2 Month Old Suddenly Sleeping Less at Night

My niece used to sleep with my sisters nightshirt. She would breastfeed and fall asleep, and everytime my sister got up she would wake up shortly after. So my sister would take her nightshirt from the night before and put it next to my niece, swaddle her up nice and warm, and she would sleep for longer stretches. Since the shirt smelled like my sister and breast milk, she didn't wake up as often.

That's a very common pattern. Newborns sleep so much that when they come out of that phase, it's a disappointment!

Please don't ignore his cries. Infants need parenting to sleep for very good biological reasons. Most proponents of the 'cry it out' (CIO) method are absolutely NOT taking into account the current research that tells us what is normal and healthy for infant sleep. Here is a link to the world’s foremost expert on infant sleep:

http://www.naturalchild.org/james_mckenna/rethinking.html

that is just one page among many that will open your eyes to a whole new body of information that is actually evidence based, unlike cio, which is a culturally based method based on the parent’s needs rather than the infant’s physiological needs, as well as a misunderstanding about what is normal for infant sleep.

Harvard scientists have understood for years that babies should not be left to cry and try to tell parents why it is so important:

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/04.09/ChildrenNe...

And the knowledge that it is completely normal for babies to take a year or two or even more to develop the ability to sleep thru the night is not that new, either – it really makes you wonder why parents continue to ignore the information. Take a look at this article:

The Sleep Patterns of Normal Children, Armstrong KL, Quinn RA & Dadds MR. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retriev....
Medical Journal of Australia 1994 Aug 1;161(3):202-6.
“It is not until after 24 months that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less common.”

The information about what is normal and healthy for infant sleep is so solid and compelling, that an entire country has drafted a policy against cio.
http://www.aaimhi.org/documents/position%20papers/control...

Why do parents continue to cling to and defend cio, when every shred of evidence we have shows it is inappropriate and does not meet the child’s needs? Our culture values independence strongly, and mistakenly believes that denying a child’s need for closeness will foster independence and confidence, when the opposite has been shown to be true.

It is also traditional in our culture to give priority to the needs of adults, regardless of the fact that imposing sleep training on infants is a practice that has been well studied and shown to be undesirable.

There are biologically appropriate, kind, evidence-based ways to deal with the normal sleep patterns of infants, but they continue to be ignored and dismissed by most parents in the U.S., where parents will insist that they cio for the children’s own good, despite the truth that we know better and have for years.

Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" is one resource I know of that takes into account both your baby's biological needs and your own need for sleep. I recommend it highly.

are you still breast feeding? if so has anything change in your diet that might be upsetting his belly? or maybe tring a nice bath before bed time.

As you have probably already heard, this is totally normal. I found that it was much easier to accept this once I knew what was going on. I got "The Science of Parenting" book and it really shed some light on the physiology and development of our little one's brains and what is 'developmentally appropriate'. Also, another good resource I just found is this site: http://www.parentingscience.com/

Hang in there b/c it will change. And they will return to sleeping. Unfortunately, sleep is the thing that gets interrupted most. Teething, milestones (like sitting and crawling) and biological changes will all make your baby not sleep (oh fun!). But he will sleep again. Good luck!

take care,
J. (& son Liam 2.5 yrs)

One more thing, CIO is NOT for infants! Please read on it before doing that. I have read about a 4 month who was diagnosed w/ Failure to Thrive and almost died b/c her parents were encouraged by family members to let her CIO at too early of an age. There's a really good section on CIO in the Science of Parenting book that tells you what's happening to the baby's brain when you let them CIO. OK, take care!

You said you are breastfeeding. Have you added sugar, caffeine/not so great food to your diet again? I found that what I ate totally effected my baby's day...his mood....his physical being. My habits totally determined how his day went.

Also, my newborn slept through the night at 6 weeks, then stopped, then at 15 weeks, then stopped, etc. His sleeping patterns were random up until two years old when he was potty trained. I found I just had to be flexible, otherwise trying to figure IT out all the time was so frustrating and counter productive.

Two or three months of age seems young for sleeping through the night. If your baby is going through a growth spurt, he may need the extra nursing that occurs in the middle of the night. If he's otherwise a contented baby, this is probably what's going on. You might consider moving him to the crib for all his sleeping needs; that will give him the quiet he may need to sleep more soundly during the night. Best wishes.

I have no stellar advise -- I am in the same boat. My DS is 11 weeks and had been sleeping about 5 and then about every 2-3 and this week has gone back to every 2. Must be growth spurt time I guess;->

All of my boys did this, and still do. They change their eating routine on me all the time. I can't keep up. Your son is growing at a rapid rate right now so his need for nutrition is heavy. Can you feel the growth spurt coming on? Don't worry, he'll change again next week. Just to keep you on your toes!

at 6wks old you should definetly feed him when he wakes up. that is still young and they still need to eat pretty often.

I have two sons, youngest is 9 months and both are great sleepers. I really think that the secret is that Dad has always put them to bed and fed them via a bottle so we would know just how much they were getting. You can do this with pumped breastmilk or formula or a combination. When the babies were younger he would go in just before he went to bed at 11pm and give them a supplemental bottle as well without waking them up. Both kids still sleep 10 to 12 hours per night and oldest is almost 4.

Hi,

I have a 19 month old boy and remember when he was a newborn and at 2 months he started "sleeping through the night". It was exciting that he did it so early, however it wasn't consistent. Some nights he did and some nights he didn't.

Your son is still too young to sleep for long periods consistently. Just keep what you are doing and he will eventually sleep longer. I don't think the crib has anything to do with it - he needs lots of sleep at this age and doesn't matter where he gets it. It's great that you have him in the crib, my son wouldn't nap in a crib until he was 5 months old.

Good luck and I promise you will sleep again!

