My Son Is Not Sleeping Threw the Nght

He's only 5 months old. He's not supposed to sleep through the night yet - his stomach isn't large enough to accommodate the nutrition he needs.

The babies who are great sleepers that early are an exception vs. the norm. He's getting ready to go through a HUGE developmental/growth phase, and his sleeping patterns will change with it.

Sleep deprivation is one of the sacrifices of becoming a mom that, unfortunately, you just get used to as time goes by.

There is really nothing you can do. He will sleep through the night when his body is ready. I know it sucks but that is all that can be done.

A LOT of 5 months olds, don't sleep through the night. So many big milestones happen around this age. Teething, growth spurts, new foods, trying to crawl, their vision is getting better and better. All of the means disturbed sleep. Their bodies are going through huge changes and are more likely to be restless. Make sure he is getting good naps during the day. I know it sounds backwards, but how they sleep during the day really effects their sleep at night. Giving cereal at night, does not make babies sleep better. I know a lot of people say this. Rice cereal (especially white rice) is a grain, which equals carbs. His body is working on digesting and has an energy rush from the carbs. It does not keep him more full. I really hate going to sleep on a freshly full stomach, especially if it has lots of carbs. I can't sleep well at all and babies are no different. In fact, they are more sensitive. I know you're tired and it's frustrating, but he will sleep through the night when he's ready.

Honey, he's not supposed to sleep thru the night - he's a baby. :-) By the way, "sleeping thru the night" means a 7 hr. stretch of sleep. Nobody told me my 1st baby (at 4 months old) wasn't supposed to be sleeping thru the night - and he didn't - until he was almost 1! I know it's annoying but this is the way babies are, they still get hungry in the middle of the night. It's hard to give up "our" nighttime sleep to our babies, but it's part of being a mom and it will get better - just hang in there! I personally don't believe that books can tell you how to make your baby sleep thru the night - they don't know your child - only you do so you have to do what works for you and your baby, let him lead the way. Good luck and keep up the good work!!

Ahhhh, the old "give a baby cereal and make them sleep" myth. You can NOT give a baby food and make them sleep thru the night! I can not stress that enough! Baby has to be physically and neurologically ready to do it and you absolutely can't rush it. And baby has learn how to sleep.

Learn the basics of infant sleep to help teach your little one to sleep and you will do far better when baby is ready to sleep. Babies have to be taught how to sleep. They don't automatically know how. Routine is key to help baby learn what to expect and what is expected at night.

I highly recommend Dr. Sears Baby Sleep Book and The Baby Whisperer. both have highly valuable info on infant sleep and how to teach baby to sleep.

And at 5 months old baby doesn't need cereal yet. Check out this article about "open gut" and the infant as to why it's really best to wait until at least age 6 months to introduce solids:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/early-solid-food-feeding...

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but at 5 mths he might just not be ready to sleep thru all the way yet. My first son slept thru around a year and my second didn't sleep thru until 15 mths...I almost thought he had died the first time it happened...I was so scared.

every child is different...he might be growing, learning something new, needing a little cuddle before going back to bed....

good luck, it does end I promise....just know he won't be waking up everynight when he's 10 :)

From one used to be sleepy all the time to another.....
Good luck
K.

It is pretty rare for a 5-month old to sleep through the night. Every baby is different and you have to gently encourage them to sleep on their own in whatever way works for you. I have a two-year-old and a four-year-old who didn't sleep through the night consistently until they were over a year old. I Ferberized them, read all the books, did everything I could. But sometimes you have to play the hand your given. If you are getting a solid 5 to 6 hours you are golden at this point.

You don't say how often he's waking up or for how long, but it can take quite a while for a child to sleep through the night. I have three children and nine grandchildren; some of them started sleeping through the night at a very young age, but then again, some of them were still waking up at least one time per night for up to a year or more! Every child is different.

My son is 7.5 months and still wakes up once during the night to nurse and I am okay with it. How often does he wake up? Is he showing any signs of discomfort?
Most babies don't sleep through the night until they are physically ready to do so -- it could even take up to a year and beyond for some to sleep for 10-12 hour stretches.
As long as there are no physical ailments and your baby is growing healthy and happy you shouldn't worry too much or try manipulate his sleeping patterns.
Adding cereal to the baby bottle is not helpful because it is a myth. Your baby will sleep through the night when he is ready... Just hang in there!

