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

Ann Marie - posted on 10/13/2009

Babies will sleep all night with the following conditions:

1. They are full and burped well.
2. They have enough fat content in the food to extend the digestive time.
3. Little or no distractions in the crib.
4. Low or no light in the bedroom.
5. Sufficient warmth.

My first slept all night at 9 days. The one that took the longest was one of my preemies (9th child) who was almost seven weeks when he got home. He slept all night at ten weeks.

If you are bottle feeding, add one teaspoon of unsalted butter and one tablespoon of cereal (rice is best) to the bedtime bottle to satisfy #1 and 2.

If you are breastfeeding, wait a little longer before the last feeding by doing the bath/bed routine before the last nursing. The routine will stave off the crankiness by filling it with a tiring and relaxing activity. Offer the breast one last time after burping. The baby may take a few more ounces this way.

Take the toys out of the bed. Babies squirm around and when they bump into things it wakes them up. A mobile and one soft animal is sufficient.

Light should be low (if any) and 1. blue or 2. yellow...not white. A nightlight is enough if it is at least 8 feet from the bed and below the level of the mattress.

Baby should be dressed warmly enough not to need a blanket. He is well past swaddling and will sleep better if able to sprawl.

You should be getting at least eight hours out of him now and as many as twelve at one time. Adjust his nap so that it begins and ends earlier. This will make him more tired when it is time to go to bed for the night.

Best of luck!
Ann Marie

Heather - posted on 10/13/2009

Everyone keeps saying cry it out, but that doesn't always work. I have 2 boys and my first one responded very well to the CIO method, it only took a few days and he went to slep on his own all night after that. With my second, he didn't sleep through the night until he was almost 12 months old, and it was not for lack of trying! CIO did not work on this kid, he would literally scream for hours and hours if you let him. It just depends on your child. You know what's best for them and although CIO is tough, it usually works. But you have to be the judge when it's crossed the line from helping them learn to sleep through the night to just plain ineffective and not beneficial to either of you.

Ashley - posted on 10/13/2009

My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 21 months old! good luck lol.



Edit: CIO is a bad idea... it doesn't teach a baby to sleep, it teaches them that NO ONE IS COMING, they don't know why, they feel they need you, and you don't care... don't resort to that... it's damaging for a child.

Jacqueline - posted on 10/13/2009

breastfed babies will wake up trough the night longer my daughter kept waking up trough the night till around 12 months she is now 20 months old. i perosnally don't fallow the cry it out method and she learned to sleep trough the night just fine so did my other two who are 11 and 8 years old

Deneva - posted on 10/13/2009

I'm a mom of 5 daughters and 2 sons ages 28-15 yrs. The best advise I can give you is what most other moms have said. Try a little cereal in the last bottle of the night or feed your baby some cereal in a bowl (not too much) then finish with the bottle, make sure she burps. Put baby to bed clean, dry and warm. When baby cries wait 10-15 minutes. Don't pick her up, just let her see you and tell her its night, night time. If you can see she is not in pain go back to bed. Every night after, don't go to her unless you can tell she is in pain. By 5 months you should know her cry of pain.

Amanda - posted on 10/13/2009

I agree cereal is a myth Formula has everything they really need the cereal is meant for developing their eating skills. I'm not an expert but I do have 3 kids and the boys family consist of a lot of mid-wives, pediatric nurses, and OB's and they all seem to agree.

Emilie - posted on 10/13/2009

Both of my children were sleeping through the night at that age. I was already giving them cereal and baby food at that age. I would give them age much as they would take right before putting them to bed.

Michelle - posted on 10/13/2009

I have five and they were all content to sleep through the night at 2 months, except the first one whom I got up with continually for about 6 months. I was a wreck with out sleep, but we were BOTH happy after I let her cry a couple of nights. I learned a lot with my first ;)

Nicole - posted on 10/13/2009

My daughter is 5 1/2 months as well. She's been sleeping through the night for a little over a month now. I mix a little cereal in her nighttime bottle and she'll sleep for 9-12 hours at a time.

Theresa - posted on 10/13/2009

Baby cereal is a myth. It doesn't work. Like many moms said, it all depends on the baby. My oldest started sleeping through the night at 2 months. My youngest didn't start until he was 12-13 months.

Libertad - posted on 10/13/2009

It hurts a lot, but you have to let them cry it out. I have a 2 and a half year old and a 8 month old. My 1st did not want to sleep through the night and finally when she was 8 months old I let her cry it out, it took 3 days (which is what the Dr said it would take) and she began sleeping from 8pm to 9am. My second daughter was a better sleeper. Sometimes they wake when they are teething but they have a painful cry. I hope this helps.

