Help!! How do I get my 7 week old to sleep through the night?

Monica - posted on 12/02/2011

The weight of the baby is a huge factor into how long they can physically sleep before needing to eat. You should not restrict an infant's intake (< 6 months old) nor should you give rice cereal. I have a sleep resistor in my 3 month old and she does best being swaddled and prefers to sleep next to me. My son was swaddled as well, but slept in his own crib....started sleeping through the night between 2 and 3 months. A lot of good advice here, keep it dark and quiet at night, feed quickly and go back to sleep. Your little one will be sleeping through the night before you know it.

Sammy - posted on 10/05/2009

Please do not put rice in his bottle! There is no nutritional value in it and it takes up room in his tiny belly that he needs for the milk (that has nutrition), the rice cereal is too 'chunky' for his oesophagus so there is a risk that he may choke.



My daughter is now 11 weeks old and up until she was 7 weeks she slept on my chest (i was proped up with pillows), otherwise she would only sleep for half an hour. I slowly started to move her next to me in the bed, and then with my hand on her belly..now she sleeps happily next to me and sleeps anywhere from 3-6hrs!



It will only take afew more weeks, just hang in there hun!

Camika - posted on 10/05/2009

Well you said you tryed cereal in his milk so the next thing i can think of to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night is the position that he sleeps at night although they recommend that you not lay the baby on their bellies sometimes that is al you can do but do it with caution make sure the shit on the mattress fit snuggly and there is nothing in the way of his face do not wrap him with his blankets and NO pillows. Some times they like to feel as if they are still in the mother wombs and some of their positions are tummy to tummy and they like that feeling or how you layed at night they would fall on that side of your belly and get comfortable there..let me know how that works out for you

Kristi - posted on 10/05/2009

My doctor told me to put a teaspoon of rice for every 2 oz and she was 6 weeks. Now I will tell you that I do that and she still wakes up at least once a night to eat and she is 11 weeks old now and 9lbs. I don't think the rice really helps them sleep longer. How much does your baby weigh? I have a niece who is a week older than my daughter, weighs 3 pounds more and she sleeps 9 hours at a time. My little one would probably still eat every 3 hours at night if I would let her. But I only feed her once during the night. My first born was also about 12 pounds by now and she was sleeping through the night. If he is still a tiny thing than his body might not be ready.



I just reread your post and it just says that he is awake until 4 or 5. Is he fussy? He might be sleeping to much during the day. I also had this problem with my baby but like my mother always told me "Never wake a sleeping baby" So I would let her sleep as much as she needed. Thankfully she grew out of it and now takes about 3 naps a day but she is still up at night to eat but after I feed her she goes back to sleep. I don't know what you can do to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night...

KAREN - posted on 10/05/2009

Quoting Nicole:

Help!! How do I get my 7 week old to sleep through the night?

My 7 week old son does not sleep at night. He wakes up around midnight every night and stays awake until 4 or 5 am. I tried to giving him a bath, giving him rice in his bottle at night. Does anyone know how to get my 7 week old to sleep through the night? Please help...

I would persevere for a few more weeks. I think around 12 weeks they seem to start sleeping longer if they are in a routine & well fed during the day. My son fed every 3 hours & by 12 weeks slept from 7.30pm to around 6.30am. All babies are differant but you will get there.

Jasmina - posted on 10/05/2009

Dear Nicole,



I was in this "movie" one year ago :) First...no one can give you the right receipt as to how to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night..Only you can do is to -use to it ! believe me...I have tried everything, and everything and everything..

It's probably that the baby have a colic -if he cry at night- but if he is just wake , maybe the little one just want to be in the middle of your world :)

Try to not talk to him when he is awake..if you talk and play with him.. he will think that it's time for talking and cuddling. Just give him his bottle and stay quiet..

And don't let him to have a very frequent naps over the day..more sleep at day, less at night...

Goog luck :)

Natasha - posted on 10/05/2009

I would suggest you try getting him used to laying in his cot alone and awake during the day. This is so that at night time he is able to self soothe himself back to sleep without you having to do it for him. He will probably still need a feed during the night he is still very young to sleep through. My son was 11 weeks when he started sleeping through but i have heard even that is very young. Also when you do wake up to feed him try to keep the lighting very dim if possible and do not talk or play with your son. this will make him start to realize that there is a difference between day and night and that he just needs to go back to sleep. All the best figuring out how to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night! hopefully you will be getting a good nights sleep soon! :) Congrats on your little man by the way!

