3 Month Old Is Back to Waking up Every Two Hours

Hi there,
By 3 months I had my daughter in her own crib. My daughter wakes up again in the middle of the night when she is teething. I know of some mom's that used a pacifier instead of feeding their baby as well. Also, I have let my daughter cry a bit and if she falls back asleep I leave her and if she keeps crying then I go get her.

Hope that helps a bit.

I think 3 months is an ideal time to introduce cereal into the babies diet. It helped my daughter sleep a little better. She would even fall asleep in the middle of her snack sometimes! Good luck

All 3 of my kids did the same thing. Starting sleeping LONG stretches at night, I was feeling "almost" normal again and then BAM! around 3-4 months they started waking up in the middle of the night AGAIN starving. Very common because around 4 months babies can begin solids...though starting solids could be tough.

One thing that may help, depening on babies last feeding at night is to wake the baby around 11pm before you go to bed and feed and then hopefully the baby will do a long stint of sleep. Or, grin and bear it, wait another month or so and start solids!

Good luck

Typically people begin to feed rice cereal between 4-6 months, waiting as long as possible. I waited until my son was a little over 5 months.

That said, your 3 month old probably doesn't need to eat solids yet. Babies seem to change their sleeping and eating and ALL other habits just when we think we've got them nailed down! ;-) LOL! If he IS nursing every 2 hours, that's okay. Annoying, but okay. Maybe he's having a growth spurt. Can you think of anything else that is different? Either way, right when you get used to him waking up every 2 hours, he'll sleep for 6 hours straight.

As for moving him out of your room, that's up to you! I moved my son when he was 4 months and too heavy to sleep in the top part of his pack-n-play. It was a smooth transition. He was ready and I think we were, too. One of the mom's in my mom's group SWEARS that her son slept better in his own room - she thought that their snoring/breating/noises they made at night kept him up. That said, many people have their babies in their room for much much longer. Do what ever is comfortable for you.

Hang in there!

Whatever you do, DO NOT GIVE HIM CEREAL IN HIS BOTTLE!! I can't stress enough how terrible this is for the immature digestive system of a three month old - his body is NOT MEANT to be eating solids yet. It is just common sense that you do not give solids to a newborn baby, or we would not need to breast or bottle feed our children. In fact, his sleeping habits may become progressively worse if you do: it can cause horrible constipation, severe gas, acid reflux and food allergies.
He is three months old for goodness sakes, if he is waking up every three hours to eat, it is because he is hungry! Newborn infants do not know how to overeat - they only know that it is uncomfortable when their bellies are empty. His cells are dividing and he is growing an an exponential rate, he NEEDS your breastmilk to fuel the rapid growth of his brain and body - and if that means getting up every three hours to nurse him, then that is what you do. In fact, waking every three hours to nurse is a typical, healthy eating schedule for a 3 month old breastfed baby. I don't know where you are getting your newborn advice, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a three month old NEEDING to eat every three hours around the clock - as he gets older and starts solids at 6ish months, he will want to breastfeed less - but for now, your breastmilk is his ONLY source of nutrition, so feed him for goodness sakes! He isn't wanting to feed so often just to make you miserable or anything, he is hungry for a reason.

Okay no need to make her feel stupid for the question!! There are lots of moms out there who add cereal to the bottle or start their baby on solids early.

J.,

Some pediatricians do suggest adding cereal to the bottle around three months but it is for specific reasons and such a tiny amount that it does not serve the purpose that you are looking for. So don’t do it. Cereal can be introduced as early as 4 months, but these days it is not recommended till 6 months, so try not to go that rout if you can.

Actually my second baby did much the same thing…I thought I had it easy as she was sleeping through the night as long as 8 hour at only two weeks old for the first two and a half months, then she started waking two or three times for feedings…Which is the norm. Consider yourself lucky to have had those three months of sleep <grin>! For me after a few days of breastfeeding more than ever my milk supply enhanced and we were down to two feedings a night on a regular basis. He may be growing and not getting enough during the day, but plenty directly from the cow at night. If you can try and go to his daycare on your lunch break and breast feed him. Pumping all day and breastfeeding all night will also train your milk supply to be engorged at night and less during the day. If this is not possible then add a pumping session to your daily routine.

