How can I get my 6 week old baby to sleep through the majority of the night?

Question

On most occasions, he's sleeping great during the night and few times out the week, he wakes up. I have no problem with him waking up but what can help him get back to sleep.

Answer 1

Your baby isnt ready to sleep through the night.......
Here is a link to Dr. Sears
31 ways to get your baby to sleep and stay asleep longer

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp

Answer 2

There are a few things to consider.

First... On the nights he is waking is he sleeping more in the day? I understand you have a six week baby and how will you ever get him to stay awake LOL... Just play with play peek a boo etc...

Secondly, Is baby waking because he is hungry? make sure he eats very well before going to bed.

Try giving him warm baths and warm milk before bed. He will soon learn to associate this as bed time. Keep things calm. You can also put some baby mozart music very low in the background.

Try to make sure he is warm all night and not moonlight is peeking in his room at night as the light could be waking him.

In the evening when he wakes up try not turning on a lot of lights and making eye contact with him... Very hard I know but, he will begin to associate this as bedtime. Keep things calm and whisper to him if you must to assure him he is safe. When you get up to feed or change him in the evenings move slow be calm... Try rocking him only near bed time.

You are doing everything right! Generally, babies do not sleep throught the night until they are older.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

My daughter is the same way. She'll sleep great some nights and I mean GREAT. She'll sleep from about 8 pm until about 6 pm. Then there are times when she'll wake up during the night and now want to go back to sleep. What I do is I just change her, feed her and as soon as I see her eyes getting drowsy, I wrap her up in a blanket and put her to bed. She also uses a pacifier and that works too. And she also has one of those ocean wonders musical things which helps put her to bed.

All babies are different though. Good luck, it's tough at times!!! :)

Answer 4

You are very fortunate that he is sleeping through the night most times. I can't remember what the magic weight was that we used to say--10 or 12 pounds--but I don't know if it had any basis in fact. Though it may be an indication that the child's stomach has grown enough to hold enough to tide them over until the a.m. I know peds are saying no solid foods for many more months, but we used to give a little rice cereal mixed with breast milk or formula at that 9 or 11 o'clock feeding. Time will fly and before long he will be sleeping though the night. Congrats and good luck.

Answer 5

Try and get hold of the book SILENT NIGHTS this is called the bible among my friends. It has some great tips and the theory behind them. But it all comes down to how much sleep bub gets through the day and keeping the same routine when putting bub to bed at night. But don't worry if this doesn't happen for a while my bub didn't sleep through the night till 2 1/2 mths. All bubs are different..... But I really do recommend the book!

Answer 6

Your baby should be waking up every few hours at this age, and sleeping through the night at 6 weeks is a rare exception, not the norm. In fact, our doctor told us a baby at 6 weeks still needs to feed during the night as they do not have the capability to store enough food for a full night's sleep at 6 weeks.

Please take a look at this guide. It offers a lot of information about baby sleeping habits at various ages.

http://www.babycenter.com/general/3657.html

Answer 7

If you're a stay-at-home mom or still on maternity leave, sleep when the baby is sleeping. This will enable you to get the needed rest throughout the day so you won't be too tired at night, if your baby stays awake. All babies are different - some will sleep through the night while others won't. And even if they do, it's only temporary as babies change their sleep patterns as they get older.

Answer 8

It's normal for him to wake up every 2 to 3 hours to eat. Try rocking, singing, or walking with him. Now if you get him back to sleep the hard thing might be for you to go back to sleep. This was always my problem but try to sleep when he sleeps...like naps etc. You'll feel better. Whatever you do don't start giving him cereal till he's about 4 months. It would probably make his tummy hurt. His tummy isn't mature enough for solids and cannot digest it properly. And you certainly don't want that! Take it from me!

Answer 9

There's a reason for him to wake up in the night. The most common ones are that he is hungry or wet. Even will a baby that if fed formula wakes up during the night.

Answer 10

Six weeks is too early to sleep through the night, unless he takes formula. Breastfed baby's should nurse about every 4 hours at night. And after nursing or bottle feeding it should make him sleepy and fall right back to sleep. Good luck!

Answer 11

I have never tried this one yet as i dont have any baby but my friend told me that when she was little, her mother used to feed her before her bedtime until she's full and let her sleep. after that, if she wakes up at night, her mother will give her plain water and let her sleep again. after some time, she will not wake up at night anymore because it is alleged that the then baby friend subconciously know that plain water isnt worth waking up for. lol.
anyway, i'd like to try this when i had my own baby.