How do I get my daughter to sleep through the night?

Question

My daughter is 11 weeks old and usually only wakes once for a feed. She is breastfed. My sister said that she should no longer need a feed during the night and is being greedy. She sleeps in our room at the moment but will be going into her room at Christmas. Any tips? Is she waking because she needs to and will she grow out of it?

Answer 1

Your baby is way too young to not feed her through the night. If she is breastfed, you should be feeding her whenever she is hungry. Don't listen to your sister. This is what parenting is all about no matter how frustrating it is.
She will eventually grow out of waking up through the night. At six months of age she is able to learn to self soothe (crying it out) and this will make things much easier on the both of you.

Answer 2

Of course she'll grow out of it. Babies don't sleep through the night as a rule, if they do, you're a lucky parent, but it won't be down to anything you do, it will just be the way the baby is.
Some children don't sleep through until they are three...but I don't want you to think that this will happen to you- it might not.

Babies start sleeping through when they are ready and they are only this young once.
Cherish every moment because soon, she'll be off to university, they grow up that fast :)

If your baby is waking for a feed, then feed her whether you think that she needs it or not. Even if she doesn't need the milk, she'll need the comfort and will learn that mummy will be there to help her feel better.

Don't leave her to cry it out this early- she won't understand what it means.

Answer 3

Babies do not get "greedy" - that is a concept learned later in life.

Your baby is perfectly normal, and she may continue to wake at night for even a few more months. She wakes up for a reason, and that is because she is hungry and will need to feed.

Any particular reason why Christmas is "the time" for her to move to her room? She may still need to feed, and most mother's find it easier to keep the baby in their room until the baby can sleep through the night.

Answer 4

Having a baby in your room is part of the problem. Simply because she can hear her Mommy and that could possibly be the main reason. But at 11 weeks she might just need a little shushing and she should go back to sleep. She may also be wet and needs changing. But, yes, she will grow out of it. Most children do.
Have fun with the little one.

Answer 5

That is normal for a baby to wake up more than once during it's first year...However, I always done this, add some cereal to your breast milk in a bottle, and feed it to her right before bed time...This usually makes them fuller, therefore, she may sleep all night, Good Luck, and enjoy her while she cannot talk back, Mine are 14 and 15 now...lol...

Answer 6

The rice cereal in the bottle before bed will do it. You might want to use a knife to make a larger hole in the bottle's nipple so she can drink it easier. Pumping might be a pain but if you don't give her something heavier than plain milk she'll continue to wake up. She's not greedy she's just hungry . Babies do allot of growing & need allot of feeding.

Answer 7

This is from experience-- If you will pump some milk add about 1 maybe 2 tsp. of rice cereal to her milk so that it thickens it just a little and make sure it can still flow from the nipple of the bottle--I promise you she will be more satisfied and probably sleep through the night.

Answer 8

wow.. babies wake up when they are hungry adn should be fed when they want..and worrying about her sleeping through the night should be you least concern..how can she be greedy my daughter is 5 1/2 mo and still wakes up for a feeding

Answer 9

Your sister sound a little high and mighty.

Baby's are not greedy...they cry when they need something.

If she needs a feeding during the night, then she needs it and she w/grow out of it in her own time.

Every child is different.

Answer 10

Don't listen to your sister about this. Your baby needs to eat, that is why she is waking. My daughter is also breastfed and at 7m. She still gets somenights to nurse. The older she gets the less she wakes.