i have a 5 and a half month old baby boy, just wonderin wen this wakin in the nite stops im wrecked.

Amanda - posted on 10/17/2009

I can't believe that someone advised you to add butter, I asked my mid wife and she said that you should not introduce dairy products till twelve months. You have a beautiful baby that you should love and cheerish. Just think of those parents who loose their babies during the night to cot death. Being a parent is worth every late night :)

Jill - posted on 10/17/2009

Hate to tell you this but I've got a 2 1/2 year old and she STILL wakes every night...... Having NO SLEEP comes naturally now.... I have a constant headache from the lack of sleep or is that just from my nagging boyfriend ...lol. My mum said I was 3 yrs old before I started sleeping through.

Good Luck Jill

Anjuli - posted on 10/16/2009

i did cry it out at 6 months.It was very hard but sooooooooooo worth it it the long run

Marjene - posted on 10/16/2009

Well, if you breastfeed they may not sleep through the night till after a year especially if you you co-sleep. It is happening with my sister in law. They co-sleep, her daughter is 16 months old and just wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse for comfort. If your baby sleeps in the same room as you, you may want to make the move to a crib in the other room and do the cry it out routine.

Lynn - posted on 10/16/2009

try the whole bedtime bath stuff and lotion routine! it really works, we have a 2 1/2 month old and she has been sleeping 8-9 hours every night since she was a month and a half! We started with a bath at the same time every night and the johnson's bedtime bath stuff and it is awesome!!!!!

Elizabeth - posted on 10/16/2009

My twins are 4 1/2 months old. At 3 months they slept 10 hours a night for about 2-3 weeks, then they went back to waking up around 3 or 4 every night. Some nights they will fall back to sleep on their own if i don't go to them right away. If not I try to give them their pacifier, sometimes that works. I have read that they don't need a feeding at this age, but sometimes it is the only thing that will get them to go back to sleep. . The past 3 nights they have slept through. They keep going back and forth. It is frustrating, but hang in there. Your little one will figure it out soon.

Robyn - posted on 10/16/2009

and PS- you do NOT need to let them cry it out. I tried and it didn't work after 4 nights was enough torture for the both of us. Everyone has there own opinions that worked for their baby...but every baby is different and the same methods do not work on every baby.

Robyn - posted on 10/16/2009

My daughter slept did not sleep through the night til she was almost a year! I tried various methods that other people have recommended. We have always had a structured bedtime, same time, same way every night. In my opinion, your kiddo will sleep through the night when they are ready. My sister has a 6 1/2 mos old and same thing...he still wakes 3-5x a night yet. And he eats ALOT during the day he is over 20lbs! Some babes need more comfort at night than others. But it will get better and will not last forever although it seems like now is forever! (hugs)

Dinamarie - posted on 10/16/2009

OK I can definitely help you out with this one.. I am 26 years old, i have no husband and im a single mom so i feel your pain when you need some sleep.. my son is only 2 months old an he sleeps through the entire night.. the trick is to feed him as much as he can eat during the day ok.. than right before you want to put him down for the night say around 9 or 10 give him a bath with johnson and johnsons lavander bath.. the purple bottle... than cloth him whatever and give him his last bottle for the night.. put him down to bed and keep in on this same schedule for a week or more until he gets the hang of it... but when he whines in the night time.. unless he is screaming in pain or seriously hungry dont pick him up... he will have you wrapped around your finger... your a mom you can definitely differenciate a cry of pain or hunger and a whine just to be held lol...=] good luck and im telling you it works magic.. also the best thing to have it is god sent to me is the cradle swing my little lamb... i noticed babies lovee to be cradled from side to side.. good luck leanne

