Sleeping at Night - Lawrenceville, GA

Im a stay at home mother of 8 year old boy and 8 month old, my baby started sleeping through the night after I started giving him cereal in his formula around 8wks old I thought it was to early but the docter said try it,one tsp cereal per ounce of formula and a warm bath before Works great!! A.

Sounds like he is on a schedule already even though it isn't what you are hoping for yet. 5hrs at 8 weeks is a pretty big streach and you'll notice it slowy getting longer as he gets older. But you have to remember a few things, their tummys are tiny (as big as their fist) and breast milk is thinner than formula so it is faster for them to digest. Both of my kids were sleeping about the same at this age.

~S.

babies will typically start sleeping through the night when they reach 15 lbs or 3 months old. you can do something called dream feeding, where you gently pick the baby up, and nurse him then put him back down without waking him. maybe that would get him until the morning. my daughter would eat at 10P then again at 2A and then sleep until 630 or so.
around 8 weeks she was sleeping from 11P to 6A. the really don't get into the longer stretches until 3 mos.
good luck!

Hi A.,
Both of my children slept through the night around 3-4 months but that was completely on their own. I never pushed them outside of their natural needs but I understand you have work in play and your situation is different. I do know right before they both started sleeping through the night I would just console them instead of feed them on that 2-3:00am thing because they didnt seem overly hungry when I would try to feed at that time so I just started holding her and then laid her down one night and she went right back to sleep. You may need to feed him at the midnight for a while but only cuddle him or rock him and put him back down at the 3 AM. 8 weeks is pretty early for a baby to be ready for an all nighter without milk but you have to do what you have to do. My friend firmly believes the whole BAby Whisperer thing about letting them cry it out at 8 weeks....she would call me in tears the next day because the baby cried for hours and she didnt get him up. IF that works for you go for it. I couldnt do it....but I am a sucker for crying babies. But with that said, it worked for her. You have to decide what is best for the two of you. IF you can handle the whole cry it out thing or if you cant then you have to get through maybe another month, maybe two and let him do it on his own.
Goodluck.

Well, it about 3 months or so. Remember his stomach is about the size of a half dollar or so and he's just on liquids, this feeding cycle is very normal. I hate to say to a sleep deprived new mother that you are joining the ranks of the lost sleep and each child is a little different. I don't know if he can have a really good schedule until he starts eating some food because then it takes longer to digest and he will then sleep longer. I wish I could tell you different but I know that the length of time gets better each month. All three of mine did what he is doing and I bet your little girl did too but it's been a while since then and you've got some sleep since she was tiny. I wish you the best and I hope it gets better faster I cheated and my kids are fine I put some rice cereal in their bottles (advise by a mother that was a doctor) she did it as well and mine slept longer sooner.

Hi A.,
I remember your pain! From the get go, my daughter eat every 2 hrs and her feeding would last 30-45min each! This lasted all day, everyday until she was 4 months. She then began to sleep a few more hours inbetween. It was around 7 months before it was a desent nights sleep. I was in graduate school at this time and doing it alone. I know it is hard as heck but you do get through it. I dont know if you have any help but if you do, would it be possible for him to do the night feedings? If your bf, this could be done by pumping and putting the night storage in a bottle. Please... Do some research before you give him cereal right now. Others may have done this and it be fine but research shows, the problems come out later in life when a baby gets cereal too soon. His intestines are not developed enough for it now. It can lead to acid reflux, GI distress, Irritiable bowel syndrome, etc. Its kinda like smoking, we know its bad but you dont see the side effects until 20-30yrs down the road. Wait at least until 4 months, 6 months is perfered. It is also advised not to ever put it in a bottle. If they cant take it from a spoon, thats a pretty good clue that they are not ready for it. Best of luck! I hope things get better for you soon!

A.,

It sounds like he's doing great, sleep-wise, for his age (mine didn't sleep through the night until 10 months:). I don't know if Daddy is in the picture, since you didn't mention him, but maybe, if he's with you, he can share some of the nighttime responsiblity so you can get more sleep??? I also would caution about letting an 8 week old cry it out (unless it's only a couple of minutes). It's my understanding that the cry it out approach is not to be used for kids under 4 months. Good luck--I hope you get some sleep soon!

My oldest was over a year old before he slept through the night, but he did start to sleep for five hour stretches at about 3 months.
Number two was 11 weeks and he slept for ten hours.
Number three was 9 weeks and she slept eight to twelve hours.
Number four was 8 weeks and she slept eight to twelve hours.