It also may be time to move him to his own room. He may be simply waking in the night and smelling you close by so thinking a little booby sounds good to sleep by. If he is in his own room you can let him cry for 10-15 minutes and see if he can sooth himself back to sleep.

Good luck!

I would suggest reading the book "On Becomming Baby Wise". It gives good advise on how to get your baby into a routine and ultimately get them to sleep through the night. It worked for both of my kids and for several of my girlfriends kids. Good luck!

Hi J.,

Had to respond to your email because my son did the same thing. He is 10 months now and is finally starting to sleep throught the night again. He had the same pattern as your little one. Don't offer cereal in the bottle, but you can offer it to him from a spoon. My sister did this with her baby, out of a bottle, at around 3 months and he gained way too much weight! Doctor's say never give it out of a bottle. But offer about 2-3 tblsp. from a spoon and see if that helps. Now is a fine time to offer rice or even baby oatmeal.(from Gerber). I started my little one on it at that age and he loved it! You can start with it plain and then slowly add a little fruit just for extra taste.

Good luck!

babies o through stages and growth spurts. If yours is usually a good sleeper he will probably get back to sleeping better in-between these spurts.
be patient and good luck!

It's normal for breastfed babies to eat frequently during the night because it's so easy for their bodies to digest the mamma's milk (and from the baby's body's perspective, that's a good thing). They really do get hungry every few hours. Supplementing with formula or something that's a little more challenging to digest is something to do only with a lot of thought, though, because it can (probably will) change the breastfeeding. I think you should talk with a lactation expert or La Leche League person who will have a WIDE range of experience and strategies to suggest to you. I know that my midwife and later my pediatrician both felt strongly that babies under 6 months should be breastfed as needed during the night and at one point I remember them telling me to wake him up if my son slept more hours than the months he was old (3 hours at 3 months, 4 hours at 4 months) to ensure that he was not going to get dehydrated. He was exclusively breastfed in that period.

Another thought right quick:
Three months sounds awfully early to be adding cereal (there are good studies that suggest that introducing foods too early actually correlates to allergies later - this is one reason why some people wait a full year before introducing most foods). Again, I think whatever you do should be well thought out and well informed. It sounds like you're a great mom.

Finally, on the topic of when to move him to another room: Every family is an unique little system, and this decision is highly highly personal, but I tend to think NOT YET! The first year is really critical for young children's attachment to you. It's the phase during which they learn to trust -- and the number one way you build trust is by being attuned and responsive when he needs something (holding, eating, diapering, etc.), by responding appropriately to his attachment behaviors (sucking, clinging, smiling, babbling, etc.) The whole first phase of life (first 3 years, sometimes more) is about building trust and attachment; being close enough that you're dialed-in to what's your child's need/perspective/motive is really important.

He is probably going through a growth spurt. Should only last a couple of days. If not, try to get him back to sleep without feeding him. Move him to his own room. You will sleep much better and he may even put himself back to sleep.

Move him out of your room and let him cry a little each night. Feeding on demand is good, I always did it for all 4 of my sons but I noticed that my grandchildren were so much more content because thier Mom had them on a 4 hour schedule. She really stuck to it and they all are 6 and up now and seem so happily adjusted. I think that a bit of leting them cry is not going to tourture tham and will certainly help you. Sometimes children need you to let them get used to you not running every single time they cry for more milk. Especially if they nurse good. Room monitors are the balm!!!!!!!!!!!! Better yet is the tv monitor. Then your fears will be gone so that you will be able to let them fuss a little while you try and get some snooze time in. You are going to be an excellent Mom to your new baby so just be easy on yourself more and let your little one know that you are there if there is pain or discomfort but he needs to sleep a bit more again......... I never used formula but in retrospect I think I would be less stringent about that now.

