O.K., I know it's early, but I'd like to know if anyone has suggestions on getting my 3 month old to sleep longer at night. He goes to bed at 11-11:30 and sleeps until about 5 or 5:30. Sometimes he wakes up earlier, but this is usually the norm. My 2.5 year old was sleeping 8 or more hours a night from 4 weeks on, so we never really had to try anything with him. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank you so much for all of your suggestions!!! I will give them a try:0)
Not trying to be negative, but good luck on this one. Most babies at that age wake around every 3-4 hrs. If they don't that's great, but every 3-4 hrs is what the dr's told me to expect that early on. And that's definitely what I experienced with my son when he was that age. It's rough to get through it those first few months b/c you feel drained but eventually it gets better.
Wow, consider yourself lucky! That is great sleeping. My 10 month old sleeps from 7-7 and is up at least 1 time during the night! So you are so fortunate to get such a great chunk of slepp!
you have an infant that age who sleeps 6 hours a night?
start singing hallelujah, sister!
:O
khairete
S.
every child is different. all 3 of mine have very different sleeping habits, makes it hard on mom. but i'd definately suggest putting him to bed earlier? i mean why on earth is he going to bed at 1100 anyway? is he actually going to bed earlier and getting up at 10 or so to eat and then goes back down?...is 1100-500 is his long stretch? if so thats normal. thats a good stretch of time too. my kids slept in 3hr increments.
you might need to make sure he isnt napping too close to bedtime. someone once told me the earlier you put them to bed the longer they will sleep. it sounded really weird but its true.
I would say consider yourself very, very lucky and enjoy the sleep you're getting.
If you really think you need help, look to the book The Happiest Baby on the Block. It's by Dr Harvey Karp.
Please, for the sake of your baby, don't read Babywise. I strongly believe it's detrimental to the development of children, and there are studies that agree.
Good luck!
That is a hard one but I'd say you are lucky at this point. Your eldest child was doing something that most that age do not do. I know it is hard, with the lack of sleep, but they are waking up because they are hungry and at this point that is exactly what they should be doing. There are a lot of books out there that address the sleep issue. . .letting them cry method for one. . .setting a schedule. . .but most at 3 months would say it's a little early. I feel your pain as I went through this too not to long ago. It will get better. All babies act differently. Try not to compare your children on all issues. This one may not need as much sleep.
Hi! Sorry I'm late responding, but have you read Healthy Sleep Habits by Marc Weissbluth? It helped us a lot; our 4-month-old now sleeps from 6:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., then goes back down until 7:30. I think an earlier bedtime might help you.
Honestly, a three month old who sleeps 6 hours straight? Consider yourself lucky. As a mother of 3, I had one who didn't sleep through the night until he was 10 years old, one who slept through the night from birth, and one who woke frequently for the first 12 months and then slept through the night from 12 months on. I believe babies are 'wired' a certain way and the best thing you can do is meet his needs. Yes, you can "train" babies and children to have certain behaviors, but at what cost? If he wakes up because he is hungry, or he needs to be held by his mommy, why deny him that? I would suggest appreciating that you have that precious little bundle who wakes up and wants to see his mommy. Be careful about comparing your kids to one another. They are individuals and will do many things differently. Good luck!
I agree with the rest of the posts, you are so so lucky your son is sleeping from what you said 6 hours at a shot that is great, I have four month old twins and they are sleeping at 4 hour periods sometimes only 3. Consider yourself blessed!! I have also just read too that if you put them to bed between 7 and 8:00 they will sleep longer periods. Not seeing it work for me but it may for you.
Honestly, I would count your lucky stars that your 3 month old is already sleeping such stretches! My dd was definitely waking up every 2-3 hours at that point still.
If you want, then look into reading books by sleep experts like Ferber and Weissbluth for recommendations on things like setting a nighttime routine, how to put your child down to sleep without being nursed/bottle-fed to sleep, etc.
Just remember--every child is different!
Hi, 11:30 to 5 is phenomenal. At least it would of been for me when my baby was 3 months. She is almost 7 months now and I consider myself very lucky if she sleeps from 11 to 4 even. When I set out to find a way to get her to sleep longer my answers were very varied and not of much help. Nothing worked and I believe that it is just her make-up. She is sleeping longer with age though. Just be thankful that your baby sleeps that long and hope that it gets better with age. If it doesn't get better by 5 months or so Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child is what saved our sanity. Happy Sleeping.
I would say at this point, be happy he's sleeping that L. of a stretch. Many babies are still up every 2-3 hours overnight at that age.
I am assuming you give him a feeding before bedtime, if not, that should help.
Also, studies show that the earlier babies go to bed, the longer and more soundly they sleep. Maybe try getting him to bed a bit early (in 15 mins increments).
When my son was 3 months, he would "go to bed" around 9, but then I would feed him at midnight (he would eat without waking) then he would sleep until 7.
