Hello, my 5 month old daughter will sleep anywhere from 7-10 hours a night. I do like that she sleeps all through the night but I am concerned with the fact of her eating. She will eat every 8 hours and almost 8 ounces at a time. I was giving her rice cereal at 4 months but stopped for awhile and just started back up about 4 days ago and she is doing that very well. The doctor says she needs to be on a schedule like eats at 6am as her first bottle then her last should be at like 10pm and then she should go to bed. Well my daughter will sleep till 8 or 9 and eat then her last bottle would be 12 or 1am of course I wake her up to eat the last bottle. I give her rice cereal 4 hours after her first feeding of the day and 4 hours after her second to last feeding of the day. Like tonight she ate at about 5:20pm cdt then had rice cereal at about 9:40pm cdt. My question is should I let her sleep through the night if she eats her cereal as late as she did tonight? I have tried to put her on a schedule like the doctors want, I will get her to eat at 10pm but she sleeps till like 7-9am. Should I be concerned? I will tell you she has been doing this for quite awhile. Long before the rice cereal. I don't like having to wake her up before I go to bed so she won't go any longer than she has to. Sometimes she will go 12 hours without eating. This concerns me alot. I feel like I am doing something wrong.
Hello, I thank you all for the advice. I have been letting her sleep through the night without waking her. It seems to work better. She goes to bed at about 10:00pm or 10:30pm. She then sleeps until anywhere from 6-9am and it seems to be working well. I also took the advice of taking her amount of formula down from 8 ounces to 6 ounces. She eats every 6 hours, and has rice cereal 2 times a day. She got weighed today, she went from 12lbs 3oz to 12lbs 14oz in only 2 weeks. The doctor said taking her amount of formula down at a feeding will probably be better since she is eating rice cereal twice a day as well. Thank you again for all the help.
I always worried about my daughter when she began sleeping through the night. I agree that if she is meeting her weight and her doctor is not concerned with her weight or anything then feed her once she wakes. She will let you know when and if she is hungry! Enjoy getting the sleep...her sleeping pattern may change, I know my daughter's did.
When I brought my son (now 12) home from the hospital, he slept through the night and I would wake him up to eat every 4 hours or so. When the nurse called to see how things were going. I told her good, but he doesn't wake up at night to eat and I have to wake him up. She said I could just let him sleep and he will eat more throughout the day to make up for it and if he is hungry he will wake up on his own. I also found out that waking him up got him into the habit and it took me a while to get him to sleep through the night again, LOL!
My opinion is that if she is sleeping, good for you, take advantage of it and get some sleep yourself! She will eat when she is hungry and as long as she is gaining weight like she should be, it is fine. She doesn't have to be on the exact schedule that the doc said, she needs to be on a schedule that works for you guys.
Best wishes!
K.
I know everyone is saying don't worry about her schedule, and I agree, IF she is gaining weight ok. My son loved to sleep when he first came home from the hospital. We were unable to breastfeed because he wouldn't stay awake long enough. What worked for us was feeding him while he slept. For some reason he was able to eat a bottle while sleeping and be happy. I'm not sure if part of the problem is your daughter is just sleepy and napping a lot during the day. That was our problem. If that's not the problem, I'd be concerned about the 12 hours without eating. Does she not like the food/formula you are giving her? I guess I was assuming that was 12 hours during the day, but if it's 12 hours during the night that's not a big deal, which the more I think about it that's pry what you meant. If she's not gaining the weight she should I'd ask your doctor if you can get some sort of supplements or if there is another kind of formula you could try. Don't feel like you're doing anything wrong!! You're doing great!
When my son was 3 and 1/2 WEEKS old he was sleeping through the night and the doctor told me not to wake him up to feed him. If he got hungry he would wake up but this is only as long as they are eating plenty during the day.
So I followed her instructions and had him on a schedule during the day and let him sleep all night and well he'll be three in a week and he's never had any problems. She was right he did wake up if he wanted to eat and he always got his last bottle at 9.
When my children were born, we were told by our pediatrician to follow the schedule the kids set forth regarding eating. Your daughter will let you know when she is hungry. Trying to get her to eat when she is not hungry could set her up for problems down the road, as she may not recognize when she is full and could develop the tendency to over eat. At the age of five months, enjoy the time of peace and quiet while she is sleeping. That being said, make sure your daughter is gaining weight and growing as she should. If she is at the low end of the weight/length range for her age, she may need to be put on a schedule and be fed in the middle of the night. Generally if this happens, she will also be put on a high calorie formula as well.
As far as sleeping for so long, just try to set her down at a regular time every night, with as similar bedtime routine each night, so she gets used to a certain bed time. Children at five months old require a lot of sleep! Especially when she is going through a growth spurt. She should be getting around 15-17 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Some require more, but some require less. For the most part, at the age of five months, your daughter still gets to create her schedule and you and your husband are along for the ride. As she gets older, you will have more control over her sleep and eating schedules. Just enjoy the full night's rest!
