Our little one has been phenomenal - he started sleeping through the night (8:00pm - 6:45am) at 11 weeks and I know how truly lucky we are for sure. Suddenly at 16 weeks (4 days ago) he started waking up crying so hard he almost chokes!! Last night for example, he woke up at 11:45pm and again at 3:30am - usually it takes only about 15 minutes to calm him - sometimes longer/sometimes shorter - but I'm wondering what could cause this sudden change.
He takes about 3 hours worth of naps (hour increments) at daycare each day. He is eating 30-32oz of formula each day - taking his last bottle at 7:30pm each night. And we have him in a "snug & dry" diaper as a friend suggested this type of diaper for longer wear when he started sleeping through the night.
Other than waking in the night - his schedule has remained pretty much the same without deviation...Is there something different we should be doing? Or something we should be trying to get him back on his regular schedule?
Thanks for your advice!!
Growth spurt, feed him and have him go back to sleep. Don't just try to calm him, feed him when he is hungry and growing. And expect these sudden changes again :)
When that happened in our lives it was always a growth spurt. Feed the little guy and watch him grow!
My first thought is he is hungry. He may be going through a growth spurt and a baby this age usually can't go from 7:30 at night to 6:45 am without a feeding. I would try giving him formula during the night. Babies experience hunger as "pain".
Growth spurt!
And it's not too early for possible teething pain.
Just when you think you have things down to a routine, it all changes and rearranges!
Being a parent keeps us on our toes!
He's probably hungry. I would feed him and see if that takes what he needs.
You really are very fortunate that he slept through the night at such a young age. That is most definitely not the norm, Most babies wake every 3 or 4 hours (some newborns wake every 1 1/2 to 2 hours) to eat.
I would simply try feeding him. If that doesn't work, you could try rocking him or try a pacifier or maybe see if he's teething. But I'd be willing to bet he's just hungry.
He needs a bottle right before bed. At 11 give hi km his last bottle and make sure he burps ane put him to bed 10 11 hrs is a long time for a baby to go without eating
Growing and he needs to nurse or have a bottle. Don't give him any solids for at least a couple of months. He needs the nutrition from his formula or breastmilk more. It has the nutrients he needs. If he fills up on foods that doesn't have anything he needs then he'll be starving all the time and waking up more.
Teething, growth spurt, who knows. But my kids would go through some kind of developmental change as soon as I got used to their new rthym. He may also be hungry - last bottle at 7:30 and then 4 hours later he wakes up. If he's getting ready for a growth spurt he's going to get very hungry.
Maybe wake him up before you go to bed with another bottle? but if he's teething he's probably gnawing and then hurts himself. They're funny these little creatures aren't they?
All of mine have slept that long at that age without waking to eat.
It's not everyone's experience but it can be done. (I didn't sleep train my kids, they just naturally did it)
If you feel like the baby is really hungry and needs to be fed, go for it! If you think he's doing fine without eating through the night, then don't feed him! He might eat more during the day, especially if he's having a growth spurt.
If you DO start feeding him through the night he WILL get in that habit and continue to wake up. If you are able to get him comforted, and back to sleep easily, without feeding him, he'll quit waking soon. It's just a pattern he's gotten in to.
Go with your mommy instincts... YOU know what's best for him...not any of us! :o)
Feed him.
Also remember that, no baby/child/teen/college kid/adult/senior citizen, sleeps the same way all their life. It changes. Per age and developmental phase. And none of us, has slept the exact same way, since we were babies. It changes.
Babies, have growth spurts every 3 weeks, then at 6 months, 9 months etc. and every 3 months. And their need for feeding frequency, increases at growth spurts. They need it. They are growing/changing/developing, rapidly.
And their REM cycles and sleep cycles, changes. And/or they are teething AND hitting growth spurts or developmental changes. And these things, can and OFTEN occur, all at the SAME time.
When my kids were babies, they had GINORMOUS appetites, and more so at growth spurts. And I breastfed. I woke. I nursed them. They went back to sleep after guzzling at breast.
Wonder week period! Hang in there. It's a hard one.
It's another phase that will soon disappear into something else.
You might try keeping him up another hour and feeding him at 8:30. It might then switch to 1 waking period.
He's only 16 weeks. He rules the roost! But I wouldn't feed him if he is falling back asleep.
