I have a 5 month old who still refuses to sleep through the night. He's up at least once, sometimes 2 or 3 times a night. I'm at my wits end. I have tried everything and don't know what to do to try to get him to sleep longer. I'm falling asleep at work and it's not good. Oh and I'm a single mother by the way so I don't have his father around to pick up some of the slack. Any suggestions anyone has would be soooo helpful and definitely appreciated. ↓
Hi Aurora23. I wish I had some great advice for you, but unfortunately my 8 month old is still not sleeping through the night! My hubby works 3rd shift so it is also just me! My son wakes up at least once but lately about 5 times a night! Last week he slept 2 nights in a row of 7 hours---but I just knew it wouldnt last. I have tried just about everything too with no luck so I will be keeping an eye on this question. You are not alone-I feel your pain! I usually nap with my son after work though so that helps! ↑
What is your son's feeding schedule? Is he on formula or breastmilk? How much is he eating per feeding? When he wakes, are you feeding him? We have two children. Our daughter who will be three in February slept through the night from 5 weeks. Our son who is 12 weeks, has slept throught the night since 7 weeks. Nathan is formula fed, and so was Madalyn. Nate eats about 6 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day. I make sure to keep him awake as much as possible during the day, and I keep him up after his second to last feeding at night, to ensure he is really tired. I put him down between 9:30 and 11pm and he sleeps until between 7-8am. I think keeping him up is what helped me establish this routine early on. We did the same thing with our daughter. I do let him sleep during the day, but when I see his eyes open, I play with him to keep him up. When he gets fussy I let him sleep. I don't know for sure if what we are doing has influenced sleep patterns, or if it would have been this way regardless. Maybe we just got luck with two great sleepers? ↑
Ds1 (now 19 months old) started sleeping through at 11 weeks (11-7am). Ds2 (now 4 months old) started sleeping through (11-6:30am) at about 13 weeks. Ds2 is in bed by 7-7:30am and then gets a dream feed at 11pm. He sleeps until about 6:30am. I had both of them on a feding routine by the time they were 7 weeks old. I think the key is to get them to drink (or eat) enough during the day that they are nice and full at night. Unlike mjvdec01 instead of keeping my son up until 11pm for a feed I use the dream feed and that way get 3-4hrs to myself every night once both kids are in bed. A good book to read is "The Baby Whisperer (3rd Ed)" Good luck. ↑
--Disclaimer: Every baby is different.-- MY kid started sleeping 12 hours through the night at eight weeks. We focused on full feedings every 3 hours. No longer than three hours no matter what. But, no sooner than 2 and a half hours, unless she was obviously hungry. I am not irrational. I noticed it helps to have her nap before each feeding because if she was awake she tends to fuss as we approach 3 hours, but if she was asleep she would be unconsious so no fussing. This is during the day. Now in the evening I keep her up only 2 hours before bedtime and I feed her at 6 ( a full feeding) and again at 8 (whatever she can eat then it's bedtime). I don't let her nap longer than 2 hours at a time during the day. IMO routine is key and if they can get enough calories during the day they should not have to wake up at night. So bulk them up during the day. I also think it is a common misconception that the more they eat at their last feeding the longer they will sleep. Well, that theory was blown so many times in our house. But, I noticed (I keep detailed journals) that the more she eats cumulativley during the day correlated with how long she was sleeping during the night. ↑
I don't know what kind of nap schedule you have going, but at 5 months, they should take a nap from 9-10, another from 12-2 and maybe a nap at 4-5pm and go to bed by 7pm. This is just a suggested schedule. I have found that this schedule works GREAT! If you make sure they are up by 7am and eating this works nicely. My dd didn't have any routine at all and at 5 months I had gone bonkers. We started scheduling her feed/nap times and letting her CIO at night. The dr told us that she had plenty of fat and that she didn't NEED teh calories at night anymore. We started with the 4am feed, then killed the 1am and then the 10pm one. It took about a month but then she was going to bed at 7pm and getting up at 7am. Give or take a bit. then, my SON was a perfect sleeper. I started a lot earlier with a routine and at ONE WEEK he was only getting up once at night, at 3am. At two months he started to skip the 3am and would sleep from 10-7. At 3 months, he started sleeping all night 7pm -7am, no feeds. Granted he's had a head start on the weight - he was almost 10lbs at birth and is probably 19 pounds now at almost 4 months. :) Again, every kid is different but it really really worked for us. I had a nightmare child with my first up until we started working on a routine - and we did let her CIO after 6 months when the dr said she'd be fine. We started by just checking on her when she fussed and not feeding her. It really didn't take long. You might have a couple rough nights but it is worth it. :) ↑
ok, so to answer some questions... Just recently at his 4month check up (which he was actually 5 months) the doctor told me I was feeding him too much and that I had to cut back, so he has about 5 bottles throughout the day and night with baby food here and there and also some juice. As for naps, my babysitter tells me that he only sleeps about 20 minutes at a time about twice a day so he should be plenty tired at night. Then I've just recently started to just rock him back to sleep when he gets up in the night if it's more than once. It's been working for that second time he gets up. I keep telling my friends that he's gonna be 18 and yelling to me to get him some food in the middle of the night! lol ↑
Aurora-I am in the same boat but I have twins and they are 8 months. Boy and Girl. They wake up at least 3 to 4 times a night. My twins have never slept a complete night. I have not slept a complete night since I was 3 or 4 months preggo. Oh, how I wish I could sleep at least 4 or 5 good hours non-stop. Someone told me to replace the formula with water at night... This worked for her daughter... I tried it one night (part of the night) and after finding out it was water my twins went back to sleep and woke up 2 hours later. What if I continue having water in the bottle. I know that its moreso a habit and not hunger. I have got to become more stronger and consisitent with my twins. Aurora, we can't let our kids become 18yrs old and still doing this. ↑