They say sleeping through the night is a developmental thing ...not because of how old (like not all kids will sleep through the night no matter how old) or if you put cereal in their bottle. I know it sucks if you have to wake up a lot (Mine wakes up every 4- 4 1/2 hrs, but he's only 6 weeks).... but give a little time...

Mine never slept through the night at 5 months. I think i would get about 5 hrs and remember loving that...lol! He still needs a bottle and can't make it through yet. It is normal. By a year my kids were sleeping 7pm to 7 am... it was heaven!

I agree with Michelle B in that babies go through a lot of developmental changes and growth spurts. My daughter began sleeping 10 hours a night when she was 10 weeks old - unbelievable, I know. She could nap anywhere at any time through any noise. She's so different from my son who cried for several months and could only sleep in his crib after lots of rocking. But sometime after my daughter turned 5 months, she changed. She started waking up at 4am and looking back, I attribute it to teething and learning to roll over. She grew 8 teeth that month and became restless from rolling around her crib. At 6 months, she cried every time I put her down for naps. I attributed that to early separation anxiety and getting used to solids. I kept telling myself that it's a phase and this too shall pass. Well, she is now 7 months and she's finally settled into a routine again. It's been 3 days of good naps and she's sleeping through the night again. Give it time and be patient!

My son didn't sleep through the night until he was a year. Sorry. Every child is different but their tummies are small so they wake up.
I did a couple of things: fed him right before bedtime (sometimes in his sleep), changed his diaper so a wet one wouldn't wake him up etc. I always got up in the middle of the night to feed him knowing this stage wouldn't last forever. At the age of 6 months he would occasionally sleep through the night but mostly he would just have a long stretch of sleep of about 5 or 6 hours. Since I'm not a fan of CIO (crying it out), I would go in and get him, feed him in a dimly lit room, quietly/quickly change his diaper then put him right back to bed. So finally at a year, he would sleep through the night. I would hang in there and get up with him if you can because this stage won'e last forever.

babies don't often sleep through the night. My son didn't until he was off breastmilk at 10 and half months. My daughter is 10 months and still waking every 5 hours to eat. I would say give it another month or so and you can then start to sleep train him a little. Go in and pat his back and sing him back to sleep. Let him cry a little and see if he can put himself back to sleep after a few minutes of crying. Most babies wake up during the night many times, but some can put themselves back to sleep. Others need to learn that they can put themselves back to sleep. Good luck!!

A thing to keep in mind as well is that a LOT of mums (like me) consider "sleeping through the night" to either be a single 5 hour stretch OR a good 10-14 hour block where they only wake to eat and fall right back asleep.

I've taken care of MANY babies who would sleep 2 hours, be up for 2 hours, sleep 2 hours, be up for 2 hours. Misery making. Even when they're happy, and suicidally miserable when THEY'RE miseravle (gerd, ear infections, colic, etc.)

You didn't say *how* he wasn't sleeping... waking to eat (normal, and will be for up to the next couple of years)... or wide awake for hours on end?

My oldest daughter slept 12 hrs a night from 6 weeks on, my middle child was touch and go. Sometimes she would sleep all night and she would for weeks, even months, then all of a sudden she was up all night! It was very frustrating and exhausting but she eventually outgrew it! We just tried to keep things dark and quiet when she was up in the middle of the night so she wouldnt think it was play time, she also liked me playing classical music. My son is 10 weeks old so Im just hoping for somewhere in the middle of my girls!

He might be too young still, my boys did not sleep through the night until 10-15 months old, Also through the night might just mean 5-6 hours not 8 hours, your son is still so little and I know you are tired, try to take naps or take your son to bed with you when he wakes up so you can both keep sleeping. He will sleep through the night soon, just parent him and enjoy how young and sweet he is

I would recommend reading this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp...

After reading this book we had our 4 month old sleeping 12 hours straight at night and taking two good naps during the day! He is 4 years old now and still sleeps 11-13 hours at night and still takes a 2 hour nap.