How can i get my 11wk old girl to sleep longer than 5hrs at night before waking up

Jodi - posted on 10/28/2009

Ladies, please keep it civil, or I will have to close the thread. It would be appreciated if you could keep the discussion to the topic at hand.



Thank you

Jodi Adams

CoM Moderator.

Valentina - posted on 10/27/2009

I think you have read toooooooooooo many parenting magazines and are speaking for them. My "pediatrician" says you can put a baby in a seperate room, and let them cry after a month. Now he is an awsome doctor and I will not go by what a magazine states. My doctor says its ok, my daughters have no issue and never have, they are not insecure, they both sleep in there own room, and both are healthy, loved and just fine. I guess we beat "your statistics" but thanks anyways for the advise/opinion. But by the way the postings where not for me, I didn't ask for the help. Give it to someone who ask for it, don't go offering them if you are not asked. What would it be like if everyone went around telling each other what they thought of there beliefs and opinions. The world would be Crazy with people like you. So please Shhhhhhhhh.................... I don't need it. Thanks Anyways!

Katherine - posted on 10/27/2009

Quoting Casey:

How can i get my 11wk old girl to sleep longer than 5hrs at night before waking up

Seriously!!!????  11 weeks and you want her to sleep more than 5 hours?  At that age they wake up every 2-3 hours to eat!!!  My 7 month old still gets up 2-3 times a night.  If I had 5 consecutive hours of sleep it would be bliss.  That is normal for a newborn to wake up, abnormal to sleep 5 hours in my humble opinion.  You are very lucky.

Sarah - posted on 10/27/2009

You have a right to your opinion Valentina, but I am also stating the most medical doctors will agree that you cannot "spoil" a baby under 6 months. In the first 6 months of life, babies learn to find security in their surroundings. If you do not attend to their needs, they will learn to not cry, simply because they know their crying will not have their needs met. They learn to give up voicing their needs. It can lead to insecurity. I am not implying that you do not love your babies, but perhaps you do not know very much about child psychology. The early months are vital to fostering healthy emotional attachments. Babies are meant to cry, this is how they communicate. Imagine how you would voice your needs if you could not speak. Having said this - who said babies don't need attention? Is companionship not a need? Do you ever feel lonely? I picked up my son and attended to his needs every time he cried. The result? He rarely cries for long because he knows his needs will be met. He is healthy, well adjusted, happy, and secure in his world. He sleeps through the night since about 6 months, in a crib in his room. We have no problems getting him to fall asleep, no crying or rocking him to sleep. He knows that we will be there for him when he wakes up. My post to the original is to relate that babies that are that young are not meant to sleep through the night. By suggesting that she let her NEWBORN cry it out IS bad advice. It is suggesting that she ignore her child's needs.

Valentina - posted on 10/24/2009

Sorry Sarah but this is your opinion, you are speaking of kids that have no love or anyone in there families. If your kids go to bed on an empty belly of course they will cry, but if your babies are clean, bathed, in good temperature, there is something called spoiled or "use to peoples arms" This is what most newborns to youngs babies go though. Now if the baby has all the needs and you are going to run because it cries you end up with spoiled babies. I on the other hand make SURE my girls have exactly what they need and if I know there is nothing wrong then they will cry. It is human nature to ask "cry" for attentions, it up to those who want to let this control them. My girls are VERY well behaved LOVED babies, I just know my methods, now you can use yours I am not judging or commenting on what you believe is right. I believe I have that right too.

Diana - posted on 10/24/2009

Sleeping 5 hours at 11 weeks is awesome! I know you're tired, but hang in there-soon enough she will be sleeping through the night. Until then, though-if you don't think she's actually hungry when she wakes up, try a pacifier. If she is, try feeding her in the dark with as little disturbance and noise as possible so that she won't wake up fully and will recognize that it's still time to sleep and go back to bed. Try a routine of bathing then relaxing and then bedtime. Most importantly though, as I said already-just bear with her. Many babies don't even sleep for a 5 hour stretch by 11 weeks-so she's already ahead of the curve. My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 5 months old-and for the first 3 months, I was pumping milk every 3 hours to feed him, as he was a preemie and never would latch properly-so I know how exhausting it can be. It is, however, important to make sure she's getting all the nutrition she needs, and I don't think she can be manipulative at this point. For yourself, try getting back to sleep as soon as you're done feeding her, and if you're able to, nap during the day while she naps. Good luck!

