4 Month Old Is Suddenly up Every 2 Hours

I just posted the same thing :( Has it gotten better for you? I don't know what to do. My daughter is 4 1/2 months old & is waking up super early & not sleeping. She was a good sleeper at night until recently but never a great napper. Now I can't stand it & I feel completely drained. I am SAHM so it's not even like I changed anything in her schedule or anything. I am just lost & wanted to know if things have at least improved some for you. Talk to you soon.

Hi K.,

First, let me say don't listen to those who say your baby should be sleeping through the night...every baby is different, and while it may be typical for some babies this age to "sleep through the night", that just means sleeping for four continuous hours a night. With my experience the breastfeeding tends to make the babies wake at night. My two-year-old kept me up every three hours for the whole first year of his life; he wanted boobies, boobies, boobies. I tried warm baths after the nightly meal, to no avail; when he woke, I tried giving him warm water, warm water with a (very)little Karo Syrup, Ferberizing, cuddling, rocking...nothing worked except boobies. I weaned him right at twelve months, and lo-and-behold he started sleeping nine hours a night. My younger son is eight months and he still wakes up every four hours or so to nurse. At this point I just give in, because I know eventually I will be the one who is worse for the wear if I try to get him to sleep without nursing him.

Now, at 2 1/2, my older son still sometimes gets up once or twice at night, and I frequently find him on the sofa in the morning . My (step)daughter used to wake at night until she was over four the same way--except we would find her face down with her butt in the air on the armchair. Then she started with the bedwetting...so you see, it never really ends. You will be sleepless for at the next several years, or at least until you get some quality earplugs.

Good luck,

M.

K., I would like to know what books you are reading! That is not true! Sleep is a HUGE issue for most children. My son will be a year this month and he has only slept thru the night a few times. He wakes up every four hours still! I too have tried EVERYTHING to get him to sleep longer. Nothing seems to work other then being consistant. If your daughter seems healthy and alert then I wouldnt worry at all. It is very common with breastfed babies who enter in daycare to want to nurse all night. It isnt because she is hungry it is because she misses that warm body close to her. She most likely wants to be close with you at night because she isnt around you all day. Also at four months she may be having a growth spurt. Is your doctor old? Or is your daughter not gaining weight? Starting a baby on rice cereal so young is not suggested now unless the baby isnt gaining weight. Even the APA suggests 6 months as a min. All that your baby needs is breastmilk. Old school doctors will sometimes still suggest cereal to help with sleeping but often it makes the problem worse. Lastly, are you confident with the care your child is getting at daycare? Sometimes children who are bored and under stimulated at daycare will nap a lot, as a way to sort of tune it out. I'm not suggesting that anything horriable is happening but perhaps she needs more stimulation then the center is provideing. I would set a bedtime and start a consistant routine that involved a lot of close skin to skin contact. Good luck! Its soooo hard having a child that doesnt sleep.

It sounds like the change in what she does during the day might be screwing her up a little. They say that any change in routine can be difficult for babies to deal with. Also, when babies hit a new "milestone stage" their sleep patterns get interupted. Maybe you should talk to your daycare about how much they are letting her sleep. Maybe they should try to spread her naps further apart and make them less frequent. At this point, maybe you shouldn't try to put her down at 8 if she doesn't seem tired. I went through this with my daughter, where I was trying to force a schedule on her and it didn't work. And then one day, she just set her own schedule and now goes to bed at the same time every night. Give it some time. I know its hard, but she might just need to work this out on her own. Good luck!

Hi K.....

First I'd like to say hello and I hope to see you and your little around...... I'm in your area and my daughter is also 4 months (my son is 26 months).

My son was in day care and I had a similar experience but I've been able to stay home w/ my daughter and have seen a difference. Everyone's advice will be dif't as not every suggestion works the same for all babies.... There are 2 possibilities based on my experiences..... the first is that she's ready to start on cereal but may also be ready for more formula also..... someone mentioned they grow in their sleep which is true and if their tummies are satisfied they tend to sleep. The second is that since she's sleeping so much in day care it's likely she's not getting enough exercise and stimulation and/or missing out on mommy time..... sometimes when babies and even toddlers don't have enough time w/ their caregiver they try to get that time at night. You may want to make the hour before she goes to sleep one that offers stimulation and is just you and her.... infant massage also helps.

The other possibility is that she is sick possibly an ear infection or something. You can try putting a crib riser under her crib (it helps drain their nasal passages making it easier for them to breather) and also make sure you have a humdifier in her room.

I hope this helps but your pediatrician usually knows best so make sure you have one w/ whom you have confidence.

Good luck and happy sleeping!

P.S. My son would get up during the night until I changed my routine and got the crib riser..... my daughter however now sleeps thru the night....

Starting on cereal is a great idea your ped was right on that one. All three of my children were on cereal and starting fruits at this age. She is growing and babies grow when they sleep. Waking up is to let you know she is not getting enough foods during the day. Most babies wake up at night for the diaper hunger or illness. If she is sleeping alot more during the day the the hunger is mostlikly what she is waking up for. Ask yourself how many feedings she is getting threwout her day. This age still requires eatting every 3 the most 4 hours during the day. Just giving her rice once isn't going to fill her to hold her threw. HOw much is she sleeping during the day time? Do your work or stay home with her? a little about me Im a Mom of three my sons are 11 and 9 soon to be 12 and 10 and my little girl just turned 3 she was the hardest one out of them all *its a girl thing*.I also took care of my niece for the first 3 years of her life while my sister worked and attended night school. I have a degree in early childhood and minored in pshyc. I wish you luck and if you need to talk just let me know oh and I just tured 35..*shhhhh don't tell* kindly B.

8pm is probably a little early to put her to bed if she sleeps all day at daycare. Aside from bathing her abt an hour before you would like her to go to sleep, I'd say make sure she has the warm bottle with rice cereal in it about 20 minutes after the bath. Or are you nursing her in the evening? Lights dimmed in the room she is sleeping in or that you are putting her to sleep in. Also, make sure she isn't gassy. Lastly, honey the books are just a guideline...each baby is different and has it's own way of becoming comfortable in the world..she is still adjusting to being outside of your womb even at 4 months. Also, sometimes babies switch schedules...day is night and night can become day. And most moms do feel guilty, especially about daycare and going back to work. I did at first.. But you are doing what you have to for your family. It will get better over time..I use the lavender and chamomile nite time bath washa dn lotion..and it actually worked for my son (he is now 19 months)...he was a waker upper too...Good luck..

As many of the mothers on this board will tell you, sleeping through the night at 4 months is rarely the case. My son took over a year before he would go all night long. One thing that might help is ask the day care to limit her naps to 2 hours each or some amount you are happy with. At one point we discovered the day care was letting my son sleep well over 3 hours during a single nap and he was getting two naps a day. He was tough to get down and his wakings were more frequent. Once we made it clear he should not be sleeping any longer than 2 hours, things started to improve.