Dinamarie - posted on 10/16/2009

OK I can definitely help you out with this one.. I am 26 years old, i have no husband and im a single mom so i feel your pain when you need some sleep.. my son is only 2 months old an he sleeps through the entire night.. the trick is to feed him as much as he can eat during the day ok.. than right before you want to put him down for the night say around 9 or 10 give him a bath with johnson and johnsons lavander bath.. the purple bottle... than cloth him whatever and give him his last bottle for the night.. put him down to bed and keep in on this same schedule for a week or more until he gets the hang of it... but when he whines in the night time.. unless he is screaming in pain or seriously hungry dont pick him up... he will have you wrapped around your finger... your a mom you can definitely differenciate a cry of pain or hunger and a whine just to be held lol...=] good luck and im telling you it works magic.. also the best thing to have it is god sent to me is the cradle swing my little lamb... i noticed babies lovee to be cradled from side to side.. good luck leanne

Dinamarie - posted on 10/16/2009

OK I can definitely help you out with this one.. I am 26 years old, i have no husband and im a single mom so i feel your pain when you need some sleep.. my son is only 2 months old an he sleeps through the entire night.. the trick is to feed him as much as he can eat during the day ok.. than right before you want to put him down for the night say around 9 or 10 give him a bath with johnson and johnsons lavander bath.. the purple bottle... than cloth him whatever and give him his last bottle for the night.. put him down to bed and keep in on this same schedule for a week or more until he gets the hang of it... but when he whines in the night time.. unless he is screaming in pain or seriously hungry dont pick him up... he will have you wrapped around your finger... your a mom you can definitely differenciate a cry of pain or hunger and a whine just to be held lol...=] good luck and im telling you it works magic.. also the best thing to have it is god sent to me is the cradle swing my little lamb... i noticed babies lovee to be cradled from side to side.. good luck leanne

Christa - posted on 10/16/2009

I second that! My son is 19 weeks old, still wakes every 3-4 hours to eat and then goes right back to sleep. Does that from 7p-7a regularly. He took a bottle great for the first two months but has refused it since. Of course my daughter, who is now 3, was sleeping through the night by the time she was 12 weeks old, and there was no crying it out, it was just on her own! Every baby is different, and of all of my friends with kids, the ones with boys all say the same thing, they take longer to sleep through the night, even up to a year or more. It seems like I've read every book out there, Baby Wise, Healthy Habits Happy Children, The Baby Book, Baby 411, anything I could get my hands on. And what I took from everything, is go with your gut, you know your kid the best. Cry it out if you feel that is for you, or just hang in there for the night feedings. Trust me, I feel your exhaustion! But these baby years will be over sooner than you think and you will miss all the precious quiet cuddle moments.

Dinamarie - posted on 10/16/2009

OK I can definitely help you out with this one.. I am 26 years old, i have no husband and im a single mom so i feel your pain when you need some sleep.. my son is only 2 months old an he sleeps through the entire night.. the trick is to feed him as much as he can eat during the day ok.. than right before you want to put him down for the night say around 9 or 10 give him a bath with johnson and johnsons lavander bath.. the purple bottle... than cloth him whatever and give him his last bottle for the night.. put him down to bed and keep in on this same schedule for a week or more until he gets the hang of it... but when he whines in the night time.. unless he is screaming in pain or seriously hungry dont pick him up... he will have you wrapped around your finger... your a mom you can definitely differenciate a cry of pain or hunger and a whine just to be held lol...=] good luck and im telling you it works magic.. also the best thing to have it is god sent to me is the cradle swing my little lamb... i noticed babies lovee to be cradled from side to side.. good luck leanne

Jamey - posted on 10/16/2009

It is still quite normal for the baby to wake in the night especially at that age and especially if you are breastfeeding. My daughter is 5 months old and she typically sleeps about 6 hrs through at night. Usually once they get to a certain weight (I think >15 lbs) before they start sleeping all night. Good luck and hang in there girl! It wont be like this forever. And they are only little once.