I didn't do anything special with the last three except let them cry for a few minutes once they were about 8 weeks. If they didn't go back to sleep after a few minutes, I got them up and fed them. A lot of the time they went back to sleep. Babies sleep/wake cycles are a lot shorter than ours.

A., Many babies don't sleep through the night or longer than 5 hours until they are near to 6 months old or even longer - babies are individual people. But, here's a thought for you, since you are getting ready to go back to work: You could bring him to bed with you and let him nurse when he wants and go right back to sleep. This way, you won't have to get up, you can simply move him with you when you roll over so he can get the other side.

Babies who co-sleep can get a significant amount of the needed breastmilk at night. Some moms find their babies end up taking very little during the day if they breastfeed lots before and after work and during co-sleeping. Moms often report feeling more rested when they co-sleep with their nursing babies.

I would encourage you to consider answering your baby's cries. Answering their cries tells them they are important to you; that you hear them, and that they are not all alone. It gives these little babies a sense of security to have their cries answered.

Just a couple of thoughts from a mom who nursed her 5 and is now a CLC.
D. S

I have an 8 week old daughter, I would try pushing back that last feeding until maybe 11or 11:30 pm, this helped my daughter. I feed har at 8 let her stay awake until around 9pm then to bed I wake her anywhere from 11-11:30 pm and feed her in my bed so its dark and she barely wakes then I put her back in her own bed. My advice is if he stirs for the 3-4 am feeding see if he'll go back to sleep hopefully if you move your feeding back later he'll sleep later. My baby sleeps until 5- 6:30. Which might not be 8 hrs but let me tell you its a lot nicer at 5 or 6 then it is at 3 0r 4 because I feel rested. I lay her right back down after that morning feeding until 8 am. If you are nursing it might be a little hard for him to sleep 8 hrs straight right now b/c breast milk doesnt stick with them like formula you also wanna make sure you keep up you milk supply. Ok hope this helps good luck.

Hi A.,
Please do not take this wrong and I am not trying to shame you in any way but I am concerned with your comment that you let "him cry" himself back to sleep. While I understand that there are other orientations to this issue I will put it out there that when a baby cries you need to respond to his/her needs. You cannot spoil a baby by doing this but rather you teach your child that Mama is there and can be depended on! There is a host of info about what is called Attachment Parenting- Dr. Sears is the "guru" in this area. See www.attachmentparenting.com for details. Baby wise would be the other end of the spectrum. Ultimately-it is your choice but for me-attachment parenting is the way to go!
Take care,
T.

Hi, 8 weeks is too little to let him cry it out. He's hungry! When you breastfeed, you usually have to feed a baby every 2-3 hrs. My daughter didn't start a real schedule until she was almost 6 month old. At 2 months, she definitly fed on demand. I'd speak to your baby's dr before letting him go almost 5 hrs between feedings.

PS: after looking at some of the other responses, you really should NOT give him cereal or fruit at 2 months. The cereal thing is an old wives tale and there is a medical reason WHY you should not feed a baby soilds till they are almost 6 months old. Their digestive systems aren't ready to handle soilds. PLEASE, speak to your dr before trying any suggestions given on this site.

1st you should on t he last feeding I will say 10pm more or less you should prepare a bottle with some ceral so he will last longer Secondly after that is aconplish then you should try some baby fruit in the morning and noon milk to start establishing 3 meals a day and 2 snaks

I was just asking this same question to my childs ped. They told me at about 13 pounds you should notice a big difference in your child sleeping at night better. Then you have the baby's that dont sleep through the night for a very long time... I would just keep working on a schedule like you are doing now. Good luck! Sleep is very important :)

Try giving a bath right before the last feeding of the evening. I have a 6 week old and we give her a bath at 8:30pm and feed her at 9:00pm. She will sleep 5-7 hours. Defintely let them learn to fall asleep on their own. It seems hard right now to hear them cry but it will make life easier for you and them later on.

Good luck!

Baby cereal should not be started before the age of at least 4 months, preferably 6, and cereal should never be added to the baby's bottle.

Quite simply, your baby will sleep longer stretches when he's ready to - every child has their own developmental pace and trying to fight it will feel like holding back the ocean tide. With a fork. It's is very common for babies to not "sleep through the night" for a very long time, so the KEY is to figure out a way you can deal with this reality and still get enough sleep to function. You definitely don't want to turn a deaf ear to his cries - he's letting you know what he needs.
"Your goal is to maximize sleep for everyone in the family, while respecting the needs of your child" is what they advise on Kellymom.

