3 Month Old Is Still Waking up Every Three Hours to Eat.

Hi S.-
We had almost the exact same scenario, and it does get better. Just when you think you're getting used to sleeping patterns, another one emerges!
It's pretty normal for a 3mo to wake up that much. Babies have sleep cycles where they sleep heavier and lighter at different times in the night. Also, when he wakes up, he might not be hungry. He could be cold or have a stuffy nose or a wet diaper.
Most peds. recommend introducing solids between 4&6 months. Cereal in the bottle can be a choking hazard, so make sure you're watching him if you chose to do that. Good Luck

I would add a little bit of RICE cereal to the bottle. A LITTLE! Make sure it is rice...fewer babies have an alergy to the rice cereal. Add just a little to the bottle...it will fill the tummy up and make them sleep longer. Some beg to differ...I only put my son in the bed with me when he was new born.....after that...his crib. I was in fear that if he slept with me or in my room...he would always do it! I also put a radio in his room to block out all the noise in the house. Establishing a ROUTINE early on will make things much much better. I dangled the Monitor off the side of his crib so I could hear him at night. Try those little foam blocks they make to sleep the baby on their sides....I found if he was on his back any movement and he would wake up! Sleepin on his side or tummy....would equal him all night long. I was a little scared at first about his tummy but it worked out so well! Again....Some beg to differ...as S.I.D.S. has always been a fear....when i started him on his stomach...i sat by the basonette all night long! he was fine. Start with the side....add some cereal to that bottle...and see if that helps.

Yes, they go through growth spurts around 3mo, 6mo, 9mo. Well, all 4 of mine did anyways. they will have a few weeks of this. If you baby is bottle fed then you might add just a little tinny bit of cereal in to his bottle. However, if the little one is being breastfed then you may want to pump just a bit and mix it in with some cereal. Not to much of it because this can lead to other problems. Try getting some kind of baby food, they have it in stages now. try giving you little one some fruit melody baby food. My little ones L O V E D it.

I know it is hard, but it is very normal for a 3 month old to wake up this much. Both of my boys did. Some nights I would get a longer stretch, but the norm was every 2-3 hours. Your son might not just be hungry, but also need help falling back to sleep. He is too young to ignore his cries, so just give him what he wants and needs.

My boys were 6 month before I could expect a 5 hour stretch, but even then they would go through periods when they would wake me up more often. I would just have to roll over and nurse them back to sleep, because they both slept with me while they were babies. (They are 20 months apart.)

Anyway, I know it is hard, but you will get some sleep some day. Just take it one day, and night, at a time.

Hi S.,

It's probably because he is ready for more formula. You need to up the amount he is taking in overall. So wherever he is at now see if you can get him to take 1 more ounce at each feeding, gradually working up to 2 ounces. So if he is at 4 now go to 6.

I one things I noticed with my two, who both "slept" with us for the first 6 mo. in a co-sleeper at the side of my bed, is that if I was there they would wake up easier and more often. Try moving him to a pack and play a bit further away, say a couple of feet from the bed and keep moving it out like that untilhe is further away. Granted mine was breat feed so I think that had something to do with it. But, if he is waking up and you are there then he wants you to do something to put him back to sleep ie food. If you aren't so close he might start putting himself back to sleep. But, it is totally normal at this age to wake up that often as well. Kids at this age vary with how long etc... they can go between meals and growth spurts play a big role. Just go with what you can do to survive and if that is feeding him every 3 hours then do that for a while, but be prepared to break a habit later, you always have to break habits later one even if you do everything "right" if there is such a thing.