I have a daughter who will be 6 months next week. The first month she was born she slept really good at night (had some full nights but mostly would wake up just once for a quick feeding). The last few months her sleeping is pretty iffy...and lately she's been waking up for 2 bottles (she's on Enfamil Gentlease) and sometimes wakes up more until we give her the pacifier. My son was a great sleeper from the beginning and I am not sure how to get my daughter to sleep better. She goes down without a problem every night between 7/7:30 p.m. and when she does wake up for a bottle she'll take down either 6-8 ounces each time. I got desperate and put rice cereal in the bottle before bed and during the night and that doesn't even seem to help so I have stopped. Anyone have any suggestions? If she's eating during the night I don't want to starve her but my husband and I are pretty tired these days (we both work full-time)... Thanks!!
Forgot to mention she also has solids 3 times a day and is only in the 23% percentile for weight even with all of her eating!!!!
This sounds crazy, but it worked great for me with my daughter.
Wake her up when you want to go to bed - around 11 or 12, and feed her.
I had read about it - and it worked well. You feed them before they can wake up crying - so they're in a better mood.
When I tried it, she would then sleep from 11:30pm to 4 or 5, which got us thru the worst part of the night, so I felt somewhat functional the next day.
Good luck!
Is your Daughter only on Enfamil? My Daughter has a 6 month old and has been sleeping all night since 2 weeks. She started giving her cereal at 2 weeks and is now on fruits and vegetables. Maybe your Daughter needs more than just bottles. I did the same with my 3 kids, as my Daughter is doing and all my kids slept through the night from 2 weeks.
Hang in there! I would think that if she's waking and eating that much, she's hungry and should be fed. My little guy at that age was waking up once to eat so I don't think an additional time to eat is that out of the norm. Good luck getting more sleep for yourself! That's the worst, trying to function at work while exhausted.
Hi M.,
My daughter is almost 7 months and when she was turning just 6 months she did the same thing only it was once a night and she would only eat a few ounces. We would always try the pacifier first and see if that would help her at all and then if not we would give her a bottle. I know understand how tiring it is but they will eventually grow out of it. I tried the "tanking" up before bed time and for my DD it seemed to make it worse because she does have a sensitive belly (she is also on a Gentlease form of formula).
Good luck!
It could be a habit at this point. My son did the same until 7 mos. He always woke up twice, same times each night, and would eat quite a bit. We decided to do some sleep training and see if he was just waking out of habit. It took only 2 nights, with help from my husband, and he has slept through the night ever since. You'll find out quickly if they are truly hungry or not. Good luck.
Sounds just like my 6 month old. He goes to bed b/n 7-8pm and wakes up 2-3 times to eat. I imagine this is pretty normal. This is, however, the first time he has ever "dream-fed" (only partially woken up just to eat and then fallen right back asleep) - I'm loving that.
Several days ago, I was worried that I was going to lose this luxury because I had to express my milk while trying to get rid of a clogged duct. However the same approach worked just fine with a bottle. As soon as he woke up (which was easy to detect because we co-sleep), I popped the bottle in his mouth - and he drank it and fell back asleep - just as if he were nursing. Even if you don't feel comfortable with co-sleeping or if it isn't practical for your situation, you might want to move her crib closer to your bed and have a bottle prepared beforehand. This way you can respond to her nightwaking quickly - before she fully wakes up.
Hi M.. I know so tiring! A lot of 6 mos old still get up to eat.
Here are some helpful hints.
Tank her up during the day. Add an ounce more of formula to each feeding. Especially tank up before bed.
Does she wake at the same time every night or various times? Same time - it is learned hunger, different times - real hunger.
Does she fall right back to sleep after eating? If so, again a sign of real hunger.
If it is learned hunger then dilute the formula to more and more water. If it is actual hunger then I would only dilute one of the feedings first, then the other - just by one ounce at a time.
Good luck!
She needs the second feeding. She's VERY young and this is very normal. She is growing at an alarming rate and the body needs the food. All kids are different so don't compare her to your son. What he needed and what she needs are two different things.
I understand you are tired but this is a stage. It will not last forever. New parents are tired and it is just part of the deal.
We've ALL been there and I worked full time too when I had my baby.
Just gotta suck it up and give her what she needs.
Remember......this won't last forever.
She may just be a baby that needs to eat more during the night and will continue to do so until she gets more food prior to bed and during the day (especially if she can eat two 8 oz bottles nightly and it isn't just because she needs soothing). Sounds like she is hungry and needs more food than just bottles... Does she eat cereal from a spoon yet? If not, mix a bowl up making it kind of soupy and feed her a nice bowl for her dinner. Then, I think she may end up only needing one bottle during the night since the bowl of cereal should stick with her longer than a bottle will. She's old enough to start solids if she's requiring that much formula at night. After she gets used to the soupy cereal, you can add less formula and make it thicker and thicker, and maybe start adding a babyfood veggie to it. Having cereal in the morning and at dinner, is a nice way to start and end her day when she's beginning solids. She still may wake at night, but at that point, all it should be is for 1 bottle and maybe a little soothing here and there and diaper change. 2 big bottles at night means she's hungry, I think. Good luck!
I agree with Carole. It could be she is not getting enough and needs more, so I would add cereal to the last feeding before bed, either by spoon or in her milk.
My inclination would just keep feeding her, because she genuinely still seems hungry and is pretty little. But if you want to try to get her to wake up just once, you could try giving her a bottle of formula when she first gets up, and the second wake up you can slowly increase the formula/water ratio so that after a few nights she's only getting a bottle of water for the second wake up. Then if it really is a learned hunger hopefully she'll unlearn it. But with one this little, I'm not sure it will work so well. Worth a shot though, right?
I don't see any problem with a six month old who wakes to eat or want her pacifier?!
If co-sleeping is not an option for you, then getting up to feed her is just how it will have to be. My 3 year old son was never a good sleeper and still really isn't. He woke to eat and take a pacifier for a loooong time, and we have co-slept since his birth.
As you know, all babies are different. Just because your son slept well for you doesn't necessarily mean your daughter will too. She simply wants to eat or be soothed at bed time and this is totally normal for a baby her age.
Good luck.
