When Do Babies Sleep Thru the Night?

My 1st didn't sleep through the night until she was 3 years old. My second slept through at 7 months. Each baby is different but babies have different sleep cycles than adults. Read No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. It is awesome. Be patient!
J.

You know every baby is very different, mu fist slept through the night at 6 weeks, my second at 7 months and now my 3rd is 7moths old and she still wakes up arounf 4 am to eat and then goes back to sleep for a while....it will get better but you may have a while longer before you are sleeping through the night....good luck and hang in there. The nice part about a 1st child is you need to rest when they do....you cant do that with the others!!

Buy a book called Babywise. It teaches that babies put on feeding schedules helps regulate their sleeping schedules. My kids slept through the night at 8 weeks (bottle fed) and 10 weeks (breastfed).

Good luck.

Hi L.-
My son required breast feeding every hour and a half until nine months. Then we did the once in the middle of the night thing until a year and a half. Smile, be glad you have a healthy baby, and get up.

My personal opinion about people who let their babies 'cry it out' is that they are choosing to destroy the child's basic trust that you will respond to their needs. That will change, of course, later, when crying can become manipulation. However, she is not manipulating now. She is growing, her tummy feels empty, and her body is telling her that she needs feeding.

Hope it helps- S.

Babies need to be fed breastmilk more frequently than formula ...I am not sure which you are doing. I would hesitate to deny a baby food either breast or formula...they need to develop trust in their parents and caregivers. I am not a believer in cry-it-out stuff...ESP for a baby under 6 t 9 months. Actually longer than that, but I find it a particularly abusive practice for our most helpless new citizens. This applies to more than food..physical closeness is a nccessity too.
Babies can learn helplessness...that crying is useless. I am not sure that is so great. There are cross-cultural studies that show it is associated with higher rates of alcoholism and mental illness later in life.
I would say it would be more reasonable to realize you made a life altering decision to have children, and that your sleep patterns may be forever altered. Five hour stretches this early are great...are you napping when the baby naps? That is the other way to recharge.
I love my daughter...and do not regret any loss of sleep I have had! Good luck.

I have 2 kids. My oldest didn't sleep through the night once until he turned one when I stopped breastfeeding. Maybe it was that comfort he was wanting during the night. My youngest started sleeping mostly through the night at 3 months. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised with him. I breastfed the same amount of time, so I really don't know what made him sleep. Every child is different. I can see you really want her to sleep through the night. When she cries out, put a time limit on how long you will let her cry before you get her. She just might go back to sleep, but if not, feed her. I am sure she is precious. Enjoy your time with her. It goes by way to fast!

As other posters have said, every child is different- there is no magic age. My DD#1 started sleeping through the night right around 3 MO, DD#2 right around 6 weeks, and DS right around 6 MO. DS is 10 MO right now... when he was 8 MO his sleep pattern changed and he would wake up once a night for a few weeks. (Heck, my nephew didn't start sleeping through the night until after his 2nd birthday!)

When babies are little little little, their tummies can't hold enough food to sustain them through the night, so yes, feed that little one as much as she wants to eat. Babies who breastfeed usually eat more often than babies who are formula fed. I can truly attest to this, as my DD#1 was feed both then completely formula fed at 4 months, DD#2 was completely formula fed as she wanted nothing to do with the breast, and DS wanted nothing to do with the bottle until I made him start taking one at 6 months.
So please, feed your DD. At this point in her life, she needs the nourishment, and she's learning to trust you.