Now, you'll like this - I am a BIG advocate for sleep - I know some people can function on 5-6 hours a night, but I need more or less 8 or I'm just a mess.

First, you need to get REALISTIC idea of what is normal. Your baby actually has less frequent wakings than MANY MANY babies, even older babies (1-2 years old).

In one sleep study:
- Only 16% slept through the night at SIX months old -- 84% were not sleeping through the night at 6 months
-17% woke more than once per night, ranging from twice to eight times
-5% woke once every night
-9% woke most nights
-50% woke occasionally
-16% of six-month-olds had no regular sleeping pattern
=========================
In another:
-There is a wide range of normal childhood sleep behavior.
-Frequent night waking that disturbs parents is common from 4-12 months (12.7% disturb their parents 3 or more times every night).
-Sleeping through the night: 71.4% did this on at least one occasion by 3 months of age, but many of these relapse into more frequent waking in the 4 to 12 month period. It is not until after 24 months that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less common.
==============
It has also been shown that the average number of awakenings a night tends to drop from 3-6 months, and then increases again from 6-12 months. This is normal and healthy, or as the study states, "The increase in night waking towards the end of the first year coincides with significant socio-emotional advances which characterize this developmental stage."
==================
For details, see http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleepstudies.html

Babies were designed to wake up often to feed and snuggle.
Sometimes it's to get more time with mom, especially during periods of teething or illness. There is something called "reverse cycling", when babies whose mothers are away during the day (as will be happening soon with you), the child prefers to reject supplements (bottles), and nurse frequently in the evening and through the night.
This even occurs with moms that stay home with their babies if they are busy during the day.

There is no problem with "reverse cycling", and many moms enjoy being able to catch up on time with the baby, AS LONG AS THE MOM CAN GET THE SLEEP SHE NEEDS.

Think about it, many adults usually wake up several times in the night, and then roll over or check the time and go back to sleep. Babies do the same thing, but it takes them a while to learn how to put themselves back to sleep, especially if they find themselves alone. For thousands of years, babies that were allowed to sleep too soundly and far away from their parents were in danger of predators, so the babies that woke up and got their mother's attention were more likely to survive. Think of it as an important skill your baby has already mastered!

Some moms put a mattress or futon on the floor near the parents bed, so the mom can lie down while nursing and not worry about the baby falling off the bed if mom dozes off. I started finding a way to lie down and nurse my baby after I fell asleep while sitting on the edge of my bed nursing and nearly dropped him on his head. I woke up and caught him as he was sliding to the floor and said "That's it! This is making me a zombie!" I learned how to make my bed safe, and I check it every night before putting him to sleep. (Don't co-sleep unless you read up on how to do it safely. Considering how many children at SOME point in time sleep in mom's bed, due to illness, monsters under the bed or whatever, I think everyone would do well to learn what they have to so to make their beds safe. Co-sleeping is safer than having a baby in a crib in another room, if done safely. ) Now when my baby wakes up, I immediately wake up BEFORE he starts crying, and roll over and nurse him. Neither one of us has to completely wake up, so it's easy to fall back asleep. These days I can't even tell you how often he wakes because I hardly remember myself.

I think that attempts to impose an artificial schedule will be about as frustrating as trying to teach your cat to fetch. And when you get frustrated, you'll start resorting extreme measures, like allowing your baby to "cry it out", which is known to be harmful, - when all he really wants is to feel safe and loved.

I know that my baby has a better idea of what he needs than any stranger, even if that stranger has the letters M.D. after their name. In fact, he better idea of what he needs than I do. So I listen to the baby. Trust him.
A baby's WANTS and a baby's NEEDS are the same thing. He's not asking for a pony - he's letting you know what he needs.

Remember that night waking in babies and young children is normal and temporary, and they will grow out of it even if you do nothing at all to discourage it. This period of time will be a very tiny part of your child's years with you.
- http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/sleep.html

Hello A.,

Reading your request brought fond(?) memory back when my youngest son (24,now) was your son's age. Oh, boy, my husband (ex) and I had very difficult time then. I went back to work when my son was only 4 weeks old, so he was at the babysitter (I had a wonderful lady) just about all day (I worked long hours). Well, he was a perfect baby during the day, but by time we picked him up, that's when his playtime began. He wouldn't go to sleep, and when he did, it was just a short time. well, after while, he grew out of it and was able to sleep through the night. However, untl then what I did with him was that I gave his bath right before his bed time (around 10 pm) and fed him. He was able to sleep through about 5-6 hours (wow, what a relief!) I also gave that advice to my girls (I babysit at home for almost 6 years now) mom and she told me it worked.
Now, A., he will eventually grow out of all this, but for right now, try whatever advices other moms give you. Each child is so different from one another. What works for one child does not work for other. Good luck and thanks for taking me back in time...:) Make a blessing day!

