Whats Going On???

Okay... a baby's sleep pattern is NOT static. It changes all the time, per their age, per their development.

If you are going to give her cereal.. well, is that for her or for you? Personally, I feel it's too early. A baby's digestive/intestinal organs are STILL developing... that is why the 6 month old age for starting solids is recommended.

Bear in mind, that giving cereal at 4 months is not a 'magic' remedy to MAKE a baby sleep all darn night. In many cases as well, it causes other problems...such as digestion problems or allergies.

Your baby is going through natural, normal, age related, developmental changes... ALL OF THIS causes hiccups in their sleep. It is NORMAL. You just have to ride it out... and yes, she could be teething. Babies teeth at all different time-lines.

Plus, you are trying to get her transitioned form the swing. Okay, that is ANOTHER thing on her plate to adjust to. She now has several things happening at the same time, that she is adjusting to.

NO ONE sleeps the same way they did during the first 3 months of life. It changes. Then at 1 year old it will change again, at 2 years old it will be another kind of "irritating" sleep change and pattern, at 3 years old and so forth. Teenagers have sleep changes. College students have sleep changes. Adults have sleep changes. Elderly have sleep changes. It's ALL developmental and age based.

Just filling their tummy with cereal before they are biologically ready, will not just automatically solve their sleep wakings. ALSO... for the 1st year of life, a baby's PRIMARY SOURCE OF NUTRITION is from breastmilk or formula.. not cereal, not solids.

The thing is, you want her to have a sleep pattern of her own. And if that means she wakes, she wakes. This is normal. She is ONLY 4 months old. And actually, YOUR BABY IS INDEED SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT... "sleeping through the night" for a baby, means sleeping at least 6 hours straight. So, your baby IS doing this. But for us the adults, waking at 12:00 midnight is "too early" for us and an annoyance.. and WE don't consider this sleeping ALL night. But for a baby it IS.

And, she IS going back to sleep after her midnight waking & feeding... then waking up again at about 6:00a.m. SO YOUR BABY IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. You are lucky. Some babies wake every 2-3 hours.

AND, she is probably going through a "growth spurt" and yes, they naturally get hungrier, because they are growing and their intake needs increase. You NEED to feed ON DEMAND. She is only 4 months old. This is normal totally. No wonder she is wanting to "eat sooner" as you said.. she is growing, she is having a growth spurt, she NEEDS to feed.
For the 1st year of life as well... a baby needs to be fed on demand... that is Per my Pediatrician as well. So for us adults, well, that means they wake, we feed them, we get tired, oh well. No big deal.
Growth spurts and increase in feeding needs are "phases"...but it WILL recur at every developmental growth change. So keep that in mind.

Yes, as Jacy said, you can try and "cluster feed" her before bed, starting from about 5:00pm. But using formula.. I would NOT add cereal. And be sure she does not get over-full.. or this will bloat her stomach and cause indigestion. So again, you need to feed on demand... 24/7.

All the best... your baby IS sleeping normally. I don't think that there is a "sleep problem" except for the fact that she is now in a crib. Which I think she has adjusted to, fine.
To me, your baby IS a good sleeper.

Take care,
Susan

Teething or growth spurt.
I wouldn't add cereal to bottle at night. Have you ever gone to bed with a really full stomach? You don't feel comfortable. You toss and turn, maybe even get heartburn or reflux... So why would you do that to your baby? If you're going to start cereal, do it at least 1-2 hours before bedtime so she has time to digest some of the food.

Isn't it funny how after 2 kids, you think you'd have "it" all down pat by #3? I think the posts here have been correct in that she is growing through a growth spurt. After all, she's been on her same schedule for 8 weeks so you know it is bound to change any day. I would try a little rice cereal with her formula at dinner time. Whatever you do, just know this too will pass just like they did with your other kids.

And remember, this is only an advice forum, not a lecture hall. One person's opinion (including mine) doesn't mean you're doing things incorrectly.

When my daughter was a baby, the "doctors" said the recommended age to start rice cereal was 4 months. All of the sudden in the last 7 years, it was pushed to 6 months. Back in the day, when we were babies, my M. told me we started eating solids earlier than 4 months. Some cultures feed their babies regular rice mashed up after weeks.

4 months old? I think it's a clear sign of a growth spurt...hence, needing to eat more.

Dear Robyn:

S H gave you a wonderful and thorough answer. Perfect!

I just want to say that what you consider a "problem" sounds like the perfect situation to me! My kids woke up CONSTANTLY and yours only wakes up ONCE?? Wow! This is really wonderful...I wouldn't mess with it!