Lois - posted on 10/16/2009

After about 5-6 months I think they are waking for a cuddle/comfort feed rather than because it is a genuine nutritional requirement. Friends of mine have had good successes with switching to just water when feeding them in the middle of the night and making sure they don't get too much positive reinforcement that it's ok to wake in the night. If you give lots of cuddles they will just keep doing it. Try the water and let them cry it out for a few nights, things should start to come right. Make sure that they are getting enough daytime nutrition - have you started solids yet? I hope this helps.

Lou - posted on 10/16/2009

My first child slept through from 8 weeks so naively I was expecting the same again when my second was born - silly mistake! I got so tired I was even tempted to start reading books on sleep therapy, when she just decided after she turned 6 months (literally days after) that sleeping through was a good idea. I hope your little champ does the same.

Sophie - posted on 10/16/2009

Well I did not have time to explain how I trained my son to sleep and I did not do it in a cruel way but thanks for your concern. I spent a long time talking about the cry it out method on another thread and I think that some versions of that method could be considered cruel. But when a child is only unhappy about something and not wailing screaming and crying I think it is not going to hurt them plus when you are there with them just teaching them not to be let out of the crib then they can learn slowly from it instead of feeling abandoned. But eventually I let him go five minutes between hugs and then ten when he got used to that and eventually he would not cry at all. So everyone's child is different. But as far as co-sleeping do it if you feel comfortable with it and if you are worried about the baby being alone in the other room. Also the video monitors help a lot to transition into the crib because you can see them. My son is a light sleeper so checking on him would often wake him. The video monitor did wonders!



P.S. When co sleeping I always kept my arm raped uder and around my son to keep myself from being able to roll over and to keep him close to me so my husband could not smuther him either. It is something to think about just make sure you co sleep in a safe manner! But trust me your sleep will be half as satisfying.

Ree - posted on 10/16/2009

my son Jonavin who just turned 5 months old has been sleeping from 10:30pm till 11a since he was about 3 and half months old. At first I was worried but I asked his grandmother and she said it was fine.

Tara - posted on 10/16/2009

I have a 4 years old daughter and a 2 month old baby boy. My 4 years old just started sleeping through the night and I tried the letting them cry thing it didn't work for me it was that she couldn't breath. Her tonsils were to big for her and she couldn't breath around them. So there could be more then just waking up just to eat going on.

Lou - posted on 10/16/2009

My first child slept through from 8 weeks so naively I was expecting the same again when my second was born - silly mistake! I got so tired I was even tempted to start reading books on sleep therapy, when she just decided after she turned 6 months (literally days after) that sleeping through was a good idea. I hope your little champ does the same.

Leanne - posted on 10/16/2009

I just wanted to say.. I feel for you! Every baby is different.. my son just turned 1 and still wakes during the night.. Good luck!

Langlie - posted on 10/16/2009

the trick is for them not to wake you when they get up...we invested in a baby hammock and put a nightlight up high on wall as a focal point up high for the baby to stare at...worked wonders for us!!!! Good Luck…

Sarah - posted on 10/16/2009

I've read through almost all of these comments, and I think the consensus is pretty obvious: all babies are different. Some sleep through the night from the beginning (lucky mothers); others take years. No matter what your pediatrician, or girlfriends, or mothers, or books tell you, there is no simple "solution" that will work for every baby. And "crying it out" is considered in most childcare circles -- and certainly to this attachment-parenting mama -- to be harmful.

My son is almost 9 months old and still wakes up twice during the night, even though we have a solid bedtime routine that never wavers (dinner, walk, bath, nursing, bed). It really sucks, as I have been working full time since he was 3 months old, but I just remind myself it's not forever, and I make sure to go to bed early whenever I can and take naps on weekends. Recently, my husband and I have started alternating nights so that at least one of us gets a good night's sleep every other night. Our son is still breastfeed, so this means that Dad still has to bring him in to me to nurse, but not having to get out of bed myself really helps.

That said, I know lots of moms with babies who sleep through the night from three months on, but they are lucky and they know it. I just don't think its at all realistic to expect to sleep through the night during a baby's first year. That's just motherhood, or didn't anyone tell you?

