Sleeping Through the Night and Diaper Changes

Hi E.,
I HIGHLY recommend reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth to understand biological sleep rhythms. My daughter was about the same age when she started really sleeping through the night. She would go to sleep around 7-7:30pm and wake between 6-7am. I put her in the overnight Huggies one size bigger than she wore during the day and COVERED her diaper area with regular Desitin. She never had a problem. It sounds like your daughter's biological sleep rhythms are evolving/maturing on schedule. I don't know what kind of naps your daughter is taking but the first nap to naturally occur is the morning nap around 9am, followed by one at around 1pm and maybe a quick late afternoon nap around 4pm. As the weeks go by, you may notice her getting sleepy earlier in the evening. Dr. Weissbluth is a HUGE advocate for early bedtimes and has research to back it up. Dr. Weissbluth is a pediatrician with 30+ yrs experience and also has extensive experience in sleep. If you are interested in his methods, email me. It seems like every magazine (child or adult) I pick up these days talks about sleep problems. I think teaching children healthy sleep habits and how to self soothe sets them up for a better life.
Sincerely,
L.

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Listen to your friends there right as long as your daughter isnt getting a rash from the diper dont worry about it i have two kids and they did the same thing and trust me the sleep wont last long!!!

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I don't know why they think she will revert back. My son started sleeping that long when he was 2 months old and never went back to waking all the time. He was fine without eating throughout the night. Also, if she is not feeding throughout the night, she won't be producing as much waste and her diaper, while more wet than usual, shouldn't be too bad.

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I agree with the other ladies on here, and Love gives GREAT advice. My daughter has been sleeping through the night for almost 2 weeks now because I listened to her. I do have to tell you my daughter’s story though. She started sleeping 8pm-7am at about 12 weeks. It was a glorious month of sleeping all night! I finally got use to it and I stopped waking up myself (you know, waiting for the cry you had been hearing in your dreams for the past 12 weeks) and then she stopped sleeping all night! Started waking up again 1-3 times a night, not for food or a change, just to be held. The same thing happened to a friend of mine as well. I know other people whose kids started sleeping all night and never stopped, but I just want to prepare you, in case you she does start waking again.
As far as the diapers go. I had a problem with leaks (not rashes) and I bought the diaper doubles and that helped...just incase you end up having a problem like that.
Best of luck and enjoy that baby girl...her first birthday come sooner then you think =O(

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Don't worry this too shall pass! In my experience these early bouts of sleeping through the night are lovely but short lived. I think the best advice I got and could give is to enjoy it while it lasts. Babies are programmed to get their needs met, so if the baby is sleeping through the night her food needs are probably being met in the day time for right now. She will probably need to eat sooner than later in the night before she goes back to sleeping through the night, but like I said, enjoy it while it lasts!

Never wake a sleeping baby. You will regret it if she does revert back to getting up every 2-3 hours. My kids (all 4) slept thru the night by 10-12 weeks and they are all AWESOME sleepers now. My first pregnancy was twins so I was glad when they started sleeping thru the night. With each feed or diaper change, I was up minimum of 2 hours. Do the math. Not much sleep there. I stopped changing diapers in the middle of the night the moment they slept thru. I stopped waking them up to feed once they did this as well. Enjoy it... Most mothers aren't as lucky as we were. They say once they hit the magical 10-12lbs. they can start sleeping thru the night. It a good thing girlfriend. My kids now sleep anywhere from 8:30pm to around 9am unless they have to go to school. They are 9,9,6, and 15 months old.

Good luck,Trish

You've got a great sleeper! My daughter did the same thing at about this age. I was exclusively breastfeeding her, and she would eat a bit more before bed, then first thing upon waking. They call it cluster feeding and it's so wonderful when they do it on their own. My daughter was really big (generally in the 90th percentile on the growth charts), so I never worried about her getting enough to eat. Since she isn't waking to eat, there won't be any need to change her diaper during the night. DO NOT WAKE HER!!! Get some sleep, and enjoy it! It may just last forever.... my daughter is still a great sleeper at 4 yrs old.

