3Month Baby Wont Sleep Thru the Night and When Should I Start Feeding Baby Cerea

My son started on solids at 4 months, but some pedi's suggest 6 months. he started sleeping through the night at 7 months. 3 months is too early to sleep through the night.

Hi J.,

My daughter will be 7 months next week and she has been sleeping through the night since she was two months. When I started to go back to work she started waking up at 5 am when she normally slept till 8 or 8:30. I started doing dream feeding where she would be sound asleep and at 10:30 I would pick her up and put her on my breast. She ate for 30mins and never really woke up (maybe for a second or two). I than put her back to sleep and she would sleep till 8 am. Giving cereal does not fill them up more and help sleep through the night. I would not start solids till 6 months, at least that is when we started.
Good luck, L.

3 months is very young to be expected to sleep through the night. You should not give solids until 4-6 months. Talk to your pediatrician. FYI cereal will not help the baby sleep through the night! Neither of my kids slept through the night until 6 months. Keep in mind that "sleeping through the night" is really considered to be sleeping for a 5 hour stretch or more. Good luck.

Dear J.:

Congratulations on your new baby, and welcome to the world of mothering; which is really not much of a glamourous one!!!

Many times it's a question of colic; I suggest you get a wonderful product by Hylands' which is called Colic, it is homeopathic so even newborns and pregnant women can take it.

You can get it at any health food store or in any Vitamin Shoppe. If it's not a dirty diaper, colic, or that he's thirsty for water then you might have to wean him slowly from that warmth that babies love to cling on to from their mom in the middle of the night, you know to be held every night and try not to feed him in the middle of the night, either because
what you're doing is really conditioning him that you will always feed him in the middle of the night, when his stomach should be resting and not active. We send signals to the brain and the stomach conditioning both, and that creates bad digestion for the baby and problems for mom to function the next day. So if he cries you hold him for a little while, check that he's alright and then you might have to put up with about 3-6 days of constant crying until you condition him as well that after the last feeding is time to sleep.
Also try to shorten his naps by 20 minutes or so during the day so that he'll be real tired at night.

In respect to feeding cereal, a baby's digestive tract does not have all the proper enzymes for digestion until after 6 months old. You should never start with cereal but with fresh juices, nothing that is heavy and should be given to him for at least 3-4 days, then add another juice, same procedure, then you start with one fruit at a time. at least 3-4 days and then cereal or one veggie at a time. I suggest rice cereal, then oatmeal, then barley. Not a mixtured cereal. Never give any honey to babies to sweeten their cereal until after baby is over 1 year old. At that time, its' digestive tract will be able to deal with certain bacteria that is found in honey. Sorry this was so0000 longggg, but I'm sure you have found it extremely helpful.

Also there is a baby grinder that is fantastic from the company Happy Baby. It will make your life easier or that of who takes care of your baby when you're working.

Good Luck.

R. Casas.

My older son was on formula and by three months he probably did sleep through most nights. My youngest was strictly breastfed and because breastmilk is lighter he did not sleep through. He nursed for nearly 3 years and slept through on occasion more as he got older and started eating table food. I would check withyour pediatrician as to when to start cereal - I believe mine was 3 months with one and 4 months with the other (they are 6 years apart). Although I'm sure you have heard of people putting cereal in a bottle at night to get them to sleep thru it is NOT recommended and something I never had to do. And, not that it is anything more than coincidental but my younger one (breastfed) never had an ear infection, sleeps wonderfully now and eats all sorts of food (including shellfish and most vegetables and fruits). My eldest (formula fed) had chronic ear problems until he was 4 all winter, has never been a good sleeper since he was about 5 and is a picky picky eater...

Hi J.,

I think it depends on what you consider "through the night". One of my good friends considers "through the night" any 6 hours in a row from 8p to 5a. My daughter is 4.5 months old and sleeping through the night (generally 7p to 7a), but I KNOW it's a rarity. Most friends' babies I know don't fully sleep through the night (assuming 9p to 7a) until 6 or 9 months. For us, the KEY was getting a bedtime routine together and being consistent about it every single night. It doesn't have to be the same as mine or start as early as our's does, but it's most important to stay consistent so your baby knows when X then Y then Z happens it's good-night time.

Our routine: which I KNOW doesn't work for everyone. Last feeding around 5:30p or so, then bath (or sponge bath), then pj's, then stories, and possibly a half-bottle, then in crib and lights out. 90% of the time she's usually asleep or quietly resting in bed ready to sleep by 7p.