Becky - posted on 10/24/2009

Sleep was a big issue for me! when my son was 11 weeks he was still sleeping for only 2 hours at a time. I read the book "The 90 minute Baby sleep program" by Dr Polly Moore saved my sanity. After about two weeks of implementing the program discussed in the book (goes with all parenting styles crying it out or not) he was sleeping for 6 hours at a time and at 9 months he is doing 7:30 to 6:30 and has a total of 4 hours nap time during the day. This book really saved my sanity. P.S It is a myth that breastfed babies do not sleep through the night simply because they are breastfed, my friends baby was breastfed and slept for 7 hour stretches starting at 10 weeks. Remember every baby is completely different and sleep varies. Good luck let us know how you make out :)

Jody - posted on 10/24/2009

I've heard that 5 hours is sleeping through the night for infants. Our son never strung together more than 3 hours or so.

Ann - posted on 10/24/2009

Co-sleeping? Don't forget that radiation thing...and you and your child need to know you have separate beds....I used to bring the baby in bed with me to nurse, then once they're asleep, put them back into THEIR bed.

Lydia - posted on 10/24/2009

At that age my LO slept for 6hrs and i would consider that a fullnights sleep (I slept for longer periods before child but I think for alot of mums 5/6 hours in one hit is considered a damn good run. The good news is that she will probably start sleeping longer soon enough without much help at all :)

Ann - posted on 10/24/2009

In my day, 5 hours straight thru was great!
Your babes days are very short, the older they get, the more they change, and sleep longer....enjoy the "baby stage" is what I'm trying to get at...
And just enjoy the fact you have a healthy baby!!!!

Claudia - posted on 10/23/2009

By the time my son was 11wks he was sleeping in his crib all night everyonce in a while he would wake up for a feeding...but by then I had stopped breast feeding. What works great is a warm bath, soothing lotion and feeding..that was our routine now he doesnt need his feeding before bed time anymore and he is going on 6 months next week. We have also from the day we put him in his crib played classical music, his favorite is from Baby Einsteins...when I forget to turn on the CD he starts humming/singing till I turn it on for him.
Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Tamara - posted on 10/23/2009

You don't. 5 hours is a GREAT stretch for a child that age. She'll sleep longer when she's physically ready to do so. You can't force these things.



ETA: I noticed you said that your LO sleeps in a crib. If you can, would it be possible to try cosleeping so you both can get more sleep and she can still nurse at night?

Sarah - posted on 10/23/2009

By the way, Valentina, it is not that the babies begin to associate daytime with feeding and night without feeds. It is that you are teaching your baby that you will not answer them when they cry and they learn to give up. Babies in orphanages rarely cry because no one answers them, it does not mean that they aren't hungry, they just don't feel secure enough in their world to let their needs known. Babies cry to voice their needs, it is a paren't responsibility to answer them.

Sarah - posted on 10/23/2009

You absolutely should NOT do baby cereal in a bottle. Baby's that young have immature digestive systems and this can cause problems with their body. And cereal should also not be given in a bottle. It can choke the baby and sit some extra sugar on her budding teeth and gums. Babies that age have very small stomachs (about the size of a large walnut or small plum). They empty quickly, especially if breastfed, and need to be refilled. Babies that age simply are not meant to go a long time without feeding. Do not fret, she's doing just fine and will space out her night feeds when she gets a little bit older.

Valentina - posted on 10/23/2009

I think the baby cereal method will only work for a while, then she gets use to the cereal and wants it and wakes up because it will last only so long and she will want more later on.