You have a good sleeper. My daughter did the same thing when she was 3 months old and continued to sleep through the night. Don't mess up a good thing and wake her up. Just make sure she continues to eat well during the day. This is not a phase. My son started at 4 months and has continued to sleep well. When you put her to bed just make sure she has a lot of diaper cream on her ottom to prevent diaper rash from a full night but don't wake her to change the diaper, she'll be fine. Congrats on a good sleep, now you don't have to do sleep training. If you go on a trip or she gets sick she might take a few nights to get back through the night. But now that you know she can go all night I would try to keep it that way.

Do not wake that baby!! If she were hungry, she would let you know it. Take it while it lasts. When she hits a growth spurt, she may change her sleeping patterns.

I am a mother of 4 ages 14, 10, 7 and 4.

Never wake a sleeping baby. If she needs something she'll wake up. Consider yourself lucky and enjoy the sleep.

Your baby knows when she needs to eat and get her diaper changed. She'll let you know. My son started sleeping through the night at 3 months, and although I woke up to check on him often, he is now a healthy 3-year old boy who still sleeps well! He never reverted back at all!

I have never had to wake my son to change him when he sleeps through the night and he has never had a diaper rash. I don't recommend loading her with the diaper cream however because it's a chemical and is being absorbed through the skin. Diaper rash occurs because there is moisture and the body is unable to breathe. You might want to switch to the diaper I use if you are not sure. Naturebaby diapers. The only time I have ever had a leak or a problem was when I was trying to use up the last of the previous size diapers KNOWING darn well that he was too big for those! I'm just stubborn like that and come from a family that used to always say not to waste things! So that is MY fault and NOT the diaper company. These diapers are biodegradeable and compostable. They are made out of corn and not plastic like huggies and pampers. Give them a try...even if it's just for night wear. :)

You are lucky! My son has just started sleeping through the night and he's 10 months old. I wouldn't wake her up because if she were hungry or needed her diaper changed she'd let you know by crying. I know as a 1st time mom you're worried when anything changes, but this change is a good one.

I have a friend whose daughter slept through the night until the day before she went back to work (around 3 months) and hasn't slept through the night since (she just turned 9 months old). She wakes up every 2 - 3 hours now.

Enjoy this time and I hope it lasts.

My baby started sleeping through the night at that age too. He's now 4 1/2 months and is still doing it! It's great! I used "Baby Wise" and it says this is normal. As long as your baby is getting in enough feedings during the day (I believe it's 6 at this age but double check). My baby was eating every 2 1/2 - 3 hours during the day (note: I breast feed exclusivley) so he'd sleep a 12 hour night :-) Awesome!
If your baby starts waking up in the middle of the night again she'll probably put herself back to sleep within 10 minutes. If you respond every time she makes a noise she will get back into the routine of waking in the middle of the night. My son wakes at 5 am to babble to himself a little & always falls back to sleep until 7:30am.
Oh, as far as diapers go....I used Pampers Swaddlers and now that my son is in a size 3 I use Pampers Baby-dry and neither every leaked on me. I just put some Aveeno diaper rash cream on before bed and he's good to go.

If she is 12 pounds or over, she doesn't need to eat at night. Make sure during the day she gets recommended ounces- I think it's 30 or 32?
Enjoy, do not wake her!

E. ~ that is a good thing! Don't fight it! Just change her diaper as soon as she gets up. Make sure that right before she goes down you change her and put some extra cream on her to protect her skin. As far as eating - this is awesome - this is what you want to have - that puts her more towards a normal eating schedule! I would not waker her up during the night - she will be fine!

It means enjoy it while you can. My son was sleeping 7 hours or so at 3 months and i was shocked but he started teething early and then started eating more and woke up again once through the night. The only time i ever woke him to change him was whem he soaked through his PJs which he still does sometimes. good luck and enjoy your sleep now

Yes you are lucky!!!! My son fed every two hours for two and a half years. What I remember hearing is that only if you have a problem with your baby not gaining enough weight should you worry about waking her to feed.Sleep!!!
P.

Count your blessings!!!!! Both of my boys started sleeping through the night around that same age.

Now that she has proven that she can go that long without eating - DO NOT GO BACK!!

Enjoy and do know that she will probably start eating more for the first feeding in the morning and more for the last one at night. Great. That is how it is supposed to be.