U. (un-hee) mom, grandmom, and babysitter

A. I think that you are getting some great advice! I would only caution you about the bed sharing that was suggested. Please co-sleep with your baby in an appropriate bed next to yours (bassinet, pack n play or the like. I have the unfortunate task of reviewing infant deaths and there are too many due to parents having their child in the bed with them. An adult bed is not the place for an infant. I am sure that there are many parents who did bed sharing and never had a problem but could you live with yourself if it happened to you?

It's been a while, but it sort of sounds like that's pretty normal. I remember being told that lots of babies should be expected to need a feeding at night up until around 4 months. Maybe yours won't take that long. I like how you said he goes back to sleep on his own at 12:30. Sounds like you're teaching him to self-sooth and then he'll be able to use that lesson when he no longer needs to eat throughout the night.

I have 4 kids and at 4wks they were all sleeping 8 hours and by 3 months 12 hours + naps. I also have trained other babies to sleep. It takes about a week, but this is how I do it. Get his crib and put it next to your bed with one side off so that you can just reach over to him easily. Put him to bed whatever time you want him to go to bed. I suggest 12 hrs. before you want him to wake up. So if you want him up at 8am then he needs to lay down at 8pm. Every time he wakes up give him his pacifier. When he wakes up and the pacifier will not console him then feed him. If he falls asleep during the feeding then stop feeding and lay him down. Keep doing this til the time you want him to get up. Even if he is asleep wake him up. Then feed him, keep him up for an hour then lay him down for a 2 hour nap and so on and so on... Please feel free to get in touch with me if you need help!

i didn't read any of your other responses so i don't know if I'm repeating! when my daughter was 2 months old we started giving her chamomille tea w/spearmint (she was already drinking fennel seed tea for constipation, so we just switched) and the first night she slept 12 straight hours! it was great and helped her establish a great daytime routine and still sleeps all night (8 mo now). Just brew 8 oz of water and steep a weak tea for about 3 minutes, then give your baby an ounce or 2 to see how he does, if he's fine, we started giving her 2 oz every night around 6, then nap or play, bath, bottle then bed by 730. good luck!

A., I am a firm believer in all things in moderation and this greatly describes my method of child rearing. A good bedtime routine including a bath, a book, a song, and a feeding is essential. Babies are very similar to all animal babies and respond very well to habit. He will learn that when you go through the routine that means we sleep longer. It is very simple but it works. I also breast fed but supplemented with formula at night after they nursed. This gave the baby a bit more to digest and gave my husband a chance to bond and be involved, this feeding was at about 11pm. When my girls woke in the morning at about 5am I would bring them to bed with me and nurse laying down (co-sleeping) I don't believe in co-sleeping all night but in moderation when you are lightly resting but still need some time. I could get another 2-3 hours in the morning using this method. I could not just let them cry it out but I did slowly move the night time feeding earlier so that they eventually went to sleep at 8pm at about 6 months. I hope this gives you some new ideas and a couple of options. Good Luck!

An 8 wk old will still awaken quite frequently; ours nursed at least three times during the night at that age. Your milk is very easily digested, so his belly will empty quite quickly and be hungry again before you know it! Could you have him sleep in an area closer to you so it's not bothering you quite so much to wake up to feed him? Ours ended up sleeping right next to me, or in a crib/sleeper next to our bed. Then all I had to do was lay them next to me to nurse, and then put them back (or roll them away) afterward. I got a lot more sleep this way, and they both thrived. Congratulations on your new baby!!!

I would put the breast milk in a bottle at bedtime and give him a little more milk and also try not to let him take a long nap during the day

Well, as I am sure you have figured from all of the different advice, all babies work on different timelines. One method we used, though, was dream feeding. Since babies eat using a sucking reflex, they will eat in their sleep. Between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. I would go into my son's room to feed him. I would not turn on lights or speak to him even if he appeared to be awake, otherwise, it was like any other feeding. He was sleeping through the night at eight weeks. I was told that babies will sleep as long as the calories they have taken in will sustain them. So, more calories, more sleep. Good luck!

