My 4 1/2 mth old is even close to sleeping through the night! Help please!

Ardia - posted on 09/23/2010

i am wondering if he is having enough awake time after feeds during the day around an hour and a half i think is recommended for that age, also maybe try resettling the first time he wakes after being put to bed as he may not be waking due to hunger, and start feeding only every second time he wakes during the night while re settling the others you might be surprised i also feed my babies 3 hourly during the day in order to fill them so they wont wake as frequently during the night, both my kids were only once a night wakers (most nights... not all the time though) best of luck, i have a 7 week old so i feel your sleep deprivation!!

Neva - posted on 09/22/2010

Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Breast milk is more easily digested, so your baby may be waking up more frequently because of hunger. If you are bottle feeding and your baby is taking about 32 oz of formula/day, then I would start rice cereal. Start with about one tablespoon of flakes mixed with enough formula to make a good consistency for feeding with a spoon. Don't put rice cereal in his bottle, because you could encourage over eating that way. Do the cereal right before bedtime. The other consideration is that your child is crying or fussing during the night, but he might be able to put himself back to sleep on his own if you just let him fuss a bit. Try not to go to him as soon as you hear him stirring. All of us go through lighter stages of sleep during the night. We usually roll over, sometimes talk in our sleep, etc. Babies do the same thing and sometimes cry or fuss during those lighter stages of sleep. If you go right away and feed them, then they become accustomed to waking at those times and will expect to be fed. I would let the child fuss for a few minutes to see if he goes back to sleep. If he starts crying really hard, of course go to him, but if it is just a fussy noise, stirring and not hard crying don't go to him right away. Swaddling your baby might help as well because some babies startle themselves awake. Try not to feed every 3 hours either. You might try soothing him, use a pacifier and put him back down.

Kaila - posted on 09/22/2010

My son didn't sleep through the night till he was 2. He had night terrors too to where he was awake for 2-3 hours at a time screaming and crying. Have you been feeding him rice cereal yet? If you do try feeding him right before bed to fill his tummy up. It helped my son sleep a little longer when he was that young. Good Luck

Lynn - posted on 09/22/2010

It’s called sleep training; at 12lbs they can physically sleep thru the night. Give her a soother instead of a bottle... it will take 3 nights of crying but soon she'll get out of the habit of waking up for a bottle. Also at 7pm get her to self sooth and fall asleep on her own, without a bottle; then when she wakes up during the night she knows how to fall asleep again without a bottle. She only knows now how to fall asleep with a bottle at bedtime so naturally she wants a bottle in the middle of the night too.

Amanda - posted on 01/12/2009

LOL, thanks Smita. That made me laugh. Well since I first posted this question I have tried a few things and some nights are ok and sometimes and even better. I guess I've come to realize that my baby has a big appetite and I'm thinking he may not be ready to sleep through the night. I was putting him to bed around 7-7:30pm and now I'm keeping him up a bit later for a couple reasons. One, if he's going to sleep 5 hours straight it's always between the time I put him down to sleep and his first night time feeding so if he goes to bed later I get to enjoy more of that long stretch. Two, if he goes to bed at 7pm he gets up at 7am and I'm tired of going to bed at 9pm so that I can get enough sleep so if he stays up later hopefully he'll sleep in later and I can do the same. He has been on spoon fed cereal twice a day for a week now and it seems to have interrupted his eating pattern which has made his night time feedings less routine as well - which is good. He has gone 4-5 hours stretches between feedings day and night recently, as apposed to eating every 3 hours. Most of the books I read say that complimentary foods do not help a baby sleep longer which is probably true but as I said, I think my baby needed that extra stuff to fill him up after nursing since he's so big for his age. I have practiced the "let-him-cry-it-out" strategy since he was very young and that's how I got him to learn how to fall asleep alone both for naps and at bedtime. At first he would cry and cry if I put him down still awake and now I can put him in his crib and he will fall asleep within 15 minutes after talking to his mobile and sucking on his paci for awhile. It makes bedtime easy and enjoyable for everyone.
Anyway, for all you moms who have/had babies who slept through the night at a very young age - count your blessings!
And for all you moms who struggled or are still struggling with sleepless nights for you and baby - well, I feel your pain and we'll get through this together!!!!
Go Team Mom!!!