You are blessed.

+B+

My daughter slept twelve hours a night from the get go. Enjoy it while you can! As long as her weight is ok, I wouldn't stress over it. Consider yourself fortunate and catch up on as much rest as you can. At 4 years old, she is still a great sleeper, it is just getting her to go to sleep that poses the challenge. When #2 came along - everything went out the window. He would wake up every 2 hours, hungry or not and was ready to rock and roll. He is nearly 2 now and just recently started sleeping soundly thru the night...

Take care,
G.

One son started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, the other 2 started at 8 weeks. They would go to sleep at 8 or so, wake at 11 to feed and right back to sleep until 6 am or so. They just would seem to start eating more at each feeding during the day at that point.

My pediatrician told me to set an alarm and feed ny daughter every 4 hours. I think that is what you need to do. We thought we were skating when she began sleeping through the night right away, but found out the baby needs to be fed every 4 hours. Diaper changes will follor after feeding. Hope this helps! Patti B

That is totally normal. I have 3 kids and my 3rd is 11 weeks old. He is sleeping 9-10 hrs through the night. When they reach a certain amount on lbs (like 10 or so), they no longer need to eat every 2hrs at night. He DOES although, eat every 2 hrs during the day. Hope this helps!

Yeah!!!! Your baby willingly transitioned to the goal sleep pattern. Don't wake her! At that age my baby was sleeping from 7pm to 5 am, eating w/ diaper change, then back to bed till 7:30. At 6 months, and a healthy weigh-in, I trained her out of the 5 am feeding and she now sleeps from 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. You're doing great! Your daughter's body would wake her is she needed more food, and her diaper is designed to go through the night. We do cloth diapers during the day and 1 disposable for the 12 hour night. Even as she goes through fazes of wanting to wake in the middle of the night (teething, separation anxiety, etc.), try to break her of it right away. Clearly her body is able to sleep all night, and establishing healthy sleep is so important for the rest of her life. Now you can get your body a good night's sleep!

being a first time mom it is easy to be taken aback every time your newborn child does something which seems out of the ordinary...like a sudden change in sleep patterns. i have found that children tend to follow their own lead when it comes to sleep, hunger, etc. once us parents think we know the schedule it totally cahnges..and will keep on cahnging!! as a mother of two, a boy and a girl, their schedules and pattern changes still throw me off sometimes!(and they're 8 and 16!) so, i would say that so long as your daughter seems comfortable, safe, and you are attending to her needs when she is awake, do not fret over changes in sleeping and eating patterns...you will worry yourself often times for no reason. this is very important for new parents to keep in mind...your child will enter into new patterns of sleep and eat because they are growing at rates which as adults we cannot match. good luck enjoying your newborn!

Don't ruin a good thing!! It wonderfl. She gets sleep and so do you. If she referts back then all well and you had a good few days or weeks. IF she is not taking in fluids at night then she is not peeing as much so you don't need to worry about the diaper. Of cource unless she had leaked out of it but most likely that would wake her up. As far as feeding her just give her a few more oporrtunities during the day. If she was hungry she would wake up and let you know.
I am so happy for you
A.

My second child started sleeping through the night at about the same age (3 months or so). She slept a good 10 hours at a stretch, religiously. At first I used to wake her up to feed her and change her diaper, but then I started letting her sleep through. I put Triple Cream diaper rash cream on her before bed to protect her from diaper rash (she was prone to it) and that worked wonders (I still use it). She's always been a good eater and kind of hefty, so I wasn't worried that she wasn't eating enough. I eventually stopped worrying about her sleeping too much and learned to enjoy it (I had a 19 month old at the time, so it was a real blessing!). Hope that info helps.
N.

Hooray! Both my twins started sleeping through the night from 7:30 pm to 6:30 am starting at 11 weeks old and it hasn't stopped since....they are 2 now. Yes when they have a growing spurt or are sick we have found ways to work around it...but your little girl wants the sleep so let her have it and enjoy it. Congratulations on your little girl...isn't it the best to be a mom!

