How Long Does a 3.5 Month Baby Sleep at Night?

Yes it is normal! Every baby is different though. Just because one baby sleep through the night at 3 months doesn't mean they all do. I have only known a few people who claimed their small infant slept 6 hrs straight! My son was breast fed for 2 1/2 months and woke every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs to eat! Then when he went on formula he was up every 2-4 hrs to eat. It will get better don't worry!!

Around 6 mths of age it isnt necessary for a baby to wake to be fed as long as their birth weight has doubled.

Normal and healthy. Children rarely sleep through the night at that age unless some form of nutrition-withholding, crying, or other inappropriate, neglectful technique has taken place.

They learn to sleep in their own time :)

What you are seeing is completely normal. Every baby starts sleeping through the night at their own pace. Some people say formula or adding cereal to bottles helps them sleep better, but that is not true and is a dangerous precursor to obesity later in life. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone and so added calories won't get them there any faster. It sounds like you're having a tough time since now you have to be fresh at work, I totally sympathize. But, there really isn't much to do. I think maybe trying to make a really peaceful night-time routine may be the only thing you could change, so when the baby does go down at night he's totally relaxed. Hope it all goes well!

Your son's waking & feeding patterns are completely normal, and believe it or not, you are LUCKY he sleeps from 10 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.! Many, if not MOST, babies don't. Especially breast fed ones. Breastmilk is digested more quickly than formula and most breastfed babies eat every 2-3, or 3-4 hours around the clock for at least the first three months, if not the first six months of life. My daughter is 11 months old and she did this for the first seven or eight months. We co-slept the first six-seven months for this reason. That way, I wasn't up expressing milk or making bottles all night long - I just popped her on the breast & we both fell back asleep. At around seven months, I started a night time routine at the same time everynight at six p.m.: rice cereal and fruit or vegetable, bath, and snuggling/breastfeeding until drowsy for bed. I then put her in her own bed once she was almost asleep, but not completely, around 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. She transitioned to her own bed easily that way & generally got up once during the night to breastfeed (maybe around 1 or 2 a.m.?), at which time I'd get her, put her in bed with us, breastfeed back to sleep and stay put until 5-6 a.m., when we got up to start our day. Eventually around 8-9 months, she started sleeping the whole night through and now she goes to bed around 7-8 without getting up for a feeding at all until 5-6 a.m.

This is something to work towards though, not something your baby should be doing now. It's way too early for his little tummy to go that long without breastmilk and keep up the rapid pace of brain development & physical growth. Plus, neurologically, he's not wired to sleep for long spurts like that. Infant sleep cycles are very short compared to older kids and adults. I remember being very frustrated, but all things in due time. Now my baby sleeps through the night and has weaned herself and I actually miss the breastfeeding & closeness. It goes too fast. So even though it seems taxing & you're exhausted, try hard to enjoy every second of it -they grow & change FAST!

R. J.

Hi PC,

My understanding is that it is totally normal to expect a 3.5 month old to only sleep 3 hour stretches. It would be great for them to sleep longer, but this seems to come with time and with increased body weight. I think that at this age, sleeping through the night is actually considered 6 hours. . . Hopefully your baby will sleep through the night sooner than mine did, it took my son 10.5 months to go the whole night (8 pm - 6 am). Good luck!

S.

Happy to say it's normal. Sad to say it could still be a while. My son is 10 months old now and still gets up at least once. At 3.5 months he was the same way as your son. My saving grace is he eats and goes right back to sleep. Is he on food yet? I know cereal helps many kids. It's worth a try if you feel he's ready.

People all thought I was crazy, but I would feed my baby every 2 hrs during the day,-even waking her up a few times daily. That always ensured that I got the 1 or 2 long stretches at night. (I'm sure you've noticed that there are a couple of those) She adapted perfectly- at 4 mo, I would get 11 pm-5am, and then awake 8am. It progressed from there, but now at 10 mo. she sleeps from 9pm-7am. There is a light at the end of the sleepless tunnell!! Good Luck, I'm sure you'll find your groove. Just wanted to let you know what worked for me.