I have 3 children 7, 9, and 12 and although it has been a while, I do recall that most babies eat every 2 to 3 hours till about 8 to 12 weeks. As for my own my 1st slept through the night the 1st time I brought him home for the 1st few day then it was every 2 to 3 hours for about 6 weeks. All of my children were different. At this age I do not recommend ignoring any cries in the night, feeding, changing and just holding them in the rocking chair is the most incredible feeling ever for you and the baby and it builds a bond that only the two of you can have. As I mentioned mine are older, but there is no better feeling than my 12 year old trying as tall and lanky as he is to crawl into my lap and ask me what things were like when he was a baby. My heart melts and remember they are only a child for 18 years and the rest of their lives they are adults, it is only a short time to loose a few hours of sleep when they are babies and a lifetime of sleepless nights, just worrying about the rest of their lives. Good luck and the rest of your life will be a sleepless one, but it is worth it, so my own mother of 40 years says and I am only one of 4 the oldest is 44. God Bless you and your child

Don't ignore her cries for food. She is way too young for that. 5 hours is considered "through the night" for a baby. In my experience, my kids have gone through cycles of sleeping longer and shorter. She'll hit a growth spurt at some point and be up more at night. For now, enjoy this stretch and do not begrudge her when it shifts. Until then, read The No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley to learn more about baby sleep and give you some tips to encourage her gently along as she grows.

I have a almost three month old. I recently have learned infant massage and started to do it on him. ?Before starting this he would sleep about 3-4 hours and then wake up. Now he is sleeping about 6-7 hours a night only waking when he was hungry. The massage helped a ton with stomach issues and when he was colicky as well. If you are interested in this I teach the infant massage now. Hope the information helps.

Hi L.,

The magic age for my now 6 month old baby girl was 4 months but I have friends that had babies that slept thru the night at 2 weeks old. I don't believe there is a particular age. Personally I didn't ignore the cries in the night because everytime she got up she was hungry. I didn't want her to have to beg for her food. So I got up and fed her.

Good Luck
D.

Every baby is different. My daughter did not sleep through the night at all until she was six months old. That is when I started feeding her solids.

She is now 2 and still does not sleep through the night very often. She usually wakes up at least once. I guess I am a sucker too because I wont let her cry it out either.

I definately think two months is a little young to let her cry it out. Maybe after six months when she has solid food to sustain her through the night. There is a great sleeping book I have called "Good Night, Sleep Tight" It really helped me a lot because my child has never been a good sleeper. Hope this helps.

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Blessings,
C.

It sounds like your baby will probably start sleeping through the night at the average 4 to 5 months age......I would go to the library and rent "the no-cry sleep solution" if I were you and learn the non crying it out methods. Routines can be crutial. I myself however have never established routines and I have a daughter who wakes up all night...lol and she is 21 months old. Your baby sounds like heaven in the night time!

It is sooo different for all babies.

My eldest didn't sleep through the night until she was about four months old. She was sick however (had been in the NICU, got home, got RSV, went to PICU...) She still wakes up occasionaly and she is 2.5.

My youngest was sleeping through the night at one month. She doesn't wake up for anything. She is teething now and still sleeps about 13 hours. She was also a big baby, 9 lbs and 22 in long. So even the big ones figure it out! She was also in her own room in her crib at 3 weeks. She was too big for the bassinett! Maybe that did the trick.

Just remember at seven weeks they only have three needs, comfort, food and sleep. She will sleep through the night when she is ready, let her lead the way for now. I don't think letting her cry it out at this age is helpful. Now at 2.5 it's another story! (But I'm a sucker and just get up!)

Good luck and congratulations.

for both my kids, when they were 8 weeks old, only @ night time I added baby cereal to their milk. This was their last feeding before I went to bed. Usually are where between 8 - 10 pm is when their last bottle was before the middle of the night or early morning. The reason I would put the cereal in the bottle was to help them stay fuller for a longer period of time so they would sleep longer & so will you. =)

There is NO magic age! My daughter took a night feeding until she was 8 months. I would never ignore an infant's cries for any reason, especially food. She can't help it... she's hungry when she's hungry and that's that. Don't ignore it, feed her when she's hungry and don't have expectations of what she should be doing or what other babies do. Ignoring the cries of a 2 month old is just cruel and will teach a child that no one will meet his/her needs.