Valentina - posted on 10/23/2009

Have you heard of the book/"Method" Baby Wise, its been talked about alot but I can say it worked for me. I have a 2 girls oldest is 2 and the youngest is 1. The book teaches you a method and explains it throughly, some people say its "cruel" or not neccesary. But I say read it, make your own decisions and apply as YOU like. I don't do everything word by word but I can say the "45 minute" intruder method WORKS. With both of my girls it has worked, basically it states that you MUST let them cry for nights at a time. Give the baby its bottle, let him/her have its ''AWAKE" time and then put her in her crib tell her its time to go to bed (Night-night time) and leave the room. She is old and big enough, she will cry and then fall asleep. This will get her in a routine, it took my girls roughly 5 nights, the first night was bad I tought I was going to die but after that it got much easier. TRY IT AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! GOOD LUCK

Christy - posted on 10/23/2009

Quoting Casey:

thanks everyone :) she's breastfed and usually has a feed at 9ish and is asleep by 9.30 and wakes at 2-3am. Have tried putting her in her cot while awake and she cries for a long time so can only put her in her bed once asleep. will try your ideas :)

Yea unfortunatly you may have to stick it out a little while longer until she is able to have larger feedings.  Until then try a good bedtime ritual that includes a bathtime.  Trust me all us mothers have been there, and I know it is not fun.  My oldest son adapted quicker to sleeping through the night than my youngest.  Newborns biological ques for sleep take some time to get in place.  There circadian rhythms are off and take time to realign with the rest of the world.

Christy - posted on 10/23/2009

Quoting Lauren:

Routine seems to work best - I had my third baby sleeping through (7pm to 6am) sporadically from 4 weeks and fully from 8 weeks. Fully breast fed with no supplements.
Try a warm bath and a massage so they are relaxed before dressing them and giving them their final feed and tucking them into bed. I always go in and give them a slumber feed at around 10 before I go to bed ( they barely wake up for it) just to make sure they are nice and full and then don't hear from them again till morning

Lauren I fully agree, that is my best advice that routine always works best.  Just like with adults, we get our best quality sleep with good sleep hygeine and a good sleep/wake schedule.  Baby's need those same patterns too.  I always did the night time baths to help soothe and relax them before bed as well, always works great!

Neicy - posted on 10/22/2009

old school remedy. a little baby cereal just a spoonful of baby cereal in a bowl with the milk u give ur babymis it up not too thick though, then feed her with a baby spoon. please do not put the cereal in the bottle, that gives them a lot of gas. give the child the rest of the bottle of milk, and she will sleep a lot longer. only give the cereal right before u put her down 4 bed. make sure she burps b4 going off 2 sleep. gl and let me know how u make out.

Casey - posted on 10/22/2009

thanks everyone :) she's breastfed and usually has a feed at 9ish and is asleep by 9.30 and wakes at 2-3am. Have tried putting her in her cot while awake and she cries for a long time so can only put her in her bed once asleep. will try your ideas :)

Ariel - posted on 10/22/2009

I agree with a lot of these posts that 5 hours is pretty good for an 11 week old baby. I wasn't able to change my daughter's sleep habits until she was four months when she didn't need to eat when she woke and we did cry it out. Sorry this doesn't give any advice on getting your baby to sleep longer but hopefully it makes you feel better that your baby is doing well for her age.

Beth - posted on 10/22/2009

Trust me, I understand that you want to sleep, but 5 hours is a long time for an 11 week old baby. Try not to compare your baby to others who say their babies were perfect and sleeping through the night right away. My son didn't start sleeping through the night until he was 11 months old. Trust me I tried everything, and I felt like a bad mother for a while. But I've learned that every child is different and sure there are things you can do to try to help them to sleep, but also accept the fact that some babies just want to be awake and learn all they can all the time.

Shaina - posted on 10/22/2009

Don't give the baby cereal, especially in a bottle. And, honestly, as a mom to 3 children under 4 years old, I think you should just be thankful your 2 1/2 month old is sleeping in such a long stretch and enjoy it.

Briteeyes - posted on 10/22/2009

Give the baby a warm bottle and a warm bath befor bed.

Melissa - posted on 10/22/2009

Here's what we did with my second daughter and she slept through the night almost immediately. First during the day open all the curtains, make it very light and don't let her sleep except for one nap a day which should be about 2 hours in length. If you have to wake her. Just before bed give her a warm bath and wrap her good and tight and feed her a bottle. You could put rice in it if you want as it'll take longer for her to digest. Then put her to bed and cross your fingers. My oldest started this schedule around 2 months and she had a harder time sleeping through the night but she did sleep a lot longer between waking up. My youngest started this schedule from the time we brought her home from the hospital and she did so well, she slept through the entire night almost right away.