Hi P C. Try putting your son to bed earlier and he might sleep longer stretches. Is he getting fed every 2.5 - 3 hours during the day? That will help to, but regardless, I think this is pretty normal for a lot of 3.5 month olds! Once he is 4-5 months old and ove 14 or 15 lbs, the need to eat every 3 hours should slow down. Good luck!

every baby is diffrent, my son woke 3-5 times a night from 7p-6a till 9mo then he was up 2 times untill 13 mo now @ 16 mo he occasionally wakes once during the night

I also have a 3.5 month old. He doesn't sleep through the night consistently. Some nights he will sleep from 7-4AM (which I love!!) But most nights he wakes every 3-4 hours and he is breastfed. I think it is quite normal and eventually we will get that sleep that we are so craving!!

Sounds normal to me! My 8-month-old can't go longer than 3-4 hours without eating :)

Not sure if it's normal, but I have a 4 month old and she sleeps from 7:30pm until 7:00am with 1-2 feedings during the night (usually at 1am and 4 am). 10pm seems kind of late for a bedtime. Have you started a bedtime routine? I know that helped my daughter start sleeping at night.
Good luck!
S.

Hello,
I too have a 3.5 month old baby girl! Isn't life grand, although work is a much needed thing in my life too.

My MD. told me @ 3 months that I should not wake her up or lift her up for any feedings after I put her down for the night. I thought I would be devestated and unable to do that. Well, he told me that I should let her stay in her bed and soothe her back till she falls a sleep. I too was feeding her every 3 and being very ____@____.com with the help of her dad we got a routine down for her and us. She eats @ 8:30-9:00 I change her, rock her to bed and let her sleep through. Initially, I thought I was the meanest person listening to her cry but it worked rather quickly. I appreciated it and she did too. I can tell by how Dad gets her going the the AM.

I would recommend a smooth rub down when fussy, a full belly right before bed (i feed her till she falls asleep) and confidence that you are doing what is in her best interest.

My doctor told me that if I didn't do this now later on I will greatly regret this!. I don't stress over her not being in routine when over someones house cause when we get back to our house she resorts right back to our routine.

Good luck, think possitively, a happy sleep!

G.

I def would not say that your little guys sleeping schedule is abnormal; yes it could be better for you though! I can totally relate, I have a 6 month old who really doesnt have good sleep habits...Today in fact we instated the sleep routine that is written about in the book "healthy sleep habits, happy child." I read it and was pretty comfortable with his ways...They really do make sense. I would reccommend reading it. There is a whole part of the book dedicated to babies younger then 4 months but since your little man is almost there, you could read ahead and be ready. :) I would imagine that as he gets bigger and eats bigger volumes he will probably give you longer stretches but if not, def try this book out. Good luck!

totally normal. all babies are different. my baby nursed till she was 15 months and woke between 6 and 10 times a night!!! whew, glad thats over!

It is VERY NORMAL! (This doesn't make it any easier, though.) I had a very hard time getting through the sleepless nights with my first son. (We eventually "sleep trained"--let him cry--at six months and he learned to sleep soundly through the night.)

Still, with my second son, I found that I simply had a higher tolerance for the night-time wakings. We decided not to sleep train him, but rather just to meet his needs (or desires) each and every time that he needed me at night. He is 16 months and still getting up every two or three hours. It stinks, I must admit. But it's more tolerable this time around as I know that it is just a phase. IT WILL END! Faster than you think, in fact. I have regrets about sleep training my older son. He isn't nearly as secure and confident as my second son and is extremely "clingy" (for lack of a better word.) I can't help but think that if I had provided more attachment for him when he was young that he might be a different person (more confident) today. Still, you can only manage what you can manage. I wasn't able to manage it peacefully the first time around. Now, thankfully, I can. I'm glad that I finally made peace with it. I'm realizing that these little guys are just so LITTLE! OF COURSE they cry and want to be with me. They've only been in this scary world for a few months. It's my job to take care of them and make them feel secure.....

I'm only writing this in an attempt to inspire you. (Not because I think that this is the RIGHT way.) It is TERRIBLY hard to be awake with a baby throughout the night, night after night. But, if you can just get through it, you'll be proud of it later. Regrets are no fun either.