E., let her sleep. If you start waking her up to feed and change her then you may actually create a bad sleeping habits for her because she will be expecting to get up, changed, and fed. You are truly blessed that she's sleeping for that long already. Some babies don't do that. You are one of the lucky ones. Good luck with your new bundle of joy.

Don't wake a sleeping baby! Don't wake a sleeping baby!

Today's diapers are so much better than when we were kids. She'll be dry, even when the diaper is wet...if you are using disposable.

Rejoice in the sleep you are getting and so many others wish they were getting.

Dear E.,
Oh, my darling........
First of all, quit worrying and realize how lucky you are!!!
I have two children, a girl and a boy, born 10 years apart. (Now 22 and 12). They both, by the grace of God, started sleeping all night at about 6 weeks old. They were both perfectly fine and healthy. The trade off is, they were alert and wanted to nurse frequently throughout the day, which gave me little time to get things done. But, there was no sleep deprivation. I never went through the crying or feeding every two hours all night. I didn't do anything magic, I guess that's just how their little sleep patterns worked. They didn't get bad diaper rashes from not being changed every few hours, but I did let lem air out with no diaper as much as possible during the day.
Kids do revert to waking in the night especially during teething and when they get older and more active and start rolling around a bit. At that age, they can learn to get back to sleep.
For now, your daughter is sleeping. She is not hungry or she would cry. She is not uncomfortably wet or she would cry. There is an old saying, "Never wake a sleeping baby."
As I said, my kids were never in to nap time. They would doze off in my lap or in the play pen or in the car. But for the most part, they were awake during the day and they slept all night.
I don't think you have anything at all to be concerned about. I always thought, "How could I get lucky enough to have TWO kids that just started sleeping all night on their own?" Two out of two! I know so many people that were dragging and delerious and crying all day because they were so tired.
Be happy if you don't have to go through that.
Enjoy your sweet little baby!

My daughter went from sleeping 4-6 hours at a time to suddenly one night she slept for 11 hours straight at 4 months. I kept waking up every hour to make sure that she was breathing! I didn't get extra sleep, I just had more anxiety! So, I know how you must feel. I think my daughter went through a growth spurt at the time and was eating and sleeping a lot. She slept a lot for about a week and then eventually settled in a routine. As long as your daughter is gaining weight and does not seem cranky when she is awake, she may be fine. Is she awake more during the day since she sleeps so much at night? If so, then you may be ok. If you are really concerned, of course, talk with your pediatrician.

E.,
Both of my kids were also sleeping through the night at 3 months, and I had no problem with it! I just put lots of diaper cream (I liked Aquaphor) on during their last diaper change before bed and had no problem waiting to change their diapers until morning. If they needed a diaper change before that, they usually let me know. There were a couple of phases of diaper leaks during the night, but that was usually resolved by a bigger size diaper and/or cutting down liquids before bed (when they were a little older). To ensure the kids were getting enough to eat, I also followed the feeding schedule in the book The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems. That included a "dream feed" where you feed the baby at around 10 pm without actually waking her. If it were me though, I think I wouldn't even bother with that if the baby's weight gain was sufficient and she continued to sleep through the night without it. I was able to get a couple extra hours of sleep once my kids were old enough to drop the dream feed (the book recommends dropping it at around 7-8 months when solids are firmly established). I hope that helps and that your little one continues to be a good sleeper!
C.

Hi E.,

Enjoy the time right now that your daughter is sleeping through the night because it won't last forever, unfortunately. It's normal for this to happen (mine slept through the night at 6 weeks). She's obviously getting enough food during the day and early evening to get her through the night. There's absolutely no need to wake her up to feed and change her. If she's hungry or needs a new diaper, she'll wake up and let you know. Otherwise, get a good nights sleep and enjoy!

K. (mom to a 20 month old toddler)

I have a ten week old and he is starting to sometimes sleep for 4-7 hours and sometimes still waking up every 3...so here is how I am trying to deal with his long nights: every night before bed he gets an extra feeding. (I formula feed, so he eats 5oz instead of his usual 4). I also feed him 5oz instead of 4 on mornings he has had a full(ish) night of sleep. That way I can feel better about his calorie intake and know he isn't missing out. The other thing, diapers: if her diapers arent leaking, then she is probably fine, just powder her and make sure she is in a clean diaper just before bedtime and just after waking up. Sometimes I will use a different brand of diaper at night than I do during the day because some have better leak protection and better absorption. My baby has never had diaper rash, but I make sure I put diaper ointment on him most days either before bed or after waking up...putting to much can cause dry skin, but after a long night of being wet it can help ward off rashes.
Just my 2 cents :)

S.