Georgie - posted on 10/22/2009

She's only 11 weeks. Give her time. Lots of babies won't sleep through til even 6 months or later.

Cereal before 4 months can damage their digestive system as they are still developing. That's why doctors say no!

I recommend the Gina Ford book too. My daughter is 9 months and sleeps 7 to 7. Other mums at my mum's group also read this book and their babies sleep well too,.

Jewel - posted on 10/22/2009

She is still young and learning a routine, but fix a night time bottle and give it to her before her bed time and add 1/2 baby spoon of cereal and see how she likes that. You can add more once you see how she adjusts to it and make sure that it is rice cereal, its light and easier to mix. Then as she grown, increase sometimes like my kids, a plain bottle just isnt going to do. My daughter was drinking 6 oz when we left the hospital so I added cereal early. You know your baby!

Kaye - posted on 10/22/2009

Hi So many different ideas how do you choose?? I cluster fed my babies 5pm 6pm 7.30pm ish and put to bed for the night, to tank them up for the night. This might take a few days to get the milk to come in at these times but you will produce more milk the more you feed. Other friends have done the slimber / dream feed with success.

Maxine - posted on 10/22/2009

What time is she going down for her 5 hours? I think that's pretty good going for an 11 week old... but if she is going down for her sleep early then I have to agree with Lauren, a late slumber feed works well :-)

Kerryann - posted on 10/22/2009

When my daughter was your daughters age i tried everythin to get her to sleep all the way through the night i put her on formula for hungry babys and everything but nothing worked she finaly started to sleep through the nite when she was about 8/9 months old. i was a very tired mom as i was getting up every 3 hours at the time. sorry if this doesn't help even if they r in a good routine they will still wake up it just depends on the baby. She 2 now and shes starting to wake up during the night again (to play) but she does go back to sleep again well adventually

Lauren - posted on 10/22/2009

Routine seems to work best - I had my third baby sleeping through (7pm to 6am) sporadically from 4 weeks and fully from 8 weeks. Fully breast fed with no supplements.
Try a warm bath and a massage so they are relaxed before dressing them and giving them their final feed and tucking them into bed. I always go in and give them a slumber feed at around 10 before I go to bed ( they barely wake up for it) just to make sure they are nice and full and then don't hear from them again till morning

Sarah - posted on 10/22/2009

dunno about the cereal i heard not to do that as its not good for ur lil one and ur doc and hv will tell u this especially if ur lo is only 11 wks old they should only be having milk u can always put ur baby on a formula for hungry babies if this is the problem but i would def leave off the cereal if it where me

Candace - posted on 10/22/2009

I love cereal!!!!! It works wonders, the baths didnt do to much for my little one, but eventually I had to put more than a tablespoon of cereal...my son is a chuncky one, but i just made it a little thicker it help a lot...your doc will say no but just use your best judgement

Sarah - posted on 10/22/2009

firstly are u bottle feeding or breast feeding your baby? if u are breast feeding unfortunately breast milk doesn't fill ur baby up quite as much as bottle feeding does although breast feeding is healthier.

2ndly have u tried to establish a good bedtime routine? i started bathing my daughter before her last bottle from about 6 weeks onwards and this really helped her to start to sleep through the night. i bathe her then dry and dress her in a dimly lit room and then give her a nice warm bottle of milk and she usually falls asleep during her bottle if not i tuck her into her cot and give her a kiss goodnight and her dummy and let her fall asleep on her own. she now sleeps 12 hrs a night at 7 months old and has slept for at least 7-8 hrs a night since about 8 wks old. i hope this is some help to u i kno how bad lack of sleep effects me. good luck :) xx

Gia - posted on 10/22/2009

Hi! Have a look at Gina Ford's book called The Contented Baby. It is a wonderful way of helping set a routine in so that baby is awake and eats more during the day, thus needing to eat less and sleep more at night. She has a group on FB too - just do a search for Gina Ford.

Good luck! My little one is 8 weeks old, and it is awesome!

Brittany - posted on 10/22/2009

try putting a table spoon of ceareal in the bottle and a warm bath befor bed helps