My friend's baby slept thru the night at 8 weeks! Month after month, I kept hoping she'd sleep thru the night! It would have been easier on me if I stopped worrying and hoping and just relaxed and let it be. It is what it is.

My 2nd child was adopted from an orphanage and he NEVER cried at night... because he had learned from day 1 that no one would respond. Even when he'd wake in the morning he wouldn't make a sound. He'd just sit in his crib until I came to get him. Sometimes I wondered if he'd been awake for hours. So sad.

Respond to your baby, give her what she needs, and don't worry. I know it's hard when you are not getting enough sleep... but the day will come! :)

I know how frustrating it can be to be a new Mom and wonder if YOU will ever sleep through the night again, but believe me it will happen. Sounds like your baby is a great sleeper for her age. 5 hours is great for a 7 week old. Some babies sleep through the night by 3 or 4 months while others don't sleep through the night until much later (my daughter was 18 months when she first slept through regularly). Babies under 4 months still need to be fed during the night. Please DO NOT ignore your babies cries at night. She needs you to comfort her. She is physiologically incapable of developing habits at this point. All she knows is that she's hungry and she needs comfort. If you meet her needs, you are communicating to her that she can count on you to be there for her. If you ignore her, you are not helping her to establish a good bond with you.
I have a 4 month old so I understand how tired one can get. This time when your baby needs you a lot goes by very quickly (trust me I have a 3 1/2 yr old that seems to have grown up over night). Please don't resent these night time sleep disturbances. They will soon be over and your baby will no longer be a baby. Congrats on becoming a Mom and I applaud you for staying at home to raise your daughter. I quit work as a midwife 3 1/2 yrs ago when my first was born and though it takes some getting used to, I have no regrets. Best wishes! R. PS If you are looking for a good book to read about infant sleep, The Baby Sleep Book by Dr. William Sears, M.D.

Every baby is different, and they get there when they are ready. It is developmental, so even giving them solids (when old enough!!) might not help. Please don't ever ignore your babies cries. They are for a reason! Research has shown that it can cause long-term anxiety, among other problems. Here are some links that might help :). Good luck!

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/sleep/sleep13m.html
http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct05p204a.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
http://www.sleepnet.com/infant3/messages/534.html
http://www.alyson.ca/2008/02/cry-it-out-meth.html

Hi,
I had 3 kids sleep through when they were about the age of your sweetie. The 4th one who's now 29, I'm not sure he's ever slept through, but he quit telling me about it when he was about 7! It just depends on the child. You can try cutting a nighttime feeding, but like you, I couldn't stand to let a baby cry. If she just fusses briefly and then settles down, that you can ignore. If she's really crying then I would go comfort her and if she's hungry feed her. You and she will get the sleeping thing figured out.
Thanks,
E.

My son is 9 months old and has yet to sleep through the night. He gets up once around 3 and is back asleep in about 20 minutes. The doctor says it just depends on the baby. Sometimes they are not ready to sleep through the night until they are over a year. One thing I can say is just make sure that when your baby sleeps you do. Good Luck!

It varies, and it's hard to deal with. There is no magic age. Things do change a lot at about 3 months, but you are in the thick of it and she will be up at night to eat for awhile. 5 hours of sleep at a stretch at 7 weeks old is something to feel really good about. Pat yourself on the back, mama.

Honestly, I'd read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. It's a great book and it helped us a lot. It talks about sleep needs for different ages from birth to adolescence. I know you feel too tired to read, but it has great information.

I did let my kids cry some, but not at the age of your daughter. She is learning about trust and whether her needs will be met. She is hungry and needs you. It's when they are not hungry, or wet, or sick etc. that a little crying in my opinion is ok. That comes later. I know its a hot topic and not everyone agrees on this.

Are you nursing? If so, can your partner feed a bottle of breast milk in the night? If you are bottle feeding, then it's easier to do that. Are you able to nap when the baby naps in the day? Would it be worthwhile to feed the baby right before you go to bed so the 5 hours is at your prime sleep time? Could you nurse the baby in bed with you so you could doze? There are many ways to get more sleep. Every person has to find the ways that work best for you. It's very individual.

