I have an easy beautiful baby boy whom is just about 4 1/2 month old. He has an older brother whom is 3.5 years old. I breast fed both, still exclusively with number two. I just started rice cereal last week...which is going good. My question is when will he start sleeping through the night? My first child (also a boy) slept through the night at 3 months and has been a great sleeper ever since. My beautiful boy number two, still wakes up every 2-3 hours for a feeding. I am exhausted. I have read that he should start sleeping longer stretches, but hasn't. A few nights in a row, I thought I would let him fuss and maybe he would go back to sleep (sleeps in pac-n-play next to our bed)thinking he can't be hungry, but when he is sucking on his hands and I bring him to bed to breast feed...he glurps down milk like he is starving. So, he must really be hungry. He goes to bed at 7;30 pm usually after a bath, and wakes at 9pm for feeding, 12:00 or 1 am for next feeding and then 3-4 am, then agian at 6 or 7 am for morning feeding. He always wakes up, fusses, I feed him..he goes right back to sleep. I however don't because I am one of those that it takes a while to get back to sleep. ANyhow, he takes 3 naps during the day about an hour long. Just need to know if anyone else out there has the same issues. Any advice would help.
Thanks
What worked well for my babies was to feed them rice ceral right before bed. It seemed to keep them fuller longer than nursing or formula.
Let's see, my first slept through the night the very first night we brought her home, and is a total "sackrat" to this day. My second is 7 months and is just sleeping through since just before Christmas. We tried Healthy Sleep habits. took some advice, but left most of it. Tried putting her down and letting her cry for awhile but she never stayed asleep any better or longer. What worked was the cereal, esp. at dinner, and putting her in her own room, finally. At first, she still woke up twice at night to eat (I suspect this was mostly habit) Then when she was eating solids better, I decided she had no real need to get up 2 hours after bedtime, and I had this master plan where I would slowly wean her off that feeding, then the next. After a few nights of shortning the 1st feeding, it was time to send dad in instead of me. It worked!! Not just for the first feeding, she would keep on sleeping all the way through. So much for my 'master plan' From that night on only dad went in and comforted her, she was back to sleep within minutes, and the times he has to co comfort her are fewer and farther between as time goes by.
I couldn't believe how qiickly it all fell together: Solids+Own Room+Only Daddy, with a dash of the "magic" 6 month mark=success! (Now if I could just get her to sleep in later like her sister...)
BTW, it is me who has to jiggle hubby awake when it's time for him to go soothe her- he also will sleep through anything! =)
As you are quickly learning every child is different. My son is now 1 year old and is JUST NOW starting to sleep through the night. I was up and down any where between 2-8 times a night to feed or comfort my son. He is on the lower end as far as weight, but is very healthy. I asked everyone... I read all the books... tried all the methods. NOTHING worked! Until I spoke with a woman who works with young parents and newborns. She gave me the greatest advice I could have asked for. I went from getting one to two hours of sleep at a stretch to 4 to 5 and now we're up to 7 hours and as of last night a full night's sleep plus a good morning nap!
I put about a cup of epsom's salts in to my son's bath plus I use california baby's calming bath bubbles for him. Something with lavender in it (although I highly suggest avoiding all Johnson and Johnson products). Fill the bathtub up so that your son is covered. Now i assume he's still in a baby bathtub which will actually make it much easier for you to do that. Let him soak in it for about 20 minutes. Then take him out, give him an infant massage, making sure that you apply a firm pressure to him the whole time, especially his feet, hands and his head (Avoid the softspot). Then swaddle him and you can rock with him a bit (or i nurse but only till he's drowsy) and then put him down in his crib. I tell him I love him and to sleep well and then I shut the door. NOTHING has worked better than this for my son. So I am out to pass on this very simple information to other mothers who are struggling with sleeping. Not every child will sleep through the night at an early age. It's not about food, although if they are hungry they won't sleep regardless.
Hi H.. Oh how I remember those days. I had my 2 year old son at the time I was breastfeeding my second son. I was always tired. Neither of my children "slept" through the night till they were almost a year. I tried everything. The trick, I was told, was to make sure I was feeding them frequently during the day so they would need less at night. They were both round the clock eaters every 2 hours, even with solids. Neither of them were fat, but were both very tall. In fact they still are now at 3 & 5. What helped me was when I learned what was considered "sleeping through the night" I read it was from 12am to 5am withought one feeding. That gave me a more reachable goal. The last feeding at 12 am I made sure they ate till they were full. I woke them after they fell asleep on the first side (sitting up to burp them)then switched to the second. That usually gave me about a 3 - 4 hour stretch before the next feeding. For my every 2 hour round the clock feeders, that was a blessing to me.
I know it is so hard when you are sleep deprived. Naps. if you can get them are so important at this stage. If you have the time it will help you to have more patience & you will feel happier. Sleep when they sleep.
He also may be having a hard time soothing himself back to sleep. You have possibly become his pacifier if he is not eating a lot for the feedings. I recommend getting him attached to a lovey. A stuffed animal, or a cozy soft blankie. Gottchalks had a great quality one. Just start putting it next to his cheek at every feeding & he will grow attached to it over the next few weeks. It didn't take very long for us & it helped them to sleep more soundly. My first son had a little floppy puppy, my second son had a blankie (white since I could bleech it!)
Good luck to you & keep up the good work.
Hi H.,
I completely empathize with you, I have a 5 month old who does the exact same thing and I am exhausted too. Only I don't have another babe, so you really have your hands full! My daughter had a spell (around 2 months)when she started sleeping 5-6 hour stretches but it was all a tease as she quickly reverted to every 2 hours shortly thereafter. From what I understand, there are a couple of factors working against us: 1. breastfed babies wake more frequently to eat; and 2: because of the developmental stage of a 4 month old (said our ped)they are pretty poor sleepers in general(working on the social thing). Also, teething often develops around this time too. I am sorry to say that I don't any advice per se since we are in the same boat, only that you are not alone in your dilemma! I wish you much luck and a lot of sleep in the near future!