Christina - posted on 10/13/2009

when ur child is ready they will sleep all night my oldest son didnt start sleepin all night until a week after he turned one and we did everything the doctor said to do. but i know the feelin just try to rest when baby rest good luck

Ashley - posted on 10/13/2009

I would check on my boys and if they were fine they would have to cry it out. I fed them before i went to bed (almost midnight) and i put a very little bit of rice cereal in it so it would last them longer. then I would get up between 6 and 7 and feed them again. If they were crying it was because they wanted to be held or needed changed. If you don't want to do that then have your partner get up every other night. My husband did that for the first few months.

Jenny - posted on 10/13/2009

Basically it'll stop when you want it to stop. After 2-3 months babies don't need to eat in the night anymore so if he wakes because he's hungry just let him cry it out. It'll feel like an eternity but shouldn't last for more than 45 minutes before he quiets down. Each night the crying will last less time and in 2 or 3 days his body will acclamate to the new feeding schedule and he'll be able to sleep through the night. :)

Lisa - posted on 10/13/2009

i have a house full of kids right now 3 r mine 5 rnt. they range in age from 6 mos to 9 yrs. the best thing i can tell u is try to keep ur son wake more during the day. let him take naps and all just not as long or not as many. wake him up earlier in the morning. u have to get his schedule set. its not easy to do, believe me i know. but once he gets it down ull be sleeping much better. good luck!

Amanda - posted on 10/13/2009

The only thing you can do is not go to them in the middle of the night. It is so hard but after about a week they will understand it is quiet time and will more then likely start sleeping well. I have twin boys and it took about a week and a half but they now sleep from 8 to 630. It is sooooo hard but if he is almost 6 months I'm sure you have created enough security and all you are doing is setting limits which they need :) Good luck it really does payoff!

Christi - posted on 10/13/2009

Just this last week I let my 5 1/2 month old son cry it out.....the first night he cried for 30 minutes and then slept from 9 until 4. I fed him again at 4 and then he went down until 8 that morning. The next night he did not cry, just played around in his bed for about 20 minutes before falling to sleep....3rd night....more crying but slept again. It is hard to hear them cry but as long as you go back in and reassure them that you are still there, they do ok. He is used to eating twice every night but is now only waking once in the very late morning. I am going to continue feeding him this 4am feeding up to a year.

Nicole - posted on 10/13/2009

My son has slept through the entire night since he was 6 weeks old. Someone told me to wait just 10 minutes when I hear him crying. If he continues go to him, chances are he will go right back to sleep when he realizes mommy isn't going to run every time. Give it a try, it worked for me!

Shanna - posted on 10/13/2009

my daughter started sleeping threw the night around a month old...i started to give her just a little bit of baby ceral in with her formula. just like a tablespoon is about all you need and it keeps them full and comfy for a good night sleep. I'd try that and see how that works. it worked for us! good luck!

Ginger - posted on 10/13/2009

it depends on the baby, but it's quite normal to eat at night for a full year, so unless there is some unusual situation, I wouldn't use drastic measures (i.e. Cry it Out) to try and force a baby to STTN much before 10-11 months.

Chelsie - posted on 10/13/2009

I read this really great book after I had my daughter, of course I can't remember the name of it now. But in this book they said that if your child uses a pacifier what you can do, when they get to the age that they don't have to eat during the night, just put the pacifier back in his/her mouth through out the night. It takes a little bit to train them but eventually they will stop waking up to eat. I'm not promising anything, but it worked for my daughter.

Good luck!

~Chelsie

Christy - posted on 10/13/2009

My little boy, Finn, just turned 5 months old. He sleeps through the night from 8 until 5 as long as he has had his cereal which I give to him at around 7:30. The only time he wakes up is if something is wrong. I eventually had to realize that his waking up at 12 or 2 was out of habit and not because he needed anything. So I had to let him cry for 15 minutes initially which was so hard, but then it finally worked. Good luck!

Julia - posted on 10/13/2009

it all depends on the child my son is 16 month old and just started sleeping through the night two weeks ago but i have a little sister who is only 5 months and she is already sleeping through the night. just hang in there and you baby will choose the right time that is right for them! Sorry, i feel your pain

Ashley - posted on 10/13/2009

as long as you keep getting up and going to him, he will continue. at around that time, i started letting my daughter cry it out. it was hard, but they dont need night feedings at that age. now she sleeps from about 7pm-7am she is almost a year old. good luck!