I hope you find some strategies to make the most of your sleep This is sort of how it works for the first few months of a baby's life.

With my older girl, it would vary from night to night but with a trend for longer as the weeks went by. When I put her in her own room at 3 months it suddenly was much longer consistently, at least 6-8 hours. My baby is about 11 wks old and is next to us. We also just had that "miracle" sleep of 8 hours a couple times. This only happens if I don't let her sleep for hours in the swing in the evening. I think what I read was aroound 12-15 lbs they are physically ready for it. oh BTW, it is NOT recommended to give little babies water.

Hi L..
As you can see from your responses, it varies with each baby. I know friends that would be thrilled if their older infants would sleep for a 5 hour stretch! I won't go into my stories with my daughters, but they were very different. I am betting that your daughter will, over the next few weeks, begin to stretch out her feedings at night. My first daughter was a big baby and slept through the night- I thought because she had reserves!
What I found with mine was that they would sleep longer one night, give me a glimpse of hope, and then revert! But, I knew that one night would slowly go to two and so on. Give it a couple weeks and you'll probably see a change. You will be able to handle it a little better, too, probably, the more you heal & adjust. Hopefully for you, in another month (which probably sounds like forever) she'll be sleeping longer. It is, I think, the toughest thing about adjusting to a newborn. Being tired is, well, exhausting! But anyway, your daughter probably still needs a night feeding, but may be phasing out to 8 hours or so. If she is eating really well and then going back to sleep, you may want to keep feeding until she makes the change. If you think it is just her stirring and then not able to soothe herself back to sleep, you could let her fuss a little and see what she does. Even just patting her back or talking to her can help, but sometimes seeing you will wake her up more. You could try one of the remote mobiles and turn it on if she stirs and see if that relaxes her and gets her to fall back to sleep without your interference. There is no steadfast rule for anything, I guess. Depending on what you are comfortable with, there are ways of letting your kids cry without destroying them (imo). I'm always happy to give more of my opinions if you ever want them, but my biggest opinion is do what you feel is best for you and yours. Good luck & Welcome to Motherhood (hang in there)!

I've read that 5 hour stretches is considered "sleeping through the night" at that age. If she wakes up at 3 am, she's probably hungry. I personally also had a larger baby and didn't start the "making her cry it out" approach until she was much muh older. At 7 weeks old, they can still have seperation anxiety at night. If you have her in a crib in her own room, it may help to move her into your room if you can. When they can smell you, they're comforted and will sleep longer. I wouldn't worry too muvh about her sleep patterns at this point. They change constantly. And once they do start "sleeping thorugh the night", it usually reverts back to waking up at weird hours at aroung 9 months old. I have a friend who's 19 month old still doesn't sleep in long stretches, where as my 19 month old does. It all depends on the child.

My firstborn was the same way...sleeping well from 6 weeks on. My second child who just turned 12 weeks wakes every 3 hours for feeding still with a couple of "blessed" nights where she will go 4-5 hour stretches. Whe I speak with my other Mommy friends they tell me that my first child was not "normal" sleeping for a newborn, especially since she was nursing. I've also read that once your child is 14+ lbs they will be able to be sleep longer at night. Every child is different, and she is trying to communicate with you. NEVER let your child cry it out in the middle of the night!! YOU will go crazy and no one will be sleeping after that! Check out the Baby Whisperer book regarding scheduling and "tanking up" before bedtime, and giving your child a bit of formula before bed doesn't hurt either. Good luck!

Somebody stated that a bedtime routine helps. I totally agree! My daughter was still waking up 2-3 times a night a week before her first birthday. I was TIRED all the time. So my husband and I started an easy routine that the whole family could stick to (bath, story, I nurse her, then she goes to bed). It sounds simple, but on the 3rd night she slept for 10 hours! She is 13 months now and is still doing great!