Hi J.,

Sounds like your baby is just going through a growth spurt. If I remember correctly, my daughter did the same thing at 3 months and again maybe at 6 months? It's a blur, but sounds very normal. Your son should go back to his normal sleeping schedule shortly. The doctor recommended trying rice cereal at about 4 months.
My daughter started sleeping through the night at about 4.5 months and that is when we deicded it was time for her to sleep in her own room. This is about the time I returned to work.
Just for piece of mind, I'd recommend getting a video monitor. Some think it's a bit overboard, but it alleviated any of my worries and preventing me from going in my daughter's room to check up on her.

Good luck!

J.,
Your little one is going through a growth spurt. This means he is getting ready to do something big like; roll over, sleep all night, etc. A growth spurt usually lasts anywhere from 2 to 5 days. Google "infant growth spurts" and it will tell you a little more about it and what you can expect. Be patient and understanding. It will pass soon...I promise!

J., a mom of one 3 1/2 year old girl.

I wasn't eager to move my babies out of our room but found we all slept better once I did. You don't wake them and they don't wake you as easily. You also might try ditching the bassinet. I found that they needed more room at about 3 months. Their arms started hitting the sides.

Dear J.,
I know your doctor would tell you that your baby doesn'nt need solid food yet. However, from one mom to another, some cereal with the last meal before bedtime, like 11pm or so, does wonders. Good luck! C. f
t

3 months is a classic time for a growth spurt. He may just do this for a little bit and then go back to sleeping longer once the growth spurt is over. He is too little to start cereal and it probably wouldn't change anything. Breast milk has a lot more nutrients than rice cereal. The earliest they rec starting rice cereal is 4 months. Hang in there. This really may just be a temporary thing as he grows.

Hi J.,

I'm very happy to hear that you are working with your dr on this. I am a firm believer in the sounds wisdom of the pediatrician, I had a wonderful dr when my kids were growing up. Getting back to the waking up thing. My first daughter did not sleep through the night until she was 2. It can somtimes be a sign of the future person they will become. My daughter is now a night owl at 25 and a snacker. She just likes to eat more often, smaller amounts and she loves to be up at night. But it is a sacrifice for you when they are very young. Best wishes on this one. As for moving him, personally, I would not. Babies get lonely too and they just want to be with the people they love and are so dependent upon.

T.

It sounds like your baby is going through a growth spurt and just needs a little more food to get him through. Nurse him when he's hungry, it will help your milk supply increase to adjust to his growing size. Remember not to let him go longer than 4 hours without eating during the daytime so he's not up all night trying to make up!

Good for your son! I know this is frustrating for you because it interrupts your sleep, but at this age, growth spurts will cause increased feedings. Hug that baby of yours for being so smart and asking for what he needs. Many small babies become dehydrated, because they can't regulate their own sleep patterns yet and sleep too long between feedings. Moms misunderstand what is going on and think they simply have "good sleepers." Be a smart Mom and follow up with your pediatrican to see what they suggest depending on your child's development. I am sure they'll say he's doing great!

J., I am 24 weeks pregnant with my first but I've read the book, "Becoming Babywise" and it talks about this between 3 and 4 months. It sounds like your little man is going through a growing spurt. I would check out the book. It seems to be a great resouces and was written by pediatrians. Good luck. J. N.

Dear J.:

Most babies hit a growth spurt around three months which causes them to want to eat constantly. I fed my son formula because I could not breastfeed but he still woke up as often to eat. Usually the eating often is a stage and the feedings spread out again after a few weeks.

You could check with your pediatrition about starting cereal but the usually reccomend waiting until they hit the four month mark. Plus, the solid food filling them up and helping them sleep is a old wives tale.

I would reccomend trying to sleep when the baby does and try to get a much rest as you can though this is a tough patch. The good news is it will end eventually.

As for moving him you might try starting putting him in his crib during the day for naps to start, but with so many feedings you may not want to have to drag yourself out of bed at night to go get him.

Go luck and I hope you and the baby get some rest. :)

N.