Isabella - posted on 10/16/2009

I have a five and half month old baby boy and he started sleeping through the night from 8pm until 7am at 4 months old. He slept through the night for a solid month every single night. It happened all of a sudden, he just stopped waking up for a middle of the night feeding. This week though, he has had two nights where he has woken up once during the night. He is getting 3 teeth in, so he has been uncomfortable and has also had very dirty diapers when he has woken up - so I couldn't just let him cry it out. I think when your baby is ready he/she will start to sleep through the night. I am sure the introduction of rice cereal will help too - I have yet to do that, he is exclusively breastfed at the moment.

Denise - posted on 10/16/2009

What are the babies sleep habits? This is what my husband and I did for our twins (They are now 19 and we survuved)

You have to stick with this and if you are having someone watch your son while you are at work, you must insist this be done.



We never put the boys done for a nap after 1 PM - the later youput them down for a nap, the longer it will take for them to fall asleep. Our routine was this -

Breakfast, play, nap until 10 or 11:00, lunch, short nap, up no later than 1 or 1:30, play, snacks, play, dinner, relax, bath, bed. When we followed this, they hardly ever work up in the middle of the night unless they were wet or sick.



We fired a babysitter after we told her repeatedly not to let them sleep past 1 or 1:30 - everytime we'd pick them up at 5:30 - THEY WERE STILL SLEEPING and of course, then they would not sleep the rest of the night.



Don't play with them just before bedtime, that gets them all excited and they will not want to sleep.



Also, if you are married or living with someone, take turns getting up. This is also a good bonding thing for the dad. It's not just your responsibility to get up every night.



Good luck!

Julie - posted on 10/16/2009

Quoting leanne:

i have a 5 and a half month old baby boy, just wonderin wen this wakin in the nite stops im wrecked.

i need some sleep dont you?

Hi my baby boy has been sleeping through the night since he was 4months i started to give him a rusk(by spoonfeed) that helped him so why not try that its an idea x

Jessica - posted on 10/16/2009

Are you nursing him? Is he in his own room? If your nursing him I was told he might keep waking up till I'm done nursing him (meaning once a night). My youngest is the same age and still doesnt sleep through the night, but i nurse him and his crib is in our room. I think I have only gotten 3 nights of great sleep (11pm to 5am no waking up). Good Luck Leanne!

Gina - posted on 10/16/2009

they can start sleeping thru the nyt at any age my son has been sleeping thru the nyt since 8weeks and a mate of mine is 7months and still doesn't sleep thru

SARA - posted on 10/16/2009

In my experience they often do need feeds in the night until about six months and from my experience in the child health arena it is normal to still wake at night until the age of three, but this is not common. My baby had feeds in the night until 7.5 months it just all depends, its what works for you and your baby.

Nicola - posted on 10/16/2009

ive got a 2 year old girl, and 2 and a half month old boy, im potty training my little girl at min shes doing so well. and ive been up early hours with my boy and ive been so wrecked with triedness!!

Vanessa - posted on 10/16/2009

Hi, i have a 9 & a half year old girl & she still wakes up in the night, my 6 year old was 15 months before she slept through the night & she still got up now & again. It will happen, don't worry to much, he is still very young. :) Good luck.