No she is fine....if she was hungry she would wake up. Does she have wet dipers all day? Then she is fine. If she dosent have a red bottom in the morning she is fine. If she does have a bowel movement I would change her but a wet one shouldnt be a problem. Use a diaper rash cream before bed time to protect her skin... Lucky for you she is sleeping for now...teething may change all that....:)

Hello. My son is 4 months old now, but he went through the same thing. I asked his doctor about it and he said that as long as my son was eating every 2 hours during the day that he was getting plenty of nutrients/food and to let him go as long as he will go at night. (I am breast feeding, if you give formula I believe it was evry 3 hours) Check with your daughters doctor and I'm sure they will put your mind at ease. As far as the diaper changes, if you find they are leaking due to being over full then you should probably change her once in the night. My son still gets up once a night and I always change a very full diaper. Good Luck.

if your baby gets to wet or hungery she will let you know,just enjoy your sleep. Ther will be lots of times to come she will keep you up

Consider yourself lucky and enjoy the sleep. she may revert back or she may not. My midwife told me not to worry about changing diapers at night- it does not bother most babies. I put an extra liner in my son's cloth diaper at night and put extra ointment on to keep his skin dry and prevent rashes, which he gets anyways. I say enjoy the sleep nd keep listening to your daughter's cues, she will let you know when she needs something

This is totally in the range of normal,though on the early side. You are very lucky. Let her sleep through. She will eat more during the day if she needs it.

12 Weeks or 12 pounds and they can sleep through the night...that's the medical establishments suggestion.

Be happy! Enjoy! sleep!

I wonder if our baby is on formula; that usually takes longer to digest. But baby won't get sick.

Diapers don't need to be changed during the night at this age.
So no need to worry!

Enjoy your restful nights!

A.

How exciting your daughter is sleeping the night!!! Woo hoo! My daughter did the same thing, went from sleeping a 5-6 hour stint to sleeping 15-1/2 hours straight. Thought it was a fluke, but every night after that it was 15-16 hour nights. She would nurse REALLY well in the morning, and every three hours through the day. The doctor wasn't concerned as long as she was still gaining weight.
As for the diapers: unless she is having major discomfort or diaper rash, I wouldn't worry about it. If it really bothers her, it should wake her up. I recommend putting down one of those water proof covers under her when she sleeps - my daughter always soaked through the diaper. I started putting either 2 diapers on, or one of those soakers inside her diaper to soak up the excess.
Just make sure she is gaining weight at the proper rate, and she should be ok. Good luck to you!

E.-
Enjoy it! My son started sleeping through the night (12 hours) at 8 weeks old and has never looked back. He is now a year old and is still an excellent sleeper. I did use those multi-use quilted pads for him to sleep on in case there was leaking during the night. That way I didn't have to changed the sheet as often. When he was still on bottles, I did his last feeding at 6:00 and then changed him and put him down for the night at 8:00. I also talked with his pedi. and she laughed and told me not to tell too many other moms...they would be jealous! LOL! :) Enjoy your sleep, it sounds like your daughter is!

Hi E.-

My kids were not good sleepers, so good for you! I would just watch the weight of your baby. I had a friend that recently had a baby and her baby started sleeping through the night, etc...Well, he lost too much weight and had very few wet diapers and ended up in the hospital. I would say this is probably rare. I would just keep an eye on your baby's weight and make sure she continues to have normal wet diapers through out the day and if you are concerned check with your Dr.

Hey E., don't worry, you will soon find that children go through changes at different times. Many of the extra sleeping or eating habits mean that they are usually going through growth spurts. I am a mother of four, my eldest being 14, then 9,7,and 5. One girl and three boys. They were all different when it came to sleeping through the night. One thing is for sure if your baby is hungry, she will let you know :). I wouldn't worry too much, babies all grow at different rates, she's just taking her next step. Try to get some sleep while she is sleeping through the night, it might not last too long. Hope this helps a little :). R.