Loni - posted on 01/12/2009

My son will be 3 months on the 24th and he has been sleeping through the night since he was 8 or nine weeks. I do breastfeed him but before bed I pump and give him a bottle so I know he is getting enough milk. When we first brought him home we were swaddling him in the hospital blankets. Then one night we swaddled him in a cotton flannel blanket and he slept for 5 hours straight instead of the usual 3 hours. Then after a few weeks he would kind of "freak out" when we swaddled his arms in so now we leave his arms out. We also added a 2x2 flannel blanket over the swaddled one, tucked under him tightly. He goes to bed now at around 10pm and is up between 7 or 8. He naps and feeds when he wants during the day but they usually fall around the same time. For us it seemed he wasn’t warm enough at night. We sleep with a box fan in our room at night since I like the noise and it seems to help him sleep too. He is still in our room in his bassinet for now. I figured we would start putting him in his crib when he turns 3 months, for now I like having him by me. Good luck!

Smita - posted on 01/12/2009

My daughter is 7 months and still wakes up once or twice a night. Last night was my first attempt at letting her "cry it out" and i failed miserably. So, I guess this doesn't answer your question, but hopefully let's you know you are not alone in the sleep-deprived zombie like existence during the day.

Sarah - posted on 01/12/2009

Hi, I have found with both of my girls that when they started on solids they stay full for longer which helps a bit. With both of my daughters before bed I would do a couple of feeds close together that would usually help with there first sleep. If you are breastfeeding you could also try topping up with a bit of formula just before bed it seems to stay in there bellies longer. I breastfed both of my girls until they were 1yr but occasionally I would top up with formula or on occasions cow milk it did help a bit.

Melanie - posted on 01/12/2009

hi there i know its not 'text book' but when my son woke every hour for food during the night i was told by the health visitor to mix his last bottle with baby rice and feed him it from the bottle (you may have to make the teat hole slightly bigger) this worked wonders as he was full up and slept for at least 3 hrs b4 waking again,once he was over 6 mths old we only gave him 1 bottle of milk during the  night, and each time he woke i gave him cooled boiled water instead of milk, he soon got bored with waking for water and started to sleep thropugh :-) hope this helps xxx

Leah - posted on 01/11/2009

Quoting Amanda:

My 4 1/2 mth old is even close to sleeping through the night! Help please!

My son wakes up every 3 hours to eat at night and then sometimes even wakes up between feedings too. I haven't slept for more than a few hours at a time in over 4 months! Does anyone have any tips to get a baby to sleep through the night???

Its horrible isn't it, it seems like it is never going to end.  My daughter didn't sleep right through untill she was around 8-9 months old, and even now she still wakes sometimes (not for a feed though), she is 13 months old.  All babies are different some sleep through when they are a few months old, just hang in there you will get through it and it will get better believe me.

Kenya - posted on 01/11/2009

Have you tried giving him a warm bath and a bottle with rice cereal. Try giving it to him about an half an hour before bed time and see how it works. Good Luck!!!!!

Dara - posted on 01/11/2009

Have you tried just giving him a pacifier instead of a bottle? This worked for me.

Grace - posted on 01/11/2009

hi mine is 5 months and been sleeping through the night for a while i heard from a friend to give her formula once before bed because their lil belly's dont digest it as quick as bm, you can still nurse the rest of the day just before bed, and now there are really great formula's out there so choose a good one, just so ya know also put a receiving blanket around your chest... because if he does sleep a bit longer you might end up with a puddle and a soaked shirt

Miranda - posted on 01/11/2009

Have you started solid foods yet? Mine was doing the same thing and as soon as we started rice cereal and some fruits and vegetables(around 3 1/2 months), he was sleeping through the night just fine.  Recently though he began waking up again and my pediatrician suggested that he may be going through a growth spurt and require a night time feeding for a little while.  Another thought...are you breast or formula feeding...if you are breast feeding try giving a big warm bottle of formula at night as see if that helps.  Good luck!

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2009

i have no tips at all for you but i have a boy who is almost 3 is not a sleeper at all he does not nap and still wakes at least once during the night for no reason what so ever he also doesnt go to bed until about 10 pm and is up for the day by 7 am everyday  my dr said some babies just dont need as much sleep as others do !! every baby is different and they will sleep through the night eventually :) im sorry that ythis isnt any help to you but after a few people told me that their kids didnt sleep either it helped me realize i wasnt the only sleep deprived mom out there LOL good luck with your little man !!!

Peggy - posted on 01/11/2009

Ugh - I did not read all the posts so far, but scanned them.  Please do NOT give your baby rice creal in a bottle unless your pediatrician recommends it!  My baby had so much trouble sleeping through the night and I got allsorts of advice... it turns out she had severe acid reflux and was constantly in pain.  Please make sure that you don't overlook that this is a possiblility.  No one wants their baby to be in pain and the right meds made her sleep 12 hours at night right away at 4 months!