She's 5 months? I don't think there is such a thing as a schedule at that age ;). My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was ten months old (then it was a lot of hard work). I would suggest to enjoy your sleep. As long as she is looking healthy and doesn't have a weight issue, I would leave perfect as it is!
Yes let her sleep. She will wake up when she needs to. Unless she is showing signs that this is not good for her. Does she take naps during the day?? Is she active during the day? Either way I'm sure she is fine. Each person is different, and the same goes for her. My son was up every 4hrs and my daughter sleep all through the night and took 2 naps during the day until she was almost 2. So each child will do their own thing.
your daughter is old enough that she is starting to make her own schedule. i would have loved is my son slept like that!! i think as long as she is gaining weight and is healthy and happy you shouldn't worry!
As long as she is eating well during the day, don't sweat it. Let her sleep. Be happy she's sleeping so well at night! How does she nap durning the day? Most 5 month olds need about 15-16 hours of sleep a day. Some need more, some need less. She will sleep more when she's growing. My son was the same way. Around 10 months old, he quit taking an afternoon nap and would have his dinner about 5:30, and then go right to bed and sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning! Even today, he sleeps 12-13 hours a night. Some kids just sleep. It's not a bad idea to wake her up and feed her once before you go to bed, but I would relax and enjoy the peaceful night.
A.- My opinion of your situation is that if your baby girl is sleeping through the night- let her. I have a 9 1/2 month old. He started sleeping through the night- meaning 7pm-6am at about 4 months old- and has been fine. At that time, during the day, he would eat every 2-3 hours (usually anywhere from a 4 to 6 oz bottle but during growth spurts 6-8 oz and then as solids were introduced that changed a little). He would eat right when he woke in the morning, every 2-3 hours thereafter and right before he went to bed at 7pm he would get a good breastfeeding right before bed. He continued to gain weight, was happy, never appeared hungry during the day- in fact, up until about 8 months, he stayed in the 90th percentile for weight. (once he started crawling- he started to slim down a little but now we are doing many more solids etc- and if you want to know more about that later, I'd be happy to share). My opinion of your doctor's schedule idea is that 10pm is a late bedtime for a baby- but of course, you have to do what works for your schedule. I think it's ok if she goes 12 hours without eating at night- as long as she is making up for it during the day and continues to gain weight. Maybe try thinking of total ounces during the day instead of number of feedings- for example: if you know she usually eats 40 ounces in a day- as long as she is getting approximately that much during daytime hours- why wake her? If you are breastfeeding and feel you need that feeding just before you go to bed so that you can feel comfortable to go to sleep- try pumping instead. Oh- and I don't think you are doing anything wrong.
I think that sleeping through the night is a great thing, and sometimes you have to go with what you think is best for your kids, not always what the doctor suggests. Remember you know her the best. If she is progressing and is gaining weight and hitting all of her developmental miles stones then she is fine and don't worry your self so much. Feed her before she goes to bed, and when she wakes up, and through out the day. My daughter starting sleeping through the night at about 5 months, and that is pretty much how she slept and she is fine. again just make sure she is developing the way she is supposed too and the rest you can wing on instinct. We are built like that you know! ;)Good luck!
The thing to watch is if she is gaining weight and getting longer or if she is way behind in the milestone area, and by way behind I mean she isnt crawling by a year, walking by two, or talking by two or three. As long as she is happy and content when she is not eating, and doing all the rest, then be thankful, because having a baby not sleep is far far worse. Remember too, it your baby who decides what schedule they go on, not the doctor. Just make sure she is in the 50% or higher for all, and she is fine. Dont be afraid to stand up to your doctor, or even switch if they are this unhelpful. Good Luck!
A.-
I say do not worry about a schedule and do not worry about amounts of food. She will tell you when she is hungry and when she is tired. Are you always tired and hungry at the same times? Definitely do not wake her up to eat! If she is not getting enough to eat she will tell you and will also lose or not gain weight. The only type of schedule you should worry about is her knowing the difference between night and day and it sounds like she already has that down.
Brekka
I would say that as long as she's meeting they benchmarks as far as weight gain/heigt-in a good precentage, then I would let her sleep. She will wake up if she's hungry. I would make sure that she's not just eating to eat or maybe feed her the rice cereal a little slower. She could be eating to the point of food slumber. You know when we eat too much we get groggy. you could maybe try feeding her a bit less an see how she does? My dau. last feeding was at 11 p.m. until about 11 months then she would sleep until about 7 a.m.
When my oldest was sleeping a lot, I was concerned too because the pediatrician said she needed to eat more than she was, but a good friend of mine pointed out that if she was hungry, she would wake up. I say as long as your little girl is happy and content, then let her sleep!