I would start adding a small amount of Gerber's Rice cereal to his bottle before bed time. Rice cereal will help fill him and hopefully keep him sleeping for longer periods of time. As far as putting him in his bedroom, do that when you feel totally comfortable with it. Enjoy this time with your baby. They grow up to fast!

My sister-in-law had a similar problem when she returned to work part time at 3 mos. It seemed that on the nights she had just worked, her baby wanted to nurse frequently throughout the night. The pediatrician believed it was related to attachment. She missed mommy all day so wanted the comfort of nursing frequently at night. As for moving baby to the crib - go for it! i know it is hard, but you all will sleep better. My baby was such a loud sleeper (and i was so sensitive) that we ended up moving my son to his crib at 3 weeks. Much sooner than i ever expected. BUT! after talking to his ped at his 4 mos. check up yesterday, she suspected that that is one of the reasons he now sleeps through the night. actually, he has been sleeping through the night since 3 mos. (5 out of 7 nights a week) and I'm talking 10 hour stretches without needing to nurse! I am in heaven! My son has learned to soothe himself. The ped said that when your baby sleeps so close to you, he/she can hear you, smell you and depends on you to help calm them down if sleep is interrupted.

Don't add cereal. It's normal for babies to suddenly start waking up hungry around this age. It's probably just a growth spurt. The best thing you can do for to help him develop healthy sleep patterns at night is to give him a healthy eating and sleeping routine during the day. Feed him every 2.5 to 3.5 hours, make sure he is getting a full feeding and not snacking. The best routine goes like this:
Eat, Play, then Nap.
NOT Eat, sleep, then play. It messes everything up for some reason.

He should wake up and be ready to eat again, play, and then nap. The beginning of each feeding should not be less than 2.5 hours apart and it is okay to wake him up to feed him if he is ever trying to go more than 3.5 hours from the beginning of the last feeding.

At night make sure he is not being nursed to sleep. Instead, give him his last feeding in the same routine. Maybe feed him around 6:30 (should take 20 to 40 minutes), give him a bath and then get him ready for bed. Put him down sleepy but not sleeping around 7:30 or whenever you are done getting him ready. If you stay up late, you could go in there around 11 or 11:30, keep the lights low or off, give him one last full feeding, burp him, and put him directly back to bed sleepy but not asleep. No play-time in the middle of the night.

Oh yeah, babies go through sleep cycles and sometimes start to wake up between cycles. This doesn't mean they are hungry or need to eat or even need to be awake. Especially if it has only been 2 hours from the last feeding. Let him work it out and fuss back to sleep. This may be easier if you aren't sharing a room because there is nothing worse for a mommy than looking at her sad baby. If you could just try not to feel bad and know you are working to create healthy sleep patterns sometimes it is a little easier. Especially if your husband is supportive of what you are doing.

Otherwise, you will probably end up with a toddler, then a preschooler, who wakes up a billion times at night and can't settle himself back to sleep.

Learning to go to settle one's self to sleep is a skill that doesn't always come naturally to babies. The sooner he learns how, the easier it will be on everyone-especially on your baby.

I hope this was helpful. It has worked for me for several children.

I agree with the moms who say this is a growth spurt - I remember this happening to me & feeling like we went "backwards". For me, he got thru this in about a week, and was back to getting up 1-2x per night. We went thru this (and still go thru this) every month. I wouldn't recommend the "cry it out" method, since you're baby eats when he wakes up. I would recommend putting him in his crib. To make it easier for us, we placed his bassinet (the legs came off) in the crib, so it wouldn't seem so unfamilar to him.

He is going through a growth sprit. It will last about a week. He needs the extra calories to grow. Baby's have growth sprits at 3weeks, 6weeks, 3 mos and 6mos..were they seem to be hungry all the time. And if you breast feed only you will feel like the baby is always attached to you. Remember with in the next year the baby's sleep will be interupted with the whole teething thing too. Good luck and get your sleep when you can....:)

Please do not add rice cereal to a baby's bottle. It's a fast lane to type 2 diabetes. 3 month olds aren't ready for solids yet. That's why feeding them solids 'helps' them sleep. Their little bodies are so tired from trying to process foods it's not ready for, that yeah, of course they sleep!