My son didn't start sleeping through the night until he was 1. Whenever he woke up I nursed him. He actually nursed quite a bit until he weaned himself at 14 months.
If mine would have woken up at midnight I would have fed him but I'm a sucker. Haha!

A., That is actually pretty good. That is 6 hours for him even if youare not going to bed at ten. You could try and let him cry it out at that time to but he will at least wake probably by 5 or 530 even then. Good luck!!

A.,

Sorry, your baby is allowing you some great sleep if you are getting 2 1/2 to 3 hours of sleep at a time at 8 weeks. His stomach is only as big as his tiny fist and therefore empties quicker than ours. You said you need him to be on a schedule at night--he is on what looks to be a consistant schedule for his age. Congratulations for breastfeeding him this long.

I went back to work after 6 weeks, but my boys didn't sleep through the night until they were past 2 years. Try pumping an extra bottle and having your husband feeding the baby for one of the night time feedings if possible.

Good luck!

Hi A.,

I am a mother of a 5 month old and I found that when I was nursing her, if I extended the time between feedings to four hours, and then at the last feeding, top her off with two ounces of formula, she slept until about 5:30am (with an 11pm feeding). The formula takes longer for her to digest. And as she gets older, her stomach can hold more. It worked for me, and is something you might want to consider. We actually started that when she was about 1 week old. But, I think the same affect will occur.

Good luck,
D.

Your baby's sleep schedule sounds very normal and with him being so young, there isn't much that you can do to hurry it along. It actually wouldn't be good for him to sleep much longer than he is right now...he still gets hungry in the night.

All babies/kids are different. My 1 year old has always been a good sleeper but didn't sleep all night every night until around 9 months old. My 3 year old just started sleeping all night every night about a month ago.

Good Luck!
A.

I think I've read in several places that, physically they are not capable of sleeping 5 or more hours until they are 4-5 months old. But every baby is so different; I have friends whose 12 month olds would only sleep 5 hours at a time...

I was wondering about that as well. I have a 11 week old son and we start a night time routine at 7pm with a bath, book and a bottle and we put him down at 8pm after the bottle. We then wake him up at 10 or 10:30 when we go to bed to give him another bottle. He then starts to fuss at 3:30am or 4:00am and we were feeding him then until last night. Last night we decided to let him fuss or talk it out for 15 min and see what happens and then after 5 or 10 min he went back to sleep on his own. He didn't get up until 7:00am. I read something last night about letting them talk it out and wait until you get the "wah, wah" cry. Don't jump up at every sound they make. Lets what I was doing. When he started to make a peep at 3:30 or 4:00 I went in changed him and gave him a bottle, but he would be half a sleep. Well last night I realized that when I was feeding him at 3:30 or 4:00 I was disturbing his sleep. So for now we are going to just do the 10:00 or 10:30 feeding and then gradually skip that, so eventually he will sleep from 8pm until 6am or 7am. I hope this helps a little.

A.,
You're doing a great job! You've gotten a lot of advice, so I'll make mine quick. He may be going through a growth spurt. Since he is only 8 weeks, a full night is probably not in the cards right away. I would start by feeding him at the 12:30 time and trying to wean him from the 4 AM feeding...this may take 3-4 nights (depending on the growth spurt). Make sure his diaper is clean and rub his tummy or back after a couple minutes of crying, but don't pick him up. If he is putting himself to sleep at 12:30 he should be able to at 4 especially if he was fed at 12. A friend of mine said 12 lbs was the magic number for her. Once her kiddos (she has 4) reached 12 lbs, they slept at least 8 hours through the night. I hated that advice since I had small babies, but she was right with both of mine (they both slept 8 hours at night at 12 lbs...which was 12 weeks for my kids). At 8 weeks we were feeding every 3 hours starting around 7AM and I added a midnight feeding (they went to bed around 8 (after bath)and I woke them at 10 and 12 to feed (they went right back to sleep) and then we all slept until 7...it was renewing to say the least. It's definitely worth the few nights of pacifying for 6 hours of straight sleep (I got up before they did to get ready for the day). It also leads to easy weaning of the midnight feeding and eventually the glorious 4 hour schedule! Really and truly...this is the toughest part. The adrenaline is gone and the sleep deprivation has set in. Give it 4 more weeks and you'll be victorious! Good luck and God bless!