Some people take issue with this early bedtime. For us it works: if she's tired, she's going to bed. My husband has first feeding in the morning, so that's his and DD's special time together. Then he and I get to have "adult" time in the evenings which is great.

I did attempt some cereal at 3 months, and she promptly threw up - super gross. So, I waited...I didn't restart cereal (ultra-thinned out) or veggies until she started mimicking us eating. Once she did, then we only try it once or twice a day. She sometimes fights with me about it, so I am not going to push her. She'll figure it out when she's ready. It's not like any kid is going to Prom still only drinking formula. =)

Good luck,
A.

Hi J.! When my son was 3 months old, he had just started sleeping thru the night, but remember that all babies are different. My nephew started earlier, and my Godson didn't sleep thru until 5 or 6 months. Regarding the cereal, your pediatrician will guide you through th solid food stages. Most MDs will recommend starting the single grain cereals between 4-6 mos. Good luck.

My son is 6 months old and only just started sleeping through the night this week! I also went back to work at three months and it was really hard. Every once in a while, we'd have a miracle night where he'd sleep, but they were few and far between. I was tired and people kept saying our baby should sleep from 7 to 7.... I tried everything but my baby just wasn't ready. Cut yourself and your baby some slack. You're going to be tired but eventually you'll get there. Try to be patient. If we lived in any other country, we'd stay home 6 months to a year with our new babies - going back to work at 3 months is too early! Good luck!

I would not do the cereal until given the ok from the dr..My girl started sleeping throught the night after 12m.. Every child is different,,I also had to work,,I was always tired so I feel our pain,,good luck..

my son did this too - and there were so many reasons for what it could be - growth spurt, comfort. there's a great website called www.kellymom.com that is full of helpful info for breastfeeding. i also pulled this article from my pediatrician's website - he is one of the few male lactation consultants and is so helpful when it comes to nursing as he really knows his info!! many pediatricians do not!!

hang in there - this will pass and your baby is so lucky to be getting breastmilk so keep it up!! my son never took a bottle so i can completely relate to being tired - but he is almost 4 now and i don't regret one minute of nursing him!! (for almost 3 years!!)
J.

from http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/growspu.asp
Growth Spurts

By Cheryl Taylor, CBE

If there is a rule that would help moms survive growth spurts with a smile, it would have to be, "Don't Watch The Clock!" Don't watch the clock for how long baby has been nursing. Don't watch the clock for how long it's been since baby last wanted to nurse. Don't watch the clock for how many times you've been awakened that night to nurse.
Growth spurts happen. They happen with all nursing dyads. Some babies protest more about them and others seem to sail through them with the greatest of ease. Some books will tell you they happen at so many weeks or months. They may tend to, but the truth is, they can happen anytime.

Signs of a Growth Spurt

Baby is nursing often or almost nonstop
A baby who was previously sleeping through the night is now waking to nurse several times
Baby will latch and unlatch, fussing in between
These signs are all signals to the mom's body to "MAKE MORE MILK NOW!" Our bodies listen very well if we will merely respond to the baby's needs. The extra suckling will stimulate your body to make more milk.

Often Observed After a Growth Spurt

Baby sleeps extra for a day or two
Mom is a bit fuller than usual for a day or so
Baby calms down at the breast
You may see an increase in wettings with the increased supply baby is drinking
Growth spurts seem to throw new moms for a loop. Just when they thought they were beginning to understand their baby's signals, they abruptly changed. The frequent requests to nurse can be confusing as well as the frequency with which growth spurts happen within the first few months. The key is purely and simply to go with the flow (pun intended!) If you respond to your baby's signals to nurse during a growth spurt and do not interfere with them in any manner, your body will quickly respond and increase supply. Typically it happens within 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes growth spurts seem to drag on for a week. This would be a good time to make sure you're drinking plenty water.

Don't allow a growth spurt to rob you of your confidence in nursing. Instead, allow it to instill confidence in your ability to read your baby's cues. Your confidence will be further rewarded as your supply increases and your baby settles back down into a happy breastfeeding baby again, with a smart mommy who knew that sometimes baby really does know best and our job is to listen.

