Sleeping routine

Marina - posted on 12/08/2009

I did what the girls recomended, not to go in when Anika wakes up at night...and it WORKED!!! Finally almost a year later bub sleeps through the night from 8pm to 8am, not even waking up at night for a feed anymore. So I can relax and get a good rest myself:0) Thanks again everyone and good luck!!!x0

Liz - posted on 12/06/2009

Night-time routines are a personal family choice. My son started sleeping through from 7 weeks, but then fell out of routine when we moved countries and I started picking him up when he cried to avoid upsetting the relatives we were staying with. As he is breast fed, these wakings would often result in a quick feed as well as a cuddle before returning him to his own cot.

I let this go on even after we moved in to our own flat, and it wasn't until he was nearly 9 months old before I realised that neither I or my partner were getting adequate sleep (and at that age healthy babies simply don't need to feed during the night). I took some advice from my health visitor, and the first step was to drop the 11pm feed (assuming bed time of approx 7pm); he took to this quickly. The harder feed to break was the 3/4am timeslot - which resulted in a good many nights of letting him cry it out (within reason).

Babies are smart, and it only took a few weeks to iron out all the problems; he now goes to bed around 6.30/7pm and sleeps until approximately 6.30am. He is also able to put himself back to sleep again. That said, it was very hard for a few of those nights when he was howling for a feed and a cuddle - it's not for everyone. Also, choose your time to try a change in sleeping routine carefully, best to avoid if your babe is teething or sickly with a flu etc. You and your baby deserve a good night's sleep, good luck!

Robyn - posted on 12/06/2009

my little girl is the same way. Wakes at least once in night and needs the bottle to sleep. She can soothe herself back to sleep, if she doesn't see me in the room.

Becky - posted on 12/05/2009

That sounds just like my little guy! I have decided lately to not go in unless he cries for more than 5 min. and usually he falls back to sleep on his own. I do feed him at 5am and then he will sleep till 6-7 and lays in bed will us until 7-8am. From 7-10 months he didn't need to eat from 8pm-8am, but then that stopped and I'm not sure if he needs it or not. I think 9 hours without food is pretty long as it is since he eats a little right before bed at 8pm. I'm just glad he goes back to sleep after the feed at 5am.

Ally - posted on 12/04/2009

Mine does the same thing... sleeps soundly but needs a bottle at least once during the night. I put him to bed around 7, he wakes at 12 or so (usually soaking wet... so I change him), give him a bottle and he goes to sleep. It has been this way since he was born...
Actually it's kind of a problem, he can't go to sleep without a bottle!
What to do?

Marina - posted on 11/30/2009

Thank you all ladies!!! Tips are really helpfull=D

Mindy - posted on 11/28/2009

Ya i was gonna say the same thing as the other ladies. My daughter was waking also in the middle of the night until she was 6 months old..shed wake everynight at 4am for a feeding..so we decided one day to stop the middle of the night feedings and see how it went..,the first 7 days was rough, shed cry for maybe an hour, then pass back out..but after a week, she just stopped waking in the middle of the night wanting to be fed..i guess at that point she realized we werent coming into the room or feeding her...now if she wakes she just messes with her blanket and never cried and passes back out within 15 min

Sophia - posted on 11/25/2009

I would suggest to stop the night feedings. she doesnt need it. that is most likely why she is waking b/ c she knows you will come. If you dont want to let cry, go in and reassure her back to sleep. she may cry when you leave but it is ok. babies have to learn how to put themselves to sleep and if she is doing that at midnight then she knows how. have a bedtime routine before bed. ours is bath, snack,, story, rock, bed. whatever you do stick with it everything takes time :)

Ariane - posted on 11/23/2009

As long as you continue to feed her when she wakes, she is likely to keep waking for it. This of course, is just one opinion. My son knows that when he wakes that we will just go in, reassure him and leave again. So he goes straight back to sleep. If it's not worth waking up for - they generally wont :)



Also does your baby have a daytime routine - that can really help. We put our son to bed at 7 but he wakes early - 5.30. Can't have it all! Saying that, he sleeps through. What ever you decide, be consistent and be prepared to keep up the strategy that you decide on ie not feed, not pick up etc.



I wasn't comfortable with control crying so I would help him off to sleep then slowly weaned him by patting him to sleep without getting him out of the cot. Noe when he cries we wait a little to see if he goes back to sleep.



All the best. I think you are on the right track with the routine. Just need to decide if it's the right routine:)