Dear E.,
Your little princess is adjusting herself to the world. She's doing just fine and will wake up to eat/diaper change when she needs to. Be assured that she won't starve as long as you have food available when she wants it. Her system is adjusting beautifully and your job is to step back and let nature take its' course. Good job having such a lovely, secure daughter.
S.
____@____.com

Most babies are capable of sleeping through the night at this age. Both of my daughters slept through at 9 weeks old for 8 hours then extended it to 10-11 hours. As they got older, it went to 11-12 hours with less sleeping during the day. If you have a good routine throughout the day, this is a natural result! So DO NOT WAKE HER UP! If you do, she will not sleep through the night again. Feeding her will ruin her metabolism and her body will expect food at night as well at during the day. She will eat well during the day, so don't worry about feeding her at night or even changing her unless she wakes up crying. But otherwise, let her be. Good job!!

my advice is: enjoy your sleep, and never wake a sleeping baby!! Unless she's poopy, you don't have to change her even if she wakes in the night. She may start waking again (during a growth spurt or teething, for example), or she may not. For your sake, I hope not. 12 weeks is old enough to sleep that long. Yay for you!

are you feeding her on a schedule during the day & then letting her go "on demand" at night? My twin girls were fed every 2 1/2 hrs, we changed them, fed them, played & put them to sleep awake. Once the dr said we could move to "on demand" feeding at night, we would feed them at 7:30 do a bedtime routine & wake them again at 10 for a diaper change & feeding & put them back down. By 2 months, they were sleeping through until 7:30am. At 6 months, they dropped the 10 o'clock feeding & starting sleeping through 7:30 - 7:30. We had a week where one was waking up in the middle of the night, overly tired but not hungry. We moved bedtime to 7 (1/2 hr earlier) & they went back to sleeping through the night. Unless your doctor is concerned about weight gain, don't knock it! Consider yourself one lucky mom! It will change as they go through teething & growth spurts from time to time. My girls are sleep trained to be self soothers. Pretty much a necessity with twins.

My son also went through a change like this when he was exactly 12 weeks old. All of a sudden, he started sleeping 10-12 hours a night, and we would wake up with our hearts pounding because we haven't heard a peep from him in so long. If your baby is getting enough milk during the day (count the oz if you're unsure) and your baby's in a healthy percentile range (ours was in the 50th), I think you can rest assured that your baby's maturing well and you should consider yourself lucky. Some babies do revert back to waking up -- due to illness or teething pain or for whatever reason -- so it's normal if that happens. Our baby reverted a bit in his 4th month, but continued sleeping well since then. I recommend overnight diapers or a diaper the next size up so that she doesn't leak through the night!

Although every child is different, yes, this is normal. If your daughter is doing this on her own, you are lucky. And, at some point she may revert back. My son also slept thru the night right at 12 weeks. We worked very hard to gradually get him scheduled to sleept thru the night by 12 weeks. Aside from a few days, he has been sleeping through the night ever since (he is now 1). Many books, like Babywise, talk about night sleep scheduling and helping your infant learn to sleep thru the night by 12 weeks.

That is a big change. My daughter gradually gave up one night feeding every couple weeks until she slept through the night. However, she was just over 12 weeks old when she began sleeping through the night and your daughter is around the same age. Unless she starts losing weight, there's no reason to wake her up to eat. I'd let her sleep. As far as diaper changes go, just be sure to put a lot of diaper cream on her before you put her down. If you check on her in the middle of the night and suspect a poo-diaper then I'd change her otherwise she'll be OK.

It all sounds like good progress to me. She's definitely old enough to be sleeping through the night like that--her digestive system must be maturing enough to go that long without eating, giving her more restful sleep.
I would not wake her up to feed her. She's probably eating more during the day to make up for it. I also would not wake her up to change her diaper, unless you check on her and notice that it is dirty or very wet. If she needs a change, try to disturb her as little as possible. I used to change my babies right there in crib, carefully of course, so I wouldn't have to lift them up and wake them. They would sleep right through it.
Enjoy the extra rest for yourself!