My 3.5 month old is the same way! Some people say to let them cry...but at such a young age when they don't understand language, or cause and effect, I feel that this is not the right way to handle the situation. I also am back at work, and it is tough, but it is worth it to me to meet his needs as much as I can at all times that I am with him. I too have thought of trying formula so he could go than 3 hours at a time sleeping at night, but all I had to do was read the ingredients (sugar, corn syrup, etc.) and I knew that it is worth it in the long run to keep nursing him. What has helped me is to have him in a bassinet right next to my bed so that i can get him without quickly, then I will nurse lying down while I am half awake/asleep and then I put him right back in the bassinet, and it is quick and both of us can get back to sleep quickly. He is starting to teethe, so he has had a few tough nights, but I feel that I owe it to him to soothe him through his first year of life - both day and night : )

this is totally normal!! especially if you are using breastmilk! babies have really small stomachs that get hungry quickly. my son was up every 2-3 hours for a long time! also - when people talk about babies sleeping through the night - many do not realize that sleeping through the night means about 5-6 hours at a time. babies have much quicker sleep patterns and do not stay asleep for as long - they go through many rem and other sleep modes throughout the night. check out www.kellymom.com and www.drjaygordon.com and www.askdrsears.com for some more help. also - everytime you think you have a sleep routine down with your baby - they might change it up!!! if they are going through a growth spurt, if they are about to reach a milestone or just met one or they are teething, tired, lonely, wet - so many variables change a baby's habits. just know that your baby is completely normal by waking up and you are doing a great job by attending to his needs when he is so young.

Hi!

If there's one thing I've learned after 4 babies, it's that there is NO normal! I had two daughters that were wonderful sleepers, doing 8-9 hours at only 6 weeks old, and never waking up at night again! Then I had one daughter that didn't sleep through the night until about 2 years old. My youngest is now just 5 months, and he was waking up every 3 hours until last week, when (at 4.5 months), he started sleeping 9 hours, for no reason that I can think of!

With my "non-sleeping" daughter, we tried every trick in the book, but until she was ready, she just didn't sleep well. So, with our current baby, we just fed him when he woke, cuddled him when he needed it, and he finally just started sleeping. There are lots of suggestions out there, and I'm sure some of them do work, but I think it's important to remember that all babies are different, and some are just better sleepers than others. 3.5 months is still so little, and he just may need a bit longer to turn the corner. Good luck!!

i agree with all those moms that say your situation, though exhausting, is perfectly normal. have you read the baby whisperer? i don't agree with all her thoughts, but she advises "tanking up" before bed - that is, from about 5pm to 9pm we would feed our girl as much as she'd eat - every two hrs at least. and then nurse her to sleep. then, i'd pick her up around 10-1pm, before i went to bed, and feed her without waking her - "dreamfeed". this would often get me til 5-6am. breast is still best - your baby is probably too young for solids. my ped said 5 months.. and now my 8 month old barely nurses and i miss it. good luck!

I my son is 2.5 monthes old, and until 2.5 weeks ago, he did the same thing. During his 9th week, I took him on a "road trip" to see my family in MA. My sister had said to me that she wouldn't be surprised if the shake up in his schedule wouldn't get him sleeping through the night. She had that experience with her kids, and had heard the same from other mothers. Anyway, the first night, same old thing. He woke up every 3 or 4 hours for a bottle ( I stopped breast feeding after 1 month). The second night, however, he fel asleep at 9 and to my delight and surprise, he didn't wake up until 5 a.m.!! He did the same thing the next night, and when we came home, he continued on the same schedule. During our visit, his normal dialy routine was disrupted. He didn't get to nap all the times he normally would, because there was so many people around and so much going on, he wanted to be part of it all. I don't think it would take a road trip to do the same thing, just some day trips to disrupt the napping schedule so your baby is more tired at night.