Marie - posted on 10/16/2009

Leanne, there are already some great responses to your topic and if you look most of the mums new or not tell you the same thing. Let him cry it out. My mum had four children and she came over when I had my daughter in May 2000. I was breastfeeding on a 4 hour basis and I was NOT to deviate from that routine until she was sleeping through the night. At about 6 weeks old she started wanting feeding more often and especially at night. My mum told me to let her cry it out. On the first night, it took 48 minutes (and believe me it's the hardest thing to hear your baby cry for that long for any mother but I stuck with it), the second night she took 25 minutes and the third night she went completely through the night from 9pm to 8am!!! As some of the mums below's responses, the more you go to them and pick them up and check up on them it's a game for them and the more attention you give them the more they'll ask for it!! my daughter was 6 weeks old when she started going through the night with my mum's advice to do what they call "control crying" when you let them cry it out. Mum always says, if she's dry, warm and fed then there's nothing else but attention she will want and you shouldnt give in that easily otherwise she'll carry on......one last thing that really worked for me in the months that followed.....again a tip from my mum.....if you hear crying when she or he's not supposed to be crying late at night or during the night the best thing is to go to the door but not open it....just by hearing you she or he'll stop crying as she or he knows you're there but then will realise you're not going to break.....I had to do that a lot sometimes, 3 or 4 times in the late evening and she used to drop off eventually and go straight through til sometimes 10am!!! Good luck with everything and dont give up

Briony - posted on 10/16/2009

Babies don't just wake for food, often they need to feel that they are not alone and need comfort. I don't think that you need to be so drastic as to just let your baby cry himself to sleep. Do you remember as a child being sad and lonely and no one coming when you cried? It doesn't make for a confident, independent child. There is a compromise. Sleep training is exactly that. You wouldn't wake up one morning and decide to run a marathon that day, neither should you put you baba into bed and decide that tonight you won't go to him at all-I think that is cruel. Start by replacing milk bottle/breast feeding with water feeds and not all the feeds to start with, so if you have been feeding 4 times a night, cut that to twice-please ensure that your baby is drinking enough during the day though. If he refuses to settle, go back in and rub his back trying to avoid eye-contact and talking. Leave the room for NO MORE than 30 seconds at a time-this is a recommendation by the american assoc of paeds! This time can be gradually increased. Over time you can decrease the number of milk feeds to nothing once he is 6 months old provided he is gaining weight and eating solids. Try to see this as a process rather than a quick fix and remember that babies really aren't supposed to sleep all night long every night. Those babies that do are the exception and their mommies should feel blessed but you shouldn't feel cursed. If this sleep training doesn't work-and all babies are different so it may not, try to focus on how special that quiet alone time is for the 2 of you and how your soothing presence is all he wants and know that it won't last forever.

Salena - posted on 10/15/2009

It varies. My son was four months old when he began sleeping through the night. He is now six months and so far is keeping with this schedule.

Sophie - posted on 10/15/2009

I switched to co sleeping and we would both nurse to sleep lol, then the cry it out method eventually when we were both ready. Just lie down let them nurse then give a big hug while you roll over to switch sides :)

Heather - posted on 10/15/2009

Quoting Jenifer:

There are always exceptions to the rules. But most babies do sleep better when they get more and longer naps. The hard part is figuring out what works and what doesn't with your particular baby.

i agree. the pediatrician/sleep expert in the book "healthy sleep habits, happy child" says "sleep begets sleep."  my 16 week old daughter sleeps better at night if she gets plenty of naps.   she only wakes up to eat once per night.  if she has a day where she gets really stimulated (new activity or new environment), she may sleep the whole night without waking up!

Chrissy - posted on 10/15/2009

I guess it might also help that I stick to a routine and every night she has a bath, a bottle, and then sits with her big sister (5 years old) and we all read a book together. Then she goes to bed.

Jacqueline - posted on 10/15/2009

My son is 18mths and he still occassionally gets up but he only really started sleeping through at about 15mths! It's different with every child, some babies sleep right through from a very early age.... lucky mums!

Chrissy - posted on 10/15/2009

My daughter is just over 5 months now but she has always been a good sleeper. When we brought her home she was breast feeding and would wake up twice at night once around midnight and then around 3 am for a feeding (she would go to sleep around 8pm). Then about 3 weeks old I had to start using formula as well, and she started only waking up around 2 am. Then around 4 or 5 weeks old I couldn't supply enough breast milk so I had to start to use just formula, and she slept all the way through the night, from 8pm till about 6 - 7 am. And we weren't worried about her weight gain. During the day she would drink a 4oz bottle every 2-3 hours. And my daughter had slept in her own crib, in her own room, since she came home at 1 day old. Don't know if that has anything to do with it either.
Oh, and I have talked to a lot of moms and it seems the babies that sleep better at night are the formula fed babies. Most breast fed babies seem to need more through the night.