Best wishes,

M.

I predict a growth spurt.

Your little one is in a HUGE transition period, and there are a lot of factors:

teething
growth spurt
move from swing to crib

But, if she is insisting on feeding then that is what she needs at this point. My little dude was fed on demand from birth, and this worked best for us. From about 2 to 4 months we had a lull in feedings, but they picked up in full force at about 4 months old, where he was up every 3 hours for feeding. She is most likely in a growth spurt phase, and her body is telling her she is hungry and 4-5oz is perfect for the age/stage. Keep doing what you're doing, and this too shall pass as she enters into her next phase.

As far as feeding solids, I wouldn't recommend it yet. Starting solids is a WHOLE other transition that will not cure the nightwakings, and can often be harmful if started too soon.

My son didn't start solids until about 5/6 months old because the pediatrician encouraged me to feed on demand and wait for the solids. Even then you really need to do this gradually...starting with cereal in the morning and working your way up to three feedings over a few weeks before you introduce jarred foods. www.babycenter.com has great feeding guides and advice. However, I would definitely consult her doctor first.

It also, could be teething. My son began to teeth at this stage too and the sucking can help ease the tension on the gums. Just run your fingers on the gum line to see if you feel anything...if you do, then there are a lot of homeopathic non-medicated drops, tablets and gels that can help ease her through the pain.

But, I really think it's important that you make sure you address what she needs and go with. Babies don't ever REALLY sleep ALL the way through the night, and if they do it's a phenomenon. My son at around 7-8 months began sleeping for larger chunks of time, like 6 to 7 hours without feeding (he was also formula/BM combo fed) and didn't really sleep for eight hours straight until closer to age 2.

Good Luck and keep up the good work...just follow those Mommy instincts and you guys will be fine!

Cheers,
Deanna

Wow! My 4 month old just did the same thing. Since he was 4 weeks old, he was sleeping from 7 to 7 waking up once to eat then back to sleep. Then at 14 weeks he was waking up two or three times at night and eating a good amount then back to sleep. For the last two nights he went back to waking up once- thankfully! I just kept the same schedule in hopes of him going back to what he was doing. Could be a growth spurt or teething. My son is drooling like CRAZY and is chomping on his fingers and whole hand a lot.

About this time, you probably need to start pushing back her bedtime to 7 or 7:30 p.m. From here on out, try to keep her up just a little bit longer each day so that you can work up to the new bedtime. I think once you do this, you will see her getting up at a more humane hour.

I think it's just a growth spurt about ready to happen. With both of my kids, they slept 12 hours through the night early on. DS at 4 months and DD at 3 months. But about every 4-6 weeks they would get up in the middle of the night 1 or 2 times for extra feedings. Then they would have a growth spurt and settle back into their normal sleep pattern. Then another 4-6 weeks later, another growth spurt.

The rice cereal in the bottle never helped my kids to sleep better. They just drank their bottles and would fall asleep again.

I wouldn't worry much about it. Just feed her when she wakes at night and put her back to sleep. It sucks for you sleep wise, but it's just a phase. I think around 8 or 9 months my kids stopped doing this. But by then they were fully on solids and sippy cups and would just eat like horses during the day when they were going through a growth spurt.

I would try adding the cereal and see how it goes.

i started rice cereal about this time and what helped my daughter who did the same thing as your daughter (she was also beginning to teethe) was i cluster fed her at night before bed. what i did was about 1 hour before i usually put her in bed i would feed her rice cereal (thicker then normal) then i would give her the full amount she took in her bottle with some rice cereal in her bottle. by about 5 1/2 months she quit waking up in the middle of the night. she is also going through a growth spurt at this time so you may try increasinging her formula intake about 1oz and see if that helps. good luck!

I saw some of the other responses and wanted to say please do not listen to those who suggest you give her rice cereal! She is too young - babies cannot properly digest grains untill they are 7 or 8 months old (that is why babies who are stuffed with cereal sleep so well - it just sits in there, keeping their tummies full for long periods - convenient for M. and dad, but not very healthy). The first 6 months should be breastmilk or formula only.

6 pm seems rather early - perhaps she is needing an adjustment in her regular routine. Could also be due to a growth spurt or teething, as many others said.

Hi Robyn,

We got around this issue by 'dream feeding' our son at 10:30 or 11 pm. Basically, he'd go down for bed at 7 pm, then we'd scoop him up and feed him a bottle while he was still asleep a few hours later. I don't know they eat in their sleep but they just seem to know how. That way our son didn't fully wake and was able to drift back off to sleep. Hope that helps.

good luck!

L.