Toni - posted on 10/05/2009

Girl what i did put some ceral in a bottle that has been cut just a little and let him eat he crying cause he cant stay full that what i did with all my kids and they grew up fine the doctor say not to but it wont hurt him i promise i started my last son which is one now on it after 4 weeks old and he slept thur the night that what i did good luck

Minnie - posted on 10/05/2009

Quoting Nicole:

the only way he will sleep more than 2 hours is if he is on me..not the most comfortable way to sleep..

And yet, infants are biologically designed to sleep this way.  How about propping yourself with a few pillows so you can get into a comfortable position with him on you?

Lauren - posted on 10/05/2009

At 7 weeks you shouldn't be giving your baby rice...especially in a bottle. He is only 7 weeks old you can't really expect him to sleep through the night just yet. My daughter is 5 months old and she still wakes once in the night as she is hungry. Has he always been awake in the night or has it only been last week or so. Between around 6-8weeks babys tend to have a growth spurt. Around this time my daughter decided to sleep all day and be awake all night, thankfully after a few weeks she went back to sleeping at night time.

If you try a nice relaxing bath quite late at night say around 9, then feed him and then keep him in his room (or yours if he sleeps in it) keep the lights off and only have a lamp on, give him a cuddle and then lay him in his cot. No matter how many times he wakes up or if he doesnt go back to sleep leave him in the room and don't put any lights on so you can try and teach him night and day. Most babys won't sleep through the night till they at least doubled there birth weight.

Having little or no sleep is just something us mums have to put up with for awhile!

Julia - posted on 10/05/2009

It is possible for a 7 week old baby to sleep 7-8 hours straight through the night...and to do this you need a healthy baby and a routine during the day. I would suggest the Babywise books...I used their methods and my babies slept through the night one at 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 10 weeks of age...It also depends on the weight of the baby...my smallest baby took the longest to sleep through.



All the best!...it is possible to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night!

Nicole - posted on 10/05/2009

the only way he will sleep more than 2 hours is if he is on me..not the most comfortable way to sleep..

Brenda - posted on 10/05/2009

Rice isn't going to change sleeping habits and may make things worse because it can cause discomfort from constipation. If you can keep the lights off, do so. I got a little night light at Walmart that you can carry around. It is normal for them to not sleep all night, most babies don't sleep more than four to five hours, which is good because the frequent waking reduces risk of SIDS. Mostly, right now you have a growth period on your hand. Will he sleep if you try cosleeping with him in your bed or on the floor? See attachmentparenting.org for safe cosleeping instructions if you try to do this, however. My five month old will only sleep with me, and only when nursed to sleep. My older son would only sleep if he was put to sleep with a bottle.

Elena - posted on 10/05/2009

As well as everything already mentioned on how to get a 7 week old to sleep through the night, when a baby gets to around 2-3 months that is when they that differentiating between daytime - playtime and nighttime - sleep time (even though they may continue getting up for a couple of feeds throughout the night for some time) We found having a clear indictaion of whether it was day or night really helped our little man start setting a pattern when he got up in the morning curtains were open, talking, lots of playing etc but at night after he had been put to bed feed in a quiet dark room no talking cuddle and back to bed hope this makes sense and helps :0)

Shelly - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter didnt start sleeping through the night until about 7 or 8 weeks, I tried the infant massage, the Johnsons and Johnsons bed time bath. Baby swings are a wonderful invention as well.

Melony - posted on 10/05/2009

Hay hun, I agree with Tess, this is just a grin an bear it stage, he will settle into a set routine within the next few months. He is stil VERY small. :-)) Good luck and God Bless!

Tess - posted on 10/05/2009

i have a 11 mth old and from my experience and from what ive heard from doctors, ngala and specialists, babys dont start sleeping through the night till there a few months older. my daughter was up every 2-3hrs for the first couple of mths then she slowley started sleeping through the night( not until she was like 7 mths though). now she goes down anywhere between 6 and 8pm and wakes up around 4am for a bottle then goes down till 6-7am. sounds like your doing everything you can. maybe try calling ngala and see if they cant give you any other pointers.....

Andrea - posted on 10/05/2009

hi, Try just letting him play in his cot. unless he is crying then feed him and putting him straight back to bed if you can feed him in the dark (no TV) do so and also keep him nice and warm while you do it.