Lisa - posted on 10/15/2009

My son is 4 and Im still waiting.. :) Teasing.. A nice lavender bedtime bath worked sometimes for mine also adding formula in addition to the last nursing around 11 pm.

Josephine - posted on 10/15/2009

It will be different for every child. I do not agree with "letting them cry it out" as babies, we are trying to teach our children that when they need us, we will be there, and we should. We should not teach our children that when they are hungry, lonely, scared, or dirty, that sometimes we are not going to respond.

My daughter slept through the night at 2 months old, my 9 year old was nearly 2. Sorry.. Could be any time now or a year down the road.

Jessica - posted on 10/15/2009

I have four kids and none of mine wanted to do it on their own, so by about 5 months with all of them they were getting enogh durring the day, so I let them cry it out. It takes about two nights of laying there and just listening to them do this....by the third night their waking habbit is broken:)....hope that helps. Good luck.

Christina - posted on 10/15/2009

My baby stopped waking up at night at 6mos when her appetite increased and she ate more food, but she is 9mos now & has been waking up again once or twice a night for about a month now! I only work part-time, so it doesn't bother me as it would if I were a full-time worker, plus I started taking Trivita Super B12 every other day and working out at the gym, which have increased my energy level. I want her to start sleeping thru the night again but am not too worried about it, bc once more teeth come in and she can start filling up on more food, she will probably start sleeping thru the night again! This is just a temporary phase in the joys of motherhood, and keeping my energy level high enough to be there when she and the rest of my family need me are important to me!

Michelle - posted on 10/15/2009

My daughter waked every 2 hours until I figured out that she was claustrophobic. At 8 months old I put in my king size bed and she slept the entire night. It was heaven!!!!

Kimberly - posted on 10/15/2009

My son did not sleep thru the night till he was 4 1/2 years old. He wasn't fussy but after a couple hours was ready to be awake. There were times he would wake up 10 times a night or just a couple but would stay awake for 1-2 hours. He is now 19 years of age and would love to just have one sleepless night to hold him in my arms. You will get thru it and you will look back and smile in remembrance of those nights. Okay, so I only had one...what does that tell you, couldn't do it again. And no the making him cry it out did not work for us.

Suzanne - posted on 10/15/2009

Fortunately for me my angel has been sleeping through the night since she was about 2 1/2 months old. I read the book 'Sleep Right Sleep Tight' and followed their advice. A friend of mine didn't realise until her 1st was about 12 months that they weren't supposed to have a feed in the middle of the night when her doctor told her. The doctor told her to give the baby water when he woke and he would slowly think 'stuff this, I'm not getting up for water'. Good luck :)

Delia - posted on 10/15/2009

Is he breast or formula feed? My son is formula feed for his last feeding and he normally sleeps from 8:30pm to 6:30am. Some babies take longer then others.

Good luck!

Chantal - posted on 10/15/2009

Also i found the book "The no cry sleep solution" was fantastic, it helped me out ALOT

Chantal - posted on 10/15/2009

Hi Leanne, is your son on solids? as i found my son was waking until i started solids and always give him a bottle before bed and i found that filled him up, now he is sleeping from 6pm to 7am

Vicky - posted on 10/15/2009

It never really stops, sorry to say. I have a 9 month old and he wakes up maybe once a night. He use to wake up 3-4x at night. Have your read the book "the no-cry sleep solution" by Elizabeth Pantley? it help me like i said he only wakes up once. he goes down at 830pm wakes up at 11 then sleeps till 6. My sister has 3 kids 7,5, 2.5 and the youngest still wakes up from time to time. She tells me "WELCOME TO MOTHERHOOD!". i said great didnt know i was signing up for this lol :)