Hi S.,

Letting your baby this young to sleep 6hrs is too long for your baby at this age. It is normal for your little one still waking up every 2-3hrs at night to be fed. When your baby is at least 3 months old should start sleeping all night but still might wake up maybe once or twice it all depends and especially you're still breastfeeding still need to feed your baby every 2-4hrs to keep that milk going. If you go too long without nursing or pump your milk, it can decrease your milk supply. Don't worry, your baby will sleep longer at nights when he is getting older and drinking more milk. Right now he is only taking probably 2-4 ounces of milk. Once he is drinking more, then he'll start to sleep little bit more as the times go by. He'll gradually sleep little longer as he ages. Be patience and it is normal for him to wake up at night for feedings. Congratulation on your new baby boy!!

I don't have much to say, as my daughter is only 2 months as well, but in the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", it says that napping during the day will in fact help your infant to sleep better at night, so don't cut out the naps - you're lucky, my daughter won't sleep at all during the day. She sleeps a lot at night however, she'll sleep 5-6 hours, feed, and then sleep another 3 hours, feed and repeat - as long as your son is adequately gaining weight, sleeping for 6 hours at night is not a problem (according to my pediatrician). Hopefully the change in sleep habits is just a temporary growth spurt...good luck.

some of us get a nice surprise when our babies sleep the 6 or 7 hours and then my son did the same thing waking up after a few hours....I missed the 7 hours but know the norm is 2 -to 3 hours. I think a lot had to do with the stuff we were seeing and doing during the day but there is no magic recipe for getting back to the sleeping 7 hours. i think my son started drooling and teething early even though his teeth didnt come in for months later. could be a lot of things but doubt it is the crib during nap time....just my input.

I know that isnt what you were hoping to hear but reality is babies wake up every couple of hours and they do this till about 6 - 8 months i did have some nice breaks in between which was nice and savored.

sounds like a growth spurt ..this too will pass!!

Dear S.,
Congratulations on your baby boy!
My baby son will be 13 tomorrow. I can't even believe it.
Babies' sleeping patterns can change quite a bit during different stages of their development. Sometimes they need more food or you have to adjust the times you put them down. Your baby is so new that his patterns haven't been really established in any way. Making sure that your baby is safe, didn't wiggle a blanket over their face, etc is the most important thing to check. Once that's done, letting them cry for a minute or two won't hurt anything. Just don't let them get too worked up. It could be a wet diaper, it could be gas. Gas pains will send a sleeping baby into shrill screaming. Make sure you burp your baby really well before putting them down. At this age, there is nothing wrong with comforting your baby. I actually think it makes them more secure and actually less dependent later on. In the crib or bassinette, rub, pat, speak softly, sing or hum. That way they know you are there but can get in the hang of drifting back to sleep. A truly hungry baby will cry until it gets something to eat and as your baby grows, it will require more and more nourishment.
Just hang in there. I'm sure you are doing a fabulous job! Don't worry about the crib naps having anything to do with it. All kids need to be able to sleep in other beds or environments from time to time.

Best wishes and blessings to you!

Hi S. l.
I'm tami grandmother of 6 month old granddaughter. If your boy is falling asleep while feeding him and waking up within 2 hours of feeding, try waking him up during the feeding and having him eat more. This is sometimes called lazy baby, only means that they get very comfortable feeding and fall asleep before they finish eating. Hope this works for you

your little one is so little and may be going through a growth spurt and need more nourishment at night time. I would not ignore his cries, you want to establish trust with him at this point, so pick him up and nurse him back to sleep and be happy that he goes back to sleep for 2 hours- some babies do not do that
your son will sleep through the night one day, around 6 months Drs say their stomaches can wait all night to eat, although my son just started with a little encouragement and crying it out at 10 1/2 months so enjoy your night nurser, he will only be so needy and little for so long

babies often change their routine on you! Just when you are getting used to it, they change! It could be a little colic or it could be a growth spurt. They will eat more when they are growing.

He is too little too just let him cry it out, although you can give it 2-3 minutes to make sure he really needs something. I know it sounds like and feels like forever right now but he will settle into more of a routine around 4-5 months and it will be easier to keep more of a routine then right now.

Every baby is different! My first slept through the night at 5months and my second is still not a great sleeper!

Good luck and just know that it will get better, and when that baby sleeps you sleep (if you can!)

Hi S.,

This is a pretty normal thing your experiencing. There are a couple of things you can try. Now there's always a chance that it could be a touch of colic. You can wean colic out by watching if the crying starts and stops at the same time during the night, every night. Sometime when babies are colicky they will feed like every two hours, because they get gassy. If it is colic you can do some bicycle leg pumps with his little legs to help move out any gas bubbles. You can also try giving him a bath right after his bed time feeding (helps relax them), and then right before you're ready to hit the pillow top him off with a mini feeding. As far as the crib bassinet thing, I don't think that's really gonna make a difference (he's too little to tell the difference!). He'll eventually work it out, and you'll soon be sleeping again! I am the mother of 4 boys ages 9,6, and twins that are 4. When there this little you kind of let them sleep where ever they'll stay asleep! One of my twins slept in his infant car seat for the first 4 months of his life! He wouldn't leep in a crib, bassinet, or in bed with me. I thought I was going to loose it. My pediatrician said don't worry about it,he feels snuggled and safe in the car seat, he's strapped in and can't go anywhere, let him be and he'll work it out! He eventually did, and went from the seat back into his crib with his brother! They are tempermental, but it usually doesn't last long! I hope this helps!

A LITTLE ABOUT ME:
I am 34, married to my best friend and a stay at home mama to 4 beautiful little men! I am Christian, and I love the Lord. I love to sing, camp, hike, and spend time with my friends and family. I am also a home schooling mama, and loving it!