L., I couldn't help laugh when I saw your question. I wasn't laughing at you, but rather with you as I too was in major culture shock after having my first. I love my sleep and that was the hardest thing for me the first time around. My son and my daughter were both different sleepers and people can make good recommendations, but you ultimately have to decide what works best for you and your baby. Don't drive you and your baby crazy trying to force a certain technique on her just because someone else swears by it. In the meantime, take comfort that she WILL eventually sleep through the night, but you will probably still go in and check on her a few times, just because. Enjoy the time rocking with and loving your sweet baby; they get so big so fast! Welcome to the mommy world!

I have a 3 month old and just recently learned that sleeping a 5 hour stretch is considered sleeping through the night. If you are breastfeeding then I wouldn't expect any more than that until she starts solid foods...from what I've researched you should not let a baby cry herself to sleep any earlier than 5 months and even then you only do it if she's not hungry...if she's waking up because she's hungry then you need to feed her. If you're breastfeeding then I recommend learning the side-laying position....that way, you can sleep while she nurses. If you're breastfeeding then you can also try "dream feeding" which means that when you go to bed (assuming she's already been down for a bit) without waking her you let her nurse and then put her back in bed. If you find any miracle answers let me know :) My son is going through a growth spurt and has decided he would like to eat every 2 hours or so....no fun.

Usually babies sleep through the night when they are bigger, weight wise, but it just depends on the baby. My first son slept through the night here and there until he was over a year. Then my second has slept through the night since he was a month old, he is 3 months now. Sorry I am not being much help. I encourage you to listen to your instincts. If she wakes up in the middle of the night hungry, then feed her. She will sleep through the night soon. Oh and also make sure she is warm enough. My first son woke up alot if he was cold.

If she is hungry feed her. She is still a little young to sleep thru the night, imo. I did start around this time to start to water down my midnight bottles and slowly reduced the amount. My boys were eating 8 oz every 4 hours by this time. I have big babies too. By 9 or 10 weeks I had 6 oz milk and 2 oz water. After a few days, it was 4 oz milk and 4 oz water, then reduce bottle to 6 oz. never got to a full water bottle. But every baby is different and you need to be aware of your baby's needs. Talk with your baby's dr. My babies were getting too fat so my doc recommended leaving out the night bottle, but I couldn't do it cold turkey. Just be aware of your baby. HTH

Your lucky you get 5 our stretches sometimes, lol. Every child is different so only your child will tell.

My boys didn't start sleeping through the night until about 4mo...and it didn't last. Once the teeth start coming, they're up again.

Every baby is different. My little girl started sleeping 7-9 hours when she was 8 weeks. What helped was to not rush to her at every little sound or whimper. Many times she would go back to sleep on her own if I let her be for 5 minutes or so. However, if she ever got into a full cry I always responded and fed her. However, I also have a friend who's little girl was up every 2 hours to eat until she was 6 months. It sounds like your baby is doing great and is on her way to sleeping longer stretches. Hang in there!

My baby is now six weeks old and and sometimes wakes up but for the most part she sleps thru the night. My secret is that I let her sleep on her tummy. There is nothing else in her crib but a fitted sheet and all she has on is a onesie.I do get up a few times a night to check on her, but other than that she sleeps soundly. She does not sleep like this every night, but for the most part she does good. I would ONLY advise trying this if your baby can lift their head up and move it from side to side. My baby started doing that when she was a week or two old and before I actually started doing this I would watch her on her tummy while she took naps to make sure she was able to move around. The decision is up to you, but just make sure that your baby can move her head around with no problem first.

L.,

Congratulations on the birth of your baby and the birth of yourself as a mother.