My guess is that your babe is either hitting a sleep regression, or is waking to use you as a pacifier because you are in the same room and he smells you. This is one of the common issues of co-sleeping. I went through it, and know many other people who have also. The frequent waking to nurse usually comes in cycles, and won't last forever. I know it's almost like a competition with the "oh, MY baby sleeps like an ANGEL!" stuff that I'm sure you hear, or the constant advice about how baby's SHOULD be sleeping through the night by such and such age (ridiculous).

If your sanity and well-being really can't handle the waking, though, that's a perfectly valid reason to make some change, and I believe the most simple and effective change would be for the babe to sleep in another room.

Sounds like it may be a growth spurt. They usually take one step nack before they take 2 steps forward.
I would agree on starting some cereal during the day, but don't put it in the bottle, he won't learn to eat that way.
Have you thought of tryingto give milk in a cup? They have sippy cups with soft spouts, similar to a bottle, but not so much like a bottle that he might be receptive to the change.
As soon as he is back to sleeping the 4-6 hours, I would immediatley move him to the crib, in his own room. For 2 reasons, your sanity of not getting upo and going into another room every 2 hours, and also they usually adapt to change when you do one at a time.
Hope this helps. :-)
~V.

Hi J.~ He may well be waking because babies this age can start feel the teeth begin to work their way through the gums, notice if he wants to chew on things during the day. I'm a pediatric nurse and have seen teeth come in early as 4 1/2 months. Also, babies patterns change frequently the first 18 months. You'll just get the hang of pattern and then they change, it's all related to development and teething. (usually)

It could be several things. My babies always woke up between 2-4 hours a night. I breast fed all of them and sometimes they weren't feeding enough at one time.Sometimes it was gas. How long has your infant been in day care? It could be that he misses you and wants to be held by Mom. I resigned myself to getting up about 3 times a night until they were at least 9 months or so. Having them in my room for a long time made it easier for me at feedings as well, up to a year.This time may be exhausting, but in the big picture, it passes so quickly, so try to cherish those Mommy bonding moments.

Hi J.,

He could be going thru a growth spirt and just needs to eat more, or maybe he needs to more into his own room, the moves/noises you make during the night could be waking him up. I know when my daughter was around 12 weeks old, we moved her into her own room and all of us slept better, because we weren't hearing her every little move and she wasn't hearing ours. Good luck!

First, don't be surprised that his sleeping habits are changing. My 22 month old changed hers every couple of months for alomost her entire 1st year. She used to sleep 8 hrs until she was about 3 months then began waking up once or twice a night to eat. Second, I think you will get mixed responses on wether or not to add a little cereal to the bottle or not. I did and it helped. Just make sure you start with rice cereal and only add about 1 tbsp (or less) the first couple of times to see how he reacts and to make sure he gets used to swallowing something thicker. Hope this helps!

Hi J.,

Your son might being going through a growth spurt and needs the extra calories to grow. All three of my daughters did the same thing at about 3 months and then again at 5 or 6 months old. It lasted about 2-3 weeks, I knew when the growth spurt was over when they would still wake up (cause they got into the habit)but did not really nurse much. At that point I would not pick them up but pat them or stroke them until they calmed down and eventually fell back to sleep.
Good luck,
PJ

Your son is most likely going through a growth spurt and that is why he needs to eat more and therefore waking up every two hours to eat. I would not suggest putting rice cereal in his milk. Most doctors recommend introducing rice cereal at about 6 months but you should ask your pediatrician. This is just a phase and he will go back to sleeping 4-6 hours again. I have 3 children and they all went through this.

Are you feeding your baby everytime he wakes up at night? He may be just snacking, you could try just changing him and putting him back to sleep. If he is just taking in small amounts of milk at a time and eating often, you could try feeding him a little more at each sitting and strech the time in between each feeding. Resulting in a fuller tummy at bed time. This might be hard at first, cause you will probabally have to give him a bottle with pumped milk (or formula, but I think that you said he hasn't had that yet) while you pump a lttle longer to get your milk up. At 3 months my baby went about 2 1/2- 3 hours between feedings and began sleeping all night. Does your baby nap during the day?