In my experience with my 3 kids..the more sleep they got the better they sleep at night. I do have to say that my oldest 2 didn't sleep throught the night until they were 22 months old but as DDT pointed out..read the baby whisperer. I did with #3 and my ds has mostly slept through the night since 8 weeks. Expect your normal interupptions during grow spurts and teething time but sticking to a schedule will help as well. Also I have found that if your baby can self soothe, they are more apt to sleep through the night then if they depend on you for soothing them back to sleep and I know when you are working you will do anything to make them sleep. Good luck..I hope you can get him to sleep. ↑
I would actually read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" - it's a great book on naps and sleep habits. You need to get him to sleep more during the day. If they aren't getting enough sleep, it's harder to sleep. Sounds weird I know but there's some reason for it. Two 20 minute naps isn't sufficient for a 5 month old - they need at least 2 naps - one in the morning, one mid day and maybe one late afternoon. 3-4 hours a day and an early bed time. My dd would not take naps when she was small and like I said before, at 5 months I was about to lose my mind. We finally started having her cry more and really working on WHEN she went to sleep. It's harder to get kids to sleep out of sync with their natural cycle. Anyways...read the book if you can, it's really helpful. ↑
you poor thing ;(
ok, so I can only tell you our story, don't know if it's something you've already tried...my baby is only 8 weeks and is sleeping 8 hours straight without a peep. she'll then wake for a bottle around 7am, and then go back down until at least 9am. all we did was go from no swaddling to swaddling. well, we use this thing called the "cozy cocoon". we started swaddling casey when we came home from the hospital, but she'd always get out of it, she could even get her arms out of the swaddleme, and forget about a blanket with no velcro. so un-swaddled, casey was waking up every 2-3 hours for a bottle. then when she was about 5 weeks old, I was talking to a friend who said her baby never woke up in the middle of the night to eat, even from day one, and she said she swaddled her from the beginning and told me I should just try it again. so I hated the swaddleme's, and I went on amazon and found this thing called the cozy cocoon, it's like a sleeping bag/sock and they can move around in it but it's still similiar to swaddling. the FIRST night she wore it she went from sleeping 2-3 hours to sleeping 6 straight. this was 2 weeks ago and it's only getting better. it's all b/c of the cocoon for us!! I'm worried about transitioning her out of it though, the largest size only goes to about 17 lbs and my casey was born 10lbs, and is about 13 now at 2 months!! good luck :) ↑
I agree with gabbysally going from no swaddling to swaddling is what worked for us. It also helps our little one sleep or nap better during the day. The better she sleeps during the day the better she sleeps at night. I find the ones that fasten shut the best otherwise she wrestles herself free and wakens. ↑
Found these tips online and they seem straight forward and sensible. Thought I would share tehm (though I'm sure like me you have heard them all before)
1. Maintain a consistent bedtime and awaking time. Your child’s biological clock has a strong influence on her wakefulness and sleepiness. When you establish a set time for bedtime and wake up time you “set” your child’s clock so that it functions smoothly.
Aim for an early bedtime. Young children respond best with a bedtime between 6:30 and 7:30 P.M. Most children will sleep better and longer when they go to bed early.
2. Encourage regular daily naps. Daily naps are important. An energetic child can find it difficult to go through the day without a rest break. A nap-less child will often wake up cheerful and become progressively fussier or hyper-alert as the day goes on. Also, the length and quality of naps affects night sleep – good naps equal better night sleep.
3. Set your child’s biological clock. Take advantage of your child’s biology so that he’s actually tired when bedtime arrives. Darkness causes an increase in the release of the body’s sleep hormone -- the biological “stop” button. You can align your child’s sleepiness with bedtime by dimming the lights during the hour before bedtime.
Exposing your child to morning light is pushing the “go” button in her brain — one that says, “Time to wake up and be active.” So keep your mornings bright!
4. Develop a consistent bedtime routine. Routines create security. A consistent, peaceful bedtime routine allows your child to transition from the motion of the day to the tranquil state of sleep.
An organized routine helps you coordinate the specifics: bath, pajamas, tooth-brushing. It helps you to function on auto-pilot at the time when you are most tired and least creative.
5. Create a cozy sleep environment. Where your child sleeps can be a key to quality sleep. Make certain the mattress is comfortable, the blankets are warm, the room temperature is right, pajamas are comfy, and the bedroom is welcoming.
6. Provide the right nutrition. Foods can affect energy level and sleepiness. Carbohydrates can have a calming effect on the body, while foods high in protein or sugar generate alertness, particularly when eaten alone. A few ideas for pre-bed snacks are: whole wheat toast and cheese, bagel and peanut butter, oatmeal with bananas, or yogurt and low-sugar granola.
Vitamin deficiencies due to unhealthy food choices can affect a child’s sleep. Provide your child with a daily assortment of healthy foods.
7. Help your child to be healthy and fit. Many children don’t get enough daily physical activity. Too much TV watching and a lack of activity prevents good sleep. Children who get ample daily exercise fall asleep more quickly, sleep better, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed.
Avoid activity in the hour before bedtime though, since exercise is stimulating – they’ll be jumping on the bed instead of sleeping in it!
8. Teach your child how to relax. Many children get in bed but aren’t sure what to do when they get there! It can help to follow a soothing pre-bed routine that creates sleepiness. A good pre-bed ritual is story time. A child who is listening to a parent read a book or tell a tale will tend to lie still and listen. This quiet stillness allows him to become sleepy.
Work with these eight ideas and you’ll see improvements in your child’s sleep, and yours too. ↑