The blessed day when they sleep through the night??
It can range anywhere between 3 months and 2 years - or longer:) She is only 7 weeks old and if she is waking during the night it is because she is hungry and needs to be fed. You are right to trust your instinct and not want to ingnore her cries. She needs to know that she will be taken care of. Babies who's needs are met with love and attention from thier caregivers actually grow to be emotionally healthier children.
Is she in your room close to you? Whether you have decided to co-sleep (baby right next to your bed), bed share (baby in bed with you) or she's in her crib...it's always easier on everyone if she is at least in your room. I've read some research on the correlation of baby's sleeping better and healtheir when close to mom.

There are lots of great books on helping children with healthy sleeping habits. You will have to just look through the bookstore or library for the one that fits your style and your child the best. There are a couple of methods I'm not crazy about...BABY WISE and The FERBER METHOD. My belief is that they both ignore the emotional needs of the child. They both have some good points....all Parenting methods do....but mostly you need to listen to your belly ear and parent from within. Be educated on child development and be open to new ideas and parenting tips (we are all here to help eachother), but in order to really move through the crazy messy absolutely beautiful world of mommyhood, it's always best to listen to your inner wise woman (get to know her really well:) and listen to your child - she has as much to teach you as you do her.

Much good energy to you and your baby,
A.
mom of 4, Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

Hi L., you said she was a 'big' baby...I was wondering how big? both of my kids were 11 pounds (yes, eleven!) and both slept thru the night almost from the first week being home. my daughter, the oldest, did not need a pacifier, and she slept 12 hours straight from about 3 days old. my son...he kept waking up at 1:30 every morning. after about a week of this I was freaking out wondering what the heck was wrong with him!! I called the doctor, who basically laughed at me and said everyone should be so lucky, but then told me to try a pacifier with him. I did not believe in them but after a week, tried it and it worked! so not sure if you want to try that or not but I wish you luck!

She needs to eat at night. That won't go away for a couple months, at least. Consider yourself lucky that she sleeps for 5 hour stretches at night.

They are all different.

All babes are different...many start sleeping through the night at 6-8 weeks...of course I never had those babies!! My son is 20 months and just in the past few months has he started sleeping all night regularly. I wouldn't do the cry method until your baby is at least 6 months old...she is still very little and probably needs the milk when she wakes...good luck I know those night feedings are tough :)

I think it was around 2 months that my girls (twins) started sleeping about 8-10 hrs. We followed the book called "becoming babywise" it basically teaches you to have a schedule which in turn helps them sleep through the night quicker. Hang in there!

I asked this question to my mom when I had my first and she laughed and said "18, when they leave for college!" Now that I have 2 I know what she meant. Every baby is different but most say 5-6 hours is sleeping through the night. My second turns 1 next week and still gets up at 4 (goes to bed at 8) for a bottle. Good Luck. I know it's hard.

Every time a question is posted like this, the FLOODGATES OPEN! It cracks me up!! Everyone has a different opinion, and are usually quite passionate about how they feel. I always say do what you feel is best -- regardless of what others say. Even the "experts". I have 3 beautiful boys and one on the way and they all were completely different. However, there is some science behind sleep habits and patterns and if you would like to understand those things, I HIGHLY recommend a book called "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" by Dr. Richard Ferber. This book literally saved my life. Until I UNDERSTOOD why my kids were sleeping the way they were, I was unable to make any informed, necessary changes for ALL OF US. Your baby is still very young to expect her to sleep through the night. Dr. Ferber says either 10 pounds or 3 months old before you can expect that. Since my babies were 10 pounds at birth, I went by the 3 months mark. Read the book, educate yourself on the art of sleeping (because it is an art!) and then make up your own mind with what you will do that will work best for you and your precious little one. Good luck!