I had the same issue until I started entertaining my baby during the day. I sing, talk out loud, dance, and just interact with him ALL day. I only put him to sleep when he starts rubbing his eyes. His naps are no longer than 20-40 minutes up to 3-4 times a day. I also open all curtains and blinds in my apt and the natural light really helps to keep him awake.
Currently he is 4.5 months and he goes to sleep at 7pm
at 11pm I feed him without him even knowing! It takes me around 20 minutes
he then wakes up at 3ish am and I quickly feed him and he falls back to sleep until 6am.
Good Luck!

He doesn't know he's three months old. Seriously, there is no "supposed to" with babies or children of any age for that matter. The purpose of a baby's first year is to teach US how to let them do things in their own time. A lesson we need to remember even when they are 21.
Babies need breast milk for as long and as much as you can give it to them, and if he has cereal he will cut back on breast milk. There are lots of things you can do to make the waking up in the night less exhausting for you. One thing you can do is let him fall asleep next to you in the bed. Then you don't have to get up to feed during the night.
I hope this helps. I know it's not easy----trust yourself.

Have you talked to your pediatrician or other moms about when to start feeding solids? According to the latest recommendations by the WHO and other sources, babies are supposed to start being introduced to solids at 6 months (http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/delay-solids.html). That said, a baby is going to eat solids when a baby is going to be ready.

Same goes with sleeping through the night. From what I recall, the rule of thumb is that when a child's weight doubles from birth -- that's when they start sleeping through the night. That said, my child doubled at 3 months and he still didn't sleep through the night, it was probably closer to 5 months, sort of. Again, every child is different.

I know that many people will recommend putting things like cereal in the formula to give at night -- there is also a risk of your child choking on it either on the way down or if it happens to go up. For every person who has never had any problems with it, there's always someone out there whose infant nearly choked to death. That's why peds will never recommend doing this.

I know it's hard to get up in the middle of the night to feed. Is there anyway you can switch off with your spouse?

Good luck and I hope I could be of help.

Giving a baby cereal earlier than the babies system can deal with it can cause digestion problems and even diabetes. It is very serious. You should consult your doctor but it is pretty widely known that babies should not having ANYTHING other than breast milk or formula for the first six months of life.

hi, do what you feel is best for your baby, ask pediatrician of course. My daughter at some point at 4 months slept through the night for about 2 months at most ( she was exclusively on breast milk) then she decided that would be the end of that and did not sleep through the night until almost 22 months, she was on breast milk, and of course a lot of solids, it didn't mean that she was hungry. my friends baby now is 4 months, she 's working mom, she's been giving cereal and fruits since 3 months- her baby slept from 12 am to 6am, which is considered through the night. but recently started waking up and 1.5-2 hours earlier. Babies go through so many stages of sleep, that there will be a lot of nights you wont get any sleep. don't expect your baby to do what is told in the book, it depends on your baby. but i understand sleep is important to you so talk to you ped if adding baby cereal is ok at this point, many mothers did, but its recommended to start on solids at 6months if you baby is thriving enough. good luck and good night.

Most babies do not sleep through the night at 3 months. You do not introduce solids until 4-6 months which your pediatrician will tell you. This does not mean that he will sleep through the night either.

DON'T STRESS OUT ... I hate to break it to you, but sometimes it takes a while for them to sleep throught the night. My baby is 7 months old, and she is just now having a strong night's sleep. I started feeding her cereal at 6 months and then at 7 months I started feeding vegetables. When I asked my pediatrician if I could start feeding cereal early (to get her to sleep sooner) she said that the baby's digestive tract really can't handle the cereal before 6 months. So basically, you might just have to deal with it, sorry. Will your husband do relief bottles (of breast milk or formula) so you can get a solid sleep? Mine hubby tried, but sadly I learned that while my hearing improved amazingly with the birth of my baby, his decreased to near deafness!! :)

I echo the response that there are no "supposed to"s with babies. They will figure most things out in their own good time. And it's true that "through the night" means many different things to different people. My daughter was always a sleeper, but my sister's 5 month old still barely sleeps ever.

With respect to the solids, doctors generally recommend between 4-6 months. If there are any food allergy concerns, they usually tell you to wait until at least 6 months. But ask the doctor--I have some friends with babies who were on the larger side and their doctors had them start rice cereal earlier than 4 months because formula or breast milk was simply not sufficient.

Being sleep deprived is aweful and takes a huge toll. Still, three months is quite young for a baby to sleep through the night. They often still need at least one feeding during the night at this time. I think that it's too young to let them cry it out. I've always heard six months. I'm sure that you're getting lots of other good advice on here. Good luck.