English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

My son is 5-month old and wakes up every 3-4hrs to feed during the night. He was exclusively breast-fed until 4months. Since then his night feed has been formula and the last 2 weeks i have started introducing solids. He is a hungry baby and at 20wks weighed 20lb4oz. Doctors say he is a happy & content baby and just all over big. When he was 3months old he would sleep with only waking up once a night, then went through a face waking up every second hour and now every 3-4hrs. He will not go back to sleep unless he gets a feed. How can I teach him to only wake up once and eventually sleep through the night without using the cry it out method. I have tried to let him cry it out but it does not work during the night and just leaves the both of us very upset. I think he is genuinely hungry when he wakes up and after speaking to a doctor have tried to get him to eat more during the day but he still feeds every 3-4hrs through the clock. Any tips appreciated x

2007-01-26 20:16:06 · 19 answers · asked by Snowflake77 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting Newborn & Baby

19 answers

We used a book called "The contented little baby" cant remember the authur's name but she gives great instructions for structuring their feeds to incourage sleep.
Hope this helps.....
(Our son is now 61/2 months goes down at 7:00 wakes at ten for a feed then goes through to 7:00 the next morning, I cant reccomend this book highly enough....)

2007-01-26 20:21:21 · answer #1 · answered by legend 3 · 1 1

Unless you a get him to eat more during the day then there isnt a lot you can do, i agree the cry it out method wont work as he is waking because he is hungry. Can you increase the calories he gets in his daytime meals? Does he have the formula for hungry babies? these are packed with more calories too. I dont know what solids he gets but look at giving him more filling things and see if this works. Babies often go through growth spurts and eat like horses for a while so i reckon this will settle down. I bet next time he is weighed he has gained a lot. Good luck x

2007-01-26 20:59:18 · answer #2 · answered by British*Bird 5 · 0 0

It's good that you have her on a schedule during the day. How is her mood during the day? Are there times when she is a bit more fussy? She might require more sleep or to go to bed a bit earlier. I would start trying to wean her from the night feedings, try to soothe her by rubbing her back or use a pacifire- if you use one already. She may just want to suckle. Also, some babies at her age still have some jerking when they are sleeping and that can definitely be waking her. Just try and stick with your routine- during the day and your bedtime ritual, but also watch for clues during the day- maybe she needs more nap time, or she might be going through a growth spurt and require more to eat. I wouldn't do the cereal or the cry it out thing- just me, though.

2016-03-29 04:45:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

it's normal for him to be waking up every 3/4 hours. My son didn't sleep thru the night till 12 months and he was off the bottle. It didn't matter how much he ate thru the day. I would try to get him to eat a little more at the night time feeding and it never really worked. He was still waking up 2 times every night even at 11 months. The first year is just hard. When he is 12 months you will be able to get him off formula and taking regular milk. I gave my son a sippy cup around 11 months and took the bottle away at 12 months. I know it's hard but just hang in their.

2007-01-27 02:21:04 · answer #4 · answered by cinnycinda 4 · 0 0

The two things that i would always recommend to people is make sure your baby gets all the milk feeds during the day and do not let them sleep too long in the day. i always start the day at 7am and do feeds at 7, 10.45 - 11am, 14.30 & 18.15 after bathtime. I let my daughter sleep for 45mins max in the morning 9am ish and then 2 hrs max at lunchtime and then maybe half hour in the afternoon. This way your child is getting all the feeds in the day and is less likely to wake in the night. my daughter is 14wks old and i still get her up at 10.30pm for a couple of oz's but am thinking of dropping this feed soon. sometimes she wakes up briefly in the night but i do not go straight into her unless she cries for about 10 mins. normally she falls back to sleep on her own. I never use a dummy to settle her at night in the cot but do give it to her in the day. this way the baby is not waking up in the night looking for the dummy if it has fallen out and can settle themselves back to sleep. hope this helps

2007-01-29 09:09:37 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0 0

At 5mo & even with solids he probably still needs those feeds. My son has only just stopped feeding like that & he is 8mo. My midwife told me to keep feeding him until he is at least 6mo on demand. Try & let go of the pressure to have your son sleep all night as he won't until he is ready. Sometimes during growth spurts babies require extra, more constant feeds. Controlled crying would be the only option i've ever heard about to cut out the night time feeds. Just keep going & remember that they are not babies for long so this won't go on forever. Hope it doesn't go on for too much longer.

2007-01-26 20:49:00 · answer #6 · answered by Mishell 4 · 0 0

i have three children of my own and the way i was told to train them to go through the night was instead of giving feeds during the night give them a bottle of water it trains there tummies that they don't need food but they get the comfort of having a bottle eventually they realise that water isn't worth waking up for and so sleep through my newest baby is 16 weeks and this method has worked on him he is an 8 till 8 baby now x good luck i know its hard x

2007-01-26 21:31:42 · answer #7 · answered by samanthabailey01 2 · 0 0

quite a few years ago when i had my daughter she woke every 3/4 hrs until she was 8 months old(my mum said babies only wake if hungry,wet,full nappy or unwell)so please keep feed your son when he,s hungry . if you are hungry you can get your own
food he will settle down you have done a great job so far let a fried or family member help out if you can.(my daughter was a big baby at birth but as she started to go all night with out a fed she went to normal weight ,she is know a beautiful ,petite you lady ) so don,t dis-pair carry on the brilliant work you are doing h.t.h

2007-01-26 20:43:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

Try making the first bottle formula but after that just water. He is waking for the contact and cuddles but the milk is also a great bonus. Just give him a drink, in case he's thirsty, but not formula. Also try giving him it without all the soothing chat and kisses that usually accompany feeds. Put him straight down after he burps and walk away. Is he is his own room? If not thats a good idea to as you won't hear every little sound, and he won't hear you!

2007-01-26 20:29:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

My son did the same and there was nothing to do till he was about 7months.
All we did was like you doctor said, ensure he eats well during the day. We also started getting him to sleep later at night. So rather than 20:00, he goes to bed at about 22:00. Just before going to bed we give him milk and his dummy. So far, he doesn't wake up through the night now (as long as the dummy remains in his mouth). He sleeps till about 5/6am when he give him another bottle of milk and he goes back to bed. He is 8months now.

2007-01-26 20:25:07 · answer #10 · answered by Cherchez LaGhost 2 · 1 0

fedest.com, questions and answers