How do i get my 4 month old to sleep through the nite?

Question

my baby is 4 months old, he is breastfeed and he won't sleep through the nite. he wakes up 4-5 times between 9pm and 9am sometimes he refuses to go back to sleep. he wants to play at 4am in the morning. i let him sleep in my bed because it's easier to nurse him that way. any suggestions

Answer 1

Check out the book "On Becoming Babywise" it is specifically tailored to breastfeeding moms who are training their children to sleep through the night (study shows that with the methods in the book 97% of babies are sleeping through the night at 12 weeks). Some key points:
*Make sure baby is getting a full feeding, not just snacking. A snacking baby is only getting formilk, not the more calorie rich hindmilk.
*Order your activities in this way--feeding, waketime, sleeping, don't let baby fall right to sleep after a feeding with the exception of late night feedings
*If baby wakes in the middle of the night, keep the light low, don't turn on the tv or radio, don't talk to baby, don't sing to baby. By keeping it a fairly neutral room it will not stimulate baby to think it is wake time.

Answer 2

I got a 6 month old right now that if I'm lucky wakes up twice in the night. He's waking up every 3-5 hours depending on his mood. No 2 babies are alike, so I've learned there is no "trick". The only thing you should try to do, and it takes about a week, is stick to a schedule. Whatever you make it to be.

I get home at 6, play with him for an hour, bathe hime, feed him and put him to bed arounf 8:30. He sleeps till midnight. I give him another bottle in his room, with the light off. He drinks that and goes straight to sleep. Again at around 5. He then is fully awake around 8am and eats around 10am.

Answer 3

Up until 6 months of age some babies still need the nutrition of night feedings. Having said that 4-5 times a night is a lot. I would feed the baby more frequently throughout the day, and not let him sleep more than 2 hours in a row during the day, so that he sleeps a longer stretch at night. Once he's 6 months of age you can try the crying it out method, or wahtever method you feel comfortable with.

Answer 4

This is a real tough one.I thought I was going crazy from sleep deprivation when mine were babies. If you're willing to stay awake for a few nights in a row, they say that the controlled crying method can work, if you're consistant. You need to have a really good night-time routine, wind-down time, warm bath, last feed and cuddle, then wrap (swaddle) anad put your baby to bed.
At that age they usually will wake for one feed. Dont talk to them during the night, dont put the light on, just feed, change if you need to, then wrap & straight back to bed. If they wont go to sleep, wait 2mins then go back, re-wrap and leave. Next time wait 4 mins, then 6 and so on. You need to be firm & consistent.
I read the book "The Baby Whisperer", written by a mid-wife from England, and found it really helpful.

Hope this helps............

Answer 5

Nurse and feed him more often during the day, say every 2-3hours. Let him take short daytime naps and play with him more often.

By night time, talk to him and tell him it's time for bed while changing into his pyjamas. Sleeping with him definitely helps too! It took me a few weeks to have this routine established. My baby is 3mths old and it works for us. He sleeps through from 10pm to 8am. All the best!

Answer 6

i asked the same question (same age baby too) and i got a great response. most babies 6 months old and younger wont sleep through the night. i hear all the time about my friends babies that do at 6 weeks but thats not good for them. its normal. we just accepted it and feed him at about 3 or 4 in the morning. we use rice formula which keeps him fuller but brest milk is easy to digest so he wants more faster. just keep doing what you are doing except i would suggest putting the baby bed in your room and letting him sleep in there. sleeping with you proally isnt helping, try feeding him right before you go to sleep, encourage him to eat more before bed, feed him more during the day, try rocking him to sleep instead of feeding him, decrese amount allowed at nighttime feedings, dont change a wet diaper (it is stimulating, just put a bigger diaper on at night usually you can just buy one small bag of the next size up and make it the bed time diaper), and thats all the advice i can offer, i hope it helps. be patient, he is just a baby.



be SURE to put baby powder on the butt so he isnt wet in the night. it helps

Answer 7

don't turn on the lights or carry him into a brightly lighted room. Make night feedings as boring as possible..lay him right back down after the feeding
try to make sleep routine

Answer 8

he is hungary !! im not sure why ? but i know in the us they do not feed there child until there 1 year old im not sure if you all do that or if its just some sorry if you allready are i dont mean to offend you :) but in the uk we do it from 4 months as long as the weight is fine my son slept thru from 4 months onwards the 1st night he slept thru was the night afer his first meal what was not milk tho he needed his milk still ! was great to sleep thru lol goodluck :)

Answer 9

I know this might sound crazy but at about 8pm at night I will do anything to keep my son awake at night! He gets so mad at me but I play and play with him till he is just exhausted! Then he usually goes to bed at about 10 or 11 and he sleeps through the night. Its hard to keep him awake but i know that he has to stay with his pattern he is on! I wish you the best of luck but just try this method maybe it will work! I wish you the best of luck!!

Answer 10

let them take naps during the day but not sleep all day....Its cruel and babies do need sleep but its a way to set their clock...during the day...let them see light also...good luck