From another mama but I couldn't have said it better myself:
Well, I am more of an "information geek" than a "try it out" mom. I think the evidence and studies speak for themselves.
Before I list a very few of them, I want to say that every family must do what works for them and there is no perfect way to raise a child.
I also want to urge every mother to do her own research. Be a critical reader! When reading, be aware of who wrote the information you are reading, what their credentials and motives are, and how the author is viewed by his/her peers. There is great information out there, but there are a lot of really bad books, too. Many written by people with little or no training, education, or experience. Anyone can write a book...
I also believe that a mother who mothers by her gut will usually do what is best. Any information that causes a mother to go against her natural mothering instinct is the wrong information for her. Any regrets that I have come from times when I didn't follow my gut.
Here is some of the research that I find helpful:
The studies on cortisol levels in babies while they are crying alone vs. crying in arms are astounding. The levels of cortisol measured in babies crying alone are high enough to cause damage to brain tissue and permanently alter a child's mental function. Clearly, babies are not meant to be left alone to cry.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp
http://home.mweb.co.za/to/torngren/bergman-int.html
The research in the fields of sociology, psychology, and anthropology show us that families around the world as far back as history dates have shared a family bed, breastfed on demand for and average of 4 years (still the current world average), and carried babies or strapped them on during their babyhood.
This body of research also tells us that a child who has his needs met by a single care giver (most optimally the mother) is a more independent, confident child than those who spend time fearing that their needs won't be met or those who are forced to be independent before they are ready.
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/lauren_lindsey_porter.html
Be sure and check out the sitations on this and any article your read.
Further, this attachment extends to the later parenting, making it easier to parent the child...
Nils Bergman on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcaMsZrElnE (he has several videos you can watch!)
His book, Hold On To Your Kids is a MUST READ!!!
The Discipline Book by Dr. William Sears
Here is some really compelling research:
Biology gives us a whole body of research on human milk composition which shows us that out of all mammal species, human milk has the lowest amount of fat and protein when compared to other mammal species, here is what that says:
Cache care - These animals must hid their babies and only feed them every 12 hours. They have the highest amount of fat and protien in thier milk. Rabbits, mice
Nest care - These animals have less fat and protien and feed their babies every 4 hours or so. dog, cat
Follow care - These animals have even less fat and protien than cache and nest animals. They feed every 2 hours or so. Zebra, cow, elk.
Carry care - These animals have the lowest amount of fat and protien and feed their infants every 30 to 90 minutes. Primates.
Humans have the lowest amount of fat and protien! What does this say about how our babies should be cared for? How often they should be fed, and what we should expect from them at night?
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct01p178.html
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/haa/breastfeeding/s...
BTW, new research is now linking colic to babies not being fed often enough and being left alone too often.
http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/whatis03.htm
http://home.mweb.co.za/to/torngren/eng-berg.html
Dr. Sears recommends feeding your baby twice as often and half as much when colic seems to be the trouble. He also recommends holding your baby http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/t051300.asp
It is interesting to see the societal influences we have here compared to the rest of the world. We want our babies to be convenient, yet their very make up makes that impossible.
Again, mothers must do what their gut tells them and use information to supplement that wisdom. Don't choose sides, choose your child!
Happy Mothering!! Enjoy your babies

They sleep through the night when they're ready, there's no magic age. My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 13 months old, now he's a champion sleeper at 2 1/2. My cousins first son slept through the night at 9 months, while her second slept through at 4 months. My friend's 1st girl slept through the night at 2 weeks, while her second didn't sleep through until 22 months. Don't mean to discourage, you but they'll do it when they're ready, sounds like she's getting ready though.

When people talk about letting babies cry it out, it's to get them to learn to fall asleep on their own, not to stop eating at night. Definately keep feeding her if she's waking!

You can do things to encourage longer sleep periods like swaddling and giving a pacifier instead of feeding and see if she goes back to sleep.

