When Is Best to Go to Baby for Night Time Feed

Updated on March 13, 2011
J.A. asks from Lebanon, TN
10 answers

opinions:
when is best to go to baby for night time feed. she is 8 weeks old. when she goes tobed she sleeps about 3.5 hr, up for about 30 then 2 hr each after that. I usually go to her when i first hear her. she is in her room, so she has been stirring for a lil bit before i get to her.

I tried that waking to feed before they do idea, and all it got me was her up 1 hour later.

why do you think she only sleeps 2 hrs after waking? she will eat about 2 oz at feed ( she eats about 2-4 every 3 hrs during the day)

she isnt 10 pounds yet, i hear that makes a difference

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So What Happened?

Thanks! I try to to let her get in a full cry before i go, but sometimes she id. It is amazinghow i hear her when she is just stirring around

SHE WAS ONLY 5 15 WHEN SHE WAS BORN. SHE IS CLOSE TO THE 10 POUND MARK I AM SURE, WE WILL KNOW TOMORROW!

Featured Answers

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

She's only 8wks old, still very much a newborn. Please go to her, feed her and hold her when she wakes.

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A.G.

answers from Pocatello on

well she's just really young and at this age you have to just feed on demand. Plus she is growing a lot right now so some days you will find she will go 3 hours between feedings while other days it's every 1 1/2. She is just being a normal 8 weeks old. As she gets older she will sleep longer and go longer between feedings but right now she is just hungry. So when she wakes at night just go in and feed her. With my babies I found that if I went to them and got them up and fed them right away it would keep them in a sleepy state instead of being fully awake and then it was easier for them to fall back a sleep once they were done eating.

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S.P.

answers from Philadelphia on

Your baby is still a newborn and needs to eat on demand. When she wakes and cries to be fed, that is when you need to feed her. She wakes because she is hungry, I know it is so hard because you are tired, but you need to follow your daughter's cue's and feed her. It doesn't sound like she is any different from my 3 when they were babies, those first months were very hard, but it will get better. Also, call your pediatrician for their opinion. 8 weeks old and under 10 pounds sounds a bit off to me? Was she preemie? Just feed that little baby when she is hungry. Hang in there Momma!

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A.P.

answers from Janesville-Beloit on

Totally normal for a baby her age to be eating that often, or even more so. Some nights my dd would be up every hour or so. At that age babies need to eat often, and on demand. Sounds like she is a small baby, so this is even more important! It doesn't seem like it now, but this time period will pass, and before you know it she'll be sleeping for longer stretches.

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K.H.

answers from Washington DC on

You need to feed her when she wakes to be fed , every 2-3 hrs through the night is normal at this young age , her stomach is very small and cannot take more than 2-3oz at a time and so this is why they wake more often. In my experience they are around 12 weeks when you can give a dream feed before you go to bed and this helps to get them to go longer through the night.

Hang in there , it will happen soon enough

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A.L.

answers from Washington DC on

She's only 8 weeks -- you feed her on demand. If she is eating every two hours, then she needs to eat that often. Her stomach doesn't hold much, she is growing quickly and needs to be fed often.

It gets easier after they hit about 12 lbs.

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H.R.

answers from Knoxville on

All babies are different. I have a 11 week old that has a similar schedule to yours and a 17 month old who started sleeping thru the night at 3 weeks. We didn't do anything differently with our second, he's just much needier than my first ever was. And I don't believe weight has much to do with it since my 11 week old weighs over 16 lbs. You just have to deal with the hand you're dealt. No matter what people tell you, there's no tried and true way to get your child to sleep longer.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

At 8 weeks old, if my babies woke up (began stirring) I immediately got up and went and fed them. I did NOT let them stay in their crib fussing AT ALL.

S.M.

answers from Columbus on

My daughter is 3.5 months, and I still wake up at the slightest sound of her just beginning to wake up. If you get them out of bed & start to feed them before they're fully awake, I think they tend to fall asleep again too soon before they get enough to eat.

Try giving her a few minutes to stretch around and wake herself up, but not get too upset. I will change my daughter's diaper whether she needs it or not, just so the cooler air on her skin will help her be more alert. Once your baby is awake enough to make eye contact, but not so worked up and crying that she is hard to calm down, that's a good time to go ahead and feed her. If she still seems groggy, talk to her, or just wait a few minutes, so she doesn't fall asleep before she is full.

My daughter will wake herself up sooner if she doesn't burp before I lay her down. If she nurses herself to sleep and I can't get her to burp, she will only sleep 45 minutes to an hour. But if she stops eating before she falls asleep, she'll usually give several big belches and then pass out for 3-4 hours.

Also, I recently learned that babies change their sleep patterns right around the 3 month mark, so don't worry about trying to put her on any kind of schedule till 3-4 months. You're doing a great job, keep it up!

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

They can't really sleep longer than 3-4 hours until around 14-16 lbs. And they will wake every 2 hours after that, needing food!

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