Sleeping Through the Night?

I think every mom has their own definition of 'sleeping through the night' based on their individual needs & schedules. So don't take what other moms say to heart.

I considered mine 'sleeping through the night' when I gave them their last feeding around 11:00 and they slept until 5 or 6 am. All 3 of my children wer about 4 months old when this joyous milestone occurred.

So no need to worry. You are doing things just fine.

A.

First of all, congratulations! I had MY beautiful baby boy on February 12th too! He is currently sleeping through the night, but by my defintions that means 11:00-7:00 or 8:00 in the morning. What I did is I fed him every 2 hours in the evening instead of three to get him filled up. I have been following a simple, consistent bedtime routine: bath (when needed), change into pajamas, massage with bedtime lotion, feed him, then rock him to sleep. This is all done in his room with only a nightlight and is usually around 11:00 pm. I know this may be late to put him down, but for now it is working. He usually "naps" from about 9:30-10:30 at night, but I keep him downstairs for this one. I do hear him at night through the monitor, but I wait until his moans and groans turn to crying and usually that doesn't happen- he puts himself back to sleep. If he does wake up before the morning, I go in and just rock him back to sleep and that usually works. Good luck and I hope this helps!

Every baby has their own schedule, this is true, but it can't hurt to try some techniques to encourage him to sleep more. I'm sure you're not doing anything "wrong" --some babies just need that extra feeding.

Here's what has worked for me-- my 10 week second daughter is breastfed and sleeps in her crib 10-6. If some of these techniques work for you, great, if not, don't worry about it! Your son will eventually sleep through the night. I just know sleep is important and it sounds like you want some help. :-)

1. Space feedings closer together in the late afternoon, early evening. Rather than eating "big portions" every 3-4 hours, try having smaller portions every 1-2 hours later in the day. To get dinner cooked, take turns feeding the baby.

2. Have his most awake time be in the late afternoon, early evening. My daughter take a shorter nap in the late afternoon (5-6pm) and then she's up until we start the bedtime routine at 7pm.

3. Follow a consistent bedtime routine: bath, lotion/massage, pj's, final feeding, rocked/held to sleep and put down.

4. This sounds cazy, but its been known to work. Try putting your son to bed earlier. Instead of 9-10 pm, try 8-9pm or 7-8 pm.

5. During the night, make sure he's really awake when you go in to feed him. Just wait 5 mins when you hear him stir and see if he'll fall back to sleep on his own. Obviously, if he is freaking out crying, go in right away, but if its a couple of short wails, he might not be truly awake. Babies go through cycles during their sleep where they will briefly wake up or be close to waking up before returning back to deep sleep.

Like I said, this worked for me and I just want to pass the info along. I don't want to impose my routine on you, just want to help another mom get some sleep. So, pick and choose or adapt what works for you.

Good luck & Sweet dreams!
HTH
-Kate

My son is the same age and he goes to sleep around 10 or so also and wakes up between 5 and 7 every morning to eat and then goes back down again for a few more hours. The only thing I do differently is try to get him to sleep at around 8 for about an hour and then feed him, bathe him & get the pjs on and feed him again once more before putting him down for the night. Your son sounds normal for this age. He is only waking up once a night so it's not a big deal. Technically sleeping 6 hours in a row without waking is considered sleeping through the night, so you are almost there. Try waiting about 10 minutes before going to get him from his crib, as long as he is not crying really hard. My son sometimes makes a loud noise in his sleep that sounds like a cry or a laugh, but then he will be quiet after that. I have heard that it's normal at this age to be loud sleepers. Make sure you are not picking him up unless his eyes are wide open and he is truly awake. If he goes back to sleep then you should expect him to wake up again in a few more hours. Eventually he may surprise you. Also, try to put him down to sleep while he is still slightly awake. It's a bad habit for them to fall asleep in one place and be placed in the crib after they have fallen asleep. It makes them wake up earlier.

Honestly every child has their own time schedule. Not all 3 month olds sleep through the night.
I have 3 children and the first was sleeping through the night at 5 months old and my second never really slept through the night until 1 year old, and my youngest child always slept through the night since she was 1 month old.
You are doing nothing wrong so do not worry yourself.
You can try different things to soothe the baby back to sleep like music. Maybe your son just feels the need to latch on to you to fall back asleep. Honestly in can be so many different things. Speak to your childs doctor if you have concerns.
Cheers

You are right....all babies have their own sleep schedule. My first child slept through the night from 10pm - 7am by the time he was 4 WEEKS old...needless to say I was very happily surprised....then came my daughter and stupidly I expected her to do the same. No such luck, she did not sleep through the night until she ws 16 MONTHS old. At 3 1/2 months your son is probably just hungry and that is what is waking him up. Hopefully once he starts on some solid food that will hold him over a little longer. When you start feeding him cereal it will be a once a day feeding...my suggestion is to give it to him before bed to help keep his little belly full a little longer. Good luck. Enjoy this time, tired or not, they grow up so fast, my kids are now 9 and 6 and middle of the night feedings seem like a lifetime ago!

Both my kids didn't sleep through the night until well after 6 mos old. The average for a child to sleep through the night is 6 mos. My son was 7 mos and my daughter almost 9. And even then I had to force them. First is he breastfed. If so, it could be a long time before he sleeps through. They digest breast milk so much faster. 2nd, his stomach is really only the size of his fist, so it doesn't hold a whole lot of food. Resist the erge to give cereal. It never made my kids sleep longer and I know LOTS of others who said the same thing. More often then not that doesn't work. He will sleep through when he's ready. Be patient. If possible nap while he does during the day. The house work can wait. Right now you need your rest, otherwise how could you be the best mama to this beautiful baby boy.

Hi C.

I have a 3 1/2 moth old son too. Born Jan 29th. He is sleeping through the night from 10:30 to 7:30. He gets 6 oz bottle during the day but likes an 8 oz bottle before bed. I give him a bath then change him into pajamas.I give him a bottle then I lay him in my bed and read a book Goognight Moon is great book. Then I pump his legs and quitely play with him. He was colic for the first 3 months so I started this around 2 months and every night seems to get better. I'm a full time working mom and this has been great for me.