My son is 8.5 weeks old and still eating every 3 hours around the clock. He was and is a big baby. I have another son who was a big baby and ate around the clock until he started solids at 6 months. 2 days after starting solids he was sleeping through the night. My daughter was sleeping 8 hours a night when she was 10 days old. They are all so different, but it will happen! Just be patient : )

L., I believe every baby is different however I will share my story because I think it always is nice to hear other parent's experiences. Both my girls officially slept through the night at 3 1/2 months. They too started with 5 hour stretches at night around 4 or 5 weeks old. They both teased me with sleeping all night for a few nights in a row around 10 weeks old, but then they started getting up at least once a night and the time would vary between 1am and 4am. Because the time varied I didn't think it was hunger but I fed them anyway. My oldest daughter became regular and got up around 3:30am for this feeding. My youngest was more irregular which was totally frustrating. For both girls, I fed them a bottle for a week or two and then started reducing the amount of milk in the bottle by an ounce every couple of nights. After weening them off the milk, both of them still woke up once per night. They both were spitting out their pacifier and waking up to have it put back in.

Since they didn't need the milk any more, I decided at 3 1/2 months to do sleep training with both girls. I was very aggressive and took away their pacifiers this early (they both now suck their thumbs). I did a 3 night plan. On the first night if they woke up I would go in after 2 minutes of crying. I patted/tapped their shoulder and did a loud "shhh" over and over until they calmed down. Then I walked out of the room. They usually cried harder at this point. I then went in at 4 min, repeated the shhh/pat, if they still cried I waited 6 minutes, and the next time 8 minutes, and the next time 10 minutes. I then stuck to 10 minute intervals the rest of the first night. The second night I did 4, 8, 12, 15 minute intervals. The third night I did 5, 10, 15 minute intervals. By the 3rd night both girls would put themselves back to sleep on their own with in 15 minutes. I continue to use the sleep training even as they have gotten older if they get "off schedule" for some reason. It usually always works for my girls. It is a little hard the first night because you get less sleep than normal and you have to try to ignore the crying. Instead of laying in bed listening to it, I just got up and busied myself with a chore or a project. This helped.
There are less aggressive approaches to sleep training, I just found this one to be the best for my parenting style.

On a side note...I started solids (rice cereal and oatmeal) with my second child almost 2 weeks earlier than with my first. I think this was 2 weeks before she was 4 months old. She was a hungry baby and this helped her sleep better at night too.

Good luck- You are doing great! Go with your natural instincts and everything should fall into place soon. I am sending sleep vibes your way :).....

Hi, L.!

Congratulations! Having a baby is one of the most amazing things in the whole world. So is a good night's sleep!

I have never been able to let my babies cry it out. They only have one or two ways of communicating their needs. They aren't manipulative or selfish--they only have a few things they need. One of these needs is food, and one of these needs is comfort. Comfort is absolutely a baby necessity. Answering her when she asks for it creates a secure and happy baby. Giving her food when she asks for it creates a healthy and secure baby. Babies don't grow on a schedule. Their bodies know when they need food. They are incredibly helpless and absolutely dependent. If you ignore their message, what message are you sending? When they stop crying, it's not because they're "learning" how to sleep through the night. It's because they're learning that their unmet need will remain unmet. They give up. Their stress hormones go through the roof when babies are left to cry it out, and a biological reaction to that is an opiate being released in their system. It's not so good.

We have always slept with our babies (we have a ten-year old, a five-year old and a one-year old) and I have breastfed them on demand. We have no sleep issues, and most nights I just sleep right through my daughter's nursing. I am incredibly attuned to her, and wake instantly if she needs something, but I sleep well and deeply and have since a few nights after she was born. I urge you to do some research on co-sleeping. It's the best way to "teach" your baby to sleep, as she will attune to your sleep pattern and have her needs instantly met. I can't imagine I'd sleep as well if she was in a different bed--I would worry about her.

Getting the kids out of the bed hasn't been an issue for us, either. They were old enough (two years) to be excited about the big boy bed.

Good luck! No matter what, just know that these baby days are short. They fly by. Before you know it, you'll be looking back wistfully, wondering where the time went! Knowing that always helps me through hard times. This too shall pass!

All babies are different, but most of the books I've read said that most babies will sleep through the night by three to four months.

Until then, keep feeding that baby girl. Two months is too young to let them cry it out and you should never not feed a hungry baby.