By way of background, and I'm not sure how much this matters, but durng this time, he was sleeping with me in my bed. He would never go to sleep in his bassinet, and I didn't want to put him alone in his crib yet, so he slept by my side in a boppy lounger (not boppy nurser) and my husband slept on the sofa bed. We went to doc las week and she said it was time for him to go into the crib. I told her it would never work, that the only way to wake that baby from a sound sleep was to lay him in his crib. She said that I had to put him down awake but drowsy. To my shock, she was right. FOr the past week, he has a bottle at 7:00, then a bath, a massage with lavander lotion, and I lay him in his crib. He just hangs out talking to himself for about 30 minutes, and falls asleep on his own. He sleeps until about 5. He does fuss a bit around 2, but I just do in and stroke his head or hold his hand for a minute and he goes back to bed.

Also, this may make a difference, is he was drinking 6 oz. bottles every three hours. Now he has 5 7oz bottles betweek 5 am and 730 pm, which is 35 oz per day. THis is likely how he can go all night without feeding.

Hope this helps!!!

PC, If the baby is breastfed, it will digest faster than formula. If you want to breastfeed, you can expect to feed the baby more often. The sleep patterns of newborns is temporary, and very short term. If you want to breastfeed, I would be happy to help you along. We offer FREE breastfeeding support at Keeping Pace with Multiple Miracles 194 South Main Street in West Bridgewater ###-###-#### We have weekly support groups for breastfeeding and first time moms, and would love to help you through this. There are many tricks to the trade, like feeding more during the day to help him along at night, but many of the early wakings are completely normal. Good luck, Feel free to call anytime! -P. Pace

Its normal for me. Sometimes my 7.5 mo. old son sleeps 5 hours with out eating, but 3 is still normal before he wants a snack. He eats without really waking up fully and then goes back to sleep. We co-sleep so he just takes the breast without fuss when he wants.

Your baby sounds extremely normal but then again, every childs' need is different. Your baby is so young and only knows how to ask for what he needs and that is exactly what he is doing at night. He is hungry and you are the one he turns to for that need to be met. I do not think it is fair at this early age to leave him be and "cry it out". It is impossible to spoil an infant under 6 months cause all they ask for is their needs to be met. That doesn't make the lack of sleep any easier. Have you thought about breastfeeding him at night? Perhaps what he really needs is you at night and that may satisfy him more. Good luck and know that you are not alone!

The phrase "Sleeping like a baby" never applied to my two kids. It took my son until he was 6 months old to sleep for 5+ hours and my daughter is almost a year and STILL wakes every 3 hours. If he is a breastfed baby, it's normal for him to wake up at this age because breast milk is not as filling as formula. Once he gets a little bigger, his stomach grows and can hold more and/or he eats cereal, you'll probably see him sleeping for longer stretches. Or you may have a kid like mine and STILL not sleep well. Zzzzzzz

I am the mother of an 8 month old baby boy. The first thing I learned is that every baby is so different. All my friends kids seemed to be sleeping at night- but my son was exactly the same way. He really would not sleep through the night until about 6 months. When I went back to work at 3 months I remember being exhausted- he would get up every 3 hours. We tried many things- formula didn;t make a difference, cluster feedings didn't work, you name it we tried it. He now sleeps from 7:30 PM to 6:00 AM. One thing that I think helped was I started to let him cry it out for one of the feedings at night. It was so hard to do but I think it helped. Slowly we were able to cut out feedings and eventually we got to the point we are at. At that moment of exhaustion- working full-time, living on no sleep, it feels like no end is in sight. But it really does get better- it just takes time- longer for some than others!

Absolutely! It is very normal! My daughter was like this for a long time. It won't last forever and they will eventually sleep through the night but right now their tummies digest very quickly. Especially breastmilk. It digests in 45 minutes. Plus they are all about survival instinct right being so tiny and new. They want to make sure to keep their caregivers right next to them to take care of them.

E. P.

This is absolutely common and might continue for a while (read several months). Then one night/morning you will wake up and wonder what happened and check for breathing, and your little one will be snoozing away. I know it seems counterintuitive but putting him to bed earlier (even 6pm-7pm -- my son went to bed at 5:30 at that age and would cycle sleep until 7am) will actually get you longer stretches or at least more alone time in the evening to unwind or go to bed earlier.