Camika - posted on 10/05/2009

Well you said you tryed cereal in his milk so the next thing i can think of to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night is the position that he sleeps at night although they recommend that you not lay the baby on their bellies sometimes that is al you can do but do it with caution make sure the shit on the mattress fit snuggly and there is nothing in the way of his face do not wrap him with his blankets and NO pillows. Some times they like to feel as if they are still in the mother wombs and some of their positions are tummy to tummy and they like that feeling or how you layed at night they would fall on that side of your belly and get comfortable there..let me know how that works out for you

Kristi - posted on 10/05/2009

My doctor told me to put a teaspoon of rice for every 2 oz and she was 6 weeks. Now I will tell you that I do that and she still wakes up at least once a night to eat and she is 11 weeks old now and 9lbs. I don't think the rice really helps them sleep longer. How much does your baby weigh? I have a niece who is a week older than my daughter, weighs 3 pounds more and she sleeps 9 hours at a time. My little one would probably still eat every 3 hours at night if I would let her. But I only feed her once during the night. My first born was also about 12 pounds by now and she was sleeping through the night. If he is still a tiny thing than his body might not be ready.



I just reread your post and it just says that he is awake until 4 or 5. Is he fussy? He might be sleeping to much during the day. I also had this problem with my baby but like my mother always told me "Never wake a sleeping baby" So I would let her sleep as much as she needed. Thankfully she grew out of it and now takes about 3 naps a day but she is still up at night to eat but after I feed her she goes back to sleep. I don't know what you can do to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night...

KAREN - posted on 10/05/2009

Quoting Nicole:

Help!! How do I get my 7 week old to sleep through the night?

My 7 week old son does not sleep at night. He wakes up around midnight every night and stays awake until 4 or 5 am. I tried to giving him a bath, giving him rice in his bottle at night. Does anyone know how to get my 7 week old to sleep through the night? Please help...

I would persevere for a few more weeks. I think around 12 weeks they seem to start sleeping longer if they are in a routine & well fed during the day. My son fed every 3 hours & by 12 weeks slept from 7.30pm to around 6.30am. All babies are differant but you will get there.

Jasmina - posted on 10/05/2009

Dear Nicole,



I was in this "movie" one year ago :) First...no one can give you the right receipt as to how to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night..Only you can do is to -use to it ! believe me...I have tried everything, and everything and everything..

It's probably that the baby have a colic -if he cry at night- but if he is just wake , maybe the little one just want to be in the middle of your world :)

Try to not talk to him when he is awake..if you talk and play with him.. he will think that it's time for talking and cuddling. Just give him his bottle and stay quiet..

And don't let him to have a very frequent naps over the day..more sleep at day, less at night...

Goog luck :)

Natasha - posted on 10/05/2009

I would suggest you try getting him used to laying in his cot alone and awake during the day. This is so that at night time he is able to self soothe himself back to sleep without you having to do it for him. He will probably still need a feed during the night he is still very young to sleep through. My son was 11 weeks when he started sleeping through but i have heard even that is very young. Also when you do wake up to feed him try to keep the lighting very dim if possible and do not talk or play with your son. this will make him start to realize that there is a difference between day and night and that he just needs to go back to sleep. All the best figuring out how to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night! hopefully you will be getting a good nights sleep soon! :) Congrats on your little man by the way!

Julia - posted on 10/05/2009

It is possible for a 7 week old baby to sleep 7-8 hours straight through the night...and to do this you need a healthy baby and a routine during the day. I would suggest the Babywise books...I used their methods and my babies slept through the night one at 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 10 weeks of age...It also depends on the weight of the baby...my smallest baby took the longest to sleep through.



All the best!...it is possible to get your 7 week old to sleep through the night!

Elena - posted on 10/05/2009

As well as everything already mentioned on how to get a 7 week old to sleep through the night, when a baby gets to around 2-3 months that is when they that differentiating between daytime - playtime and nighttime - sleep time (even though they may continue getting up for a couple of feeds throughout the night for some time) We found having a clear indictaion of whether it was day or night really helped our little man start setting a pattern when he got up in the morning curtains were open, talking, lots of playing etc but at night after he had been put to bed feed in a quiet dark room no talking cuddle and back to bed hope this makes sense and helps :0)

Shelly - posted on 10/05/2009

My daughter didnt start sleeping through the night until about 7 or 8 weeks, I tried the infant massage, the Johnsons and Johnsons bed time bath. Baby swings are a wonderful invention as well.