I saw that you updated, but wanted to toss a couple of links of interesting articles your way anyway. Hope all goes well for you and babe :)

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It could be that he is not getting enough to eat during the day and so is waking up at night to fulfill his daily needs/requirements. I think you can start rice cereal at this point but don't quote me on that. Also, we kept our dtr in our room with us until she was about six months old. I was really concerned that any longer in our room would make it harder for our dtr to adjust to her own room. It really depends on the family but that was what worked best for us.

I wouldn't start cereal too early, 4-6 months is the recommended and my pediatrician said to wait until 6 month, your little guy is probably going through a growth spurt and needs additional calories right now- he hopefully will go bck to sleeping longer in a few weeks. Also adding cereal and formula does not guarantee sleeping longer, I think that is a mommy myth.
We moved our 6 month old to his crib at 4 month and put the crib in our room so I could hear him and nurse him before he was screaming, do what work for you and your family-it might be easier to keep him close so you can nurse him easily
good luck

my daughter does the same thing. at 3 months old she woke up every couple of hours. she just wanted eat so I would feed her and she went back to sleep, so I figured she was going through a growth spurt. she did that for about a week and she went back to sleeping 5 to 6 hours at night, then at 6 months she did the same thing. she is also exclusively breastfeed. Don't ADD cereal it is not good for a baby that is soo young, especially a breastfeed baby, it is too harsh on there system. plus it doesn't help them sleep any better sometimes it makes it worse because it could upset their stomach. I moved my daughter to her crib when she outgrew her bassinet so at about 4 1/2 months. I started putting her in her crib for her naps to get her use to it and then moved her in the crib. it was hard her first night. i had to get up several times to reassure her ti was ok because it was such a bigger sleeping area. but she was fine and now she loves her crib. good luck :)

Remember that babies go through a growth spurt around 3 months of age. He may be getting up more often for 2 reasons: first to satisfy his hunger for his growing needs, and second: to help increase your milk supply for his future needs. Wait a few weeks and see if he doesn't return to his old sleeping patterns. Also, rice cereal does not have the caloric value that your breastmilk has. You'd be better off waiting to introduce cereal after your physician give you the ok. It might fill his belly more at first, but won't last long because of the lack of calories. There's no right or wrong time to move him into his own room, it's whenever it's right for you both. Maybe give him another week of being next to you while he's going through his growth spurt and then try moving him to his own room. You can try putting a blanket or shirt that smells like you into his crib with him to help him adjust to the new sleeping situation at night.

3-month-old baby is too young to have cereal.

I know some think Dr.Feber's method is too cruel. Just check it out. Libraries will have it. I have 4 kids. my 2ne had the same problem until she was 8 months! yours is still young, but you can read the book and see. The book is called"how to solve your child's sleep problem" something like that.

None of my kids have any kind of sleep problem now. They don't wake up in the night cring or wanting to play or climb to our bed, etc. Their age is from 2 to ao yrs old.

good luck

Gloira

Do not add cereal until he's 6 months old. His digestive system isn't ready for it.

If you want to move him into his own room, I recommend first establishing a secure bedtime routine, where you do the same things in the same order every night.

His wakings may just be due to a growth spurt. Ride it out for a while & he'll likely go back to normal in a couple of weeks.

I hate to admitt it, but at 3 months waking up is not that uncommon. It's hard to get a baby on a schedule at that age, and people who do are blessed. I had the same problems with my son even though he was formula fed. You could try starting him on solids, that did help a little but make sure it's okay with his peditrician first. As for moving him, he would be fine to be moved now if you are ready. I had my son in the same room with me until he was 14 months because we lived in a one bedroom but as soon as we moved to the two bedroom I did get so much more sleep just because I am such a light sleeper. Maybe his bassinet is not comfortable? I know my son slept so much better once we moved him to a crib. It wasn't until around 6 months that my son really starting getting on a schedule. Hang in there! You'll make it through this.