a week.

Are you giving your toddler pain meds before bed? Motrin always seemed to work better than tylenol and you can give them teething tablets.

Wow, 5.5 hours is great! When my kids were both 12 weeks old I was getting 3-4 hours at once. Anyway, my 4 month old has been fond of the half feedings too, so I've started feeding her, and when she's done on one side, I change her, swaddle her again, then feed her the other side. As far as nursing to sleep goes, if she's asleep when she's done eating, I put her down, I don't wake her up beforehand! If not, well, too bad, I put her down anyway. Sometimes she fusses for a few minutes, sometimes she goes right to sleep. If you are reading Weissbluth, there's a chart in there that says you can start sleep training between 8-16 weeks for an "easy" baby. I did, and it's now working wonders! She doesn't have to put herself to sleep every time though. Just so she knows how.... With a two-year-old running around, there's not much opportunity to get her to sleep for naps before putting her down. He's not really sure how to be quiet!

Feed the baby at the same time everyday. Keep him awake duing the day except for a couple of short naps. The toddler is feeling insecure because of all the attention you are giving to the baby. Let him help when you are tending to the baby. Let him play with the baby while you are bathing the baby , also when you change the baby's diaper, let him help by bringing you the baby powder and a diaper. Let him play with the baby while you are changing the diaper. That way he doesn't feel left out. Be sure to feed them both at the same time and keep them both on the same scedule. Then both will sleep through the night.

At that age, babies are still on instinct and really can't be trained. It does sound like he's going through a growth-spurt and has more nutritional needs. It's really common.

The best advice we received from our pediatrician was to let the baby eat on their schedule, not ours. They tend to eat more of the portions they really need vs what we think they need.

I probably haven't gotten 5.5 hours of sleep in 10 years - I'm just not a good sleeper, so I'd love to have that long uninterrupted. This may come out hte wrong way, it's not intended to, but part of having kids is making sacrifices, and I think sleep is one of them.

I know you're concerned about getting grumpy and being a bad mommy. Is it possible their father can let you have a late morning on the weekends or a much-needed nap while he tends to the kids?

Also, here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics' parenting site says about sleep at that age:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/s...

5.5 hrs is really good for a 12 week old. it is very unusual for a baby this young to go that long w/o eating. remember his little tummy is only as big as his fist. What is a half feeding?
is he only eating on one side or something?
If he's only eating on one side/half a bottle just make sure he gets all of it. tickle the bottom of his feet, undress him etc to keep him away long enough.
You are very lucky he's sleep this long.
When a ped says " through the night" they mean a 5-6 hr streach at one time.
I'm like that if I don't get a full nights sleep and then some I dont do well. But you are just going to have to hang in there till he starts sleeping again. He will go through cycles of sleep and no sleep as he grows and develops. Growth spurts, milestones , teething and illnesses will effect his sleeping and eating patterns.

And don't give him solids or water yet. It is a myth that solids will make them sleep longer. And Water is very dangrous for babies of his age. Water can quickly flush all the eletrolites out of his system. Sips are ok but replacing a feeding with water is dangerous.
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hey hey i am a mum of 4 twin girls at 10 a boy at 6 an a girl at 4 an u can guess tht its hard wat u need to do is be hard an its the hardest fing to do a find ma slf crying at night bt it works start thm at a late time let thm hav thr fun thn start takin thr privliges away no dvds thn no toys thn no tlkin thn no lights thn its just kisses an cuddles lights out thn bed ths wnt b easy take it slow thn within a a mnth u will have thm all sleepin by 9pm hpe ths helps.xxxxx

Is your baby on solids yet?...if not,I would suggest it may be time cos he could be waking hungry. I was always reluctant to feed my babies (4) in the night once they had established a good sleep pattern because it will definitely be habit - I gave them water which they realised wasn't worth waking up for. The advice is always though to check them, don't put the light on and don't speak...unless they are obviously needing you...trial and error...good luck

There is nothing you can do to prevent your baby's latest habit. Just bear with it because babies do change their time slots in sleeping, playing and even eating. Believe me, you will never remember that moment when you see your child grow up one day to be just as perfect as any other child...just enjoy the fact that you are doing your share as a mother. Take care of your child and provide him everything he needs, all else like trouble with sleeping habits are to minial things to really be notherred about. Play with him if he is awake that way, you both are having a good time together!