Tricia - posted on 01/11/2009

I'm no expert, but I did read two great books about helping babies sleep. one is " The Happiest Baby on the Block", the other is "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems"  (aka Ferberize),  Both are good with helpful advice.....My daughter is 6 weeks old and I did find alot of helpful hints...good luck

Tricia - posted on 01/11/2009

I'm no expert, but I did read two great books about helping babies sleep. one is " The Happiest Baby on the Block", the other is "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems"  (aka Ferberize),  Both are good with helpful advice.....My daughter is 6 weeks old and I did find alot of helpful hints...good luck

Danialle - posted on 01/11/2009

A book that really helped me with my  son was called "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It teaches the 5 "s's". swaddling, side lying or laying on the stomach, sucking (pacifier, etc.), sound, and swinging or rocking. This made a HUGE difference for us! Good Luck!

Danialle - posted on 01/11/2009

A book that really helped me with my  son was called "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It teaches the 5 "s's". swaddling, side lying or laying on the stomach, sucking (pacifier, etc.), sound, and swinging or rocking. This made a HUGE difference for us! Good Luck!

Nichol - posted on 01/11/2009

Though this is frowned upon by most doctor's... My 1st & 3rd children never slept & then my grandmother said if i shake just a little bit of cereal into the bottle (pinch of salt type thing), they will sleep atleast 2 hours longer.; Well to my surprise I tried it & it worked. They will still wake up in the middle of the nite, but it won't be every 2-3 hours, more like 4-5 hours.

Kiersten - posted on 01/11/2009

If he is bottle feeding, try adding a little rice cereal to his milk. It fills their little tummies for a longer period of time. You may have to use scissors to open the nipple hole a little bit to allow the cereal to pass through. Dr may frown on it, but (s)he isn't waking ever 3 hours!! I did it for both of mine, and they slept about 5 hours at a time.

Kathryn - posted on 01/10/2009

Oh, and if you're looking for books, "the baby whisperer" was a lifesaver for me

Kathryn - posted on 01/10/2009

How do you and the dad sleep? My 8 year old still can barely sleep through the night and that first year was pure hell with her, she never slept. My 7 year old slept through the night from 3 days old. It took me years to realize that while I sleep like a rock my husband tosses and turns all night. They simply took after us. I still can't imagine anything that would have worked for my older daughter, she's just like her dad, early to rise, likes to nap, early to bed and a very light sleeper. Take out the naps and keep them up and all you get is misery. My little one is like me, can't nap during the day, hates to go to bed, but then sleeps like a rock. Look at what works for you and dad, and take it from there. hth

Jeannie - posted on 01/10/2009

I'm probably one of your biggest supporters, my son is about 16 months, and we are still working on sleeping through the night.  I tried Everything, even cereal in his nighttime bottles.  I actually had to resort to sending him to his grandmas or aunts for a night once a month so I could get some sleep.  I say if he's a binky baby try that, cereal in his later bottles, I even made his bottles a little heavier by adding a little more formula.  If your breastfeeding, you might want to consider formula at least in the night time hours, then you can pump after he goes back to sleep and be back in bed sooner.  Some kids though, just don't want to be on your schedule, my son is among those!  Good luck, I hope he gets to sleeping through the night alot sooner than mine has, exhaustion has some crazy side effects! Take care of yourself too!

Megan - posted on 01/10/2009

Quoting Misty:

I weaned my 3 month old off of a couple of nighttime feedings. I am breastfeeding and this worked better for both him and I than just going cold turkey and trying to skip feedings. I nursed him a minute less each night. Once we got down to 1-2 minutes I went in and rubbed him to let him know I was there but did not pick him up or feed him. He now only wakes up once a night.

Megan - posted on 01/10/2009

well my daughter also was up all the time to eat everytime she would wake up she wonted to be nursed and my  pedeatrition had told me that by that age they dont actually need the food at night its just a comfert so they can fall back asleep so she told me to let her cry for a limited time and she should fall back asleep and mine normally did i always have had and still have the limit of 15 min which seemes like a lot of time but it wont kill her and if she is still crying i know she actually needs someting but it gives her the chance to try and take care of the situation herself get comfy find a way to calm herself develop those idependent sleeping skills now you may wont to wait yet a cuple of weeks or just ask your ped.. they normally will give you a good answer that is good for both you and your child..

Soni - posted on 01/10/2009

All babies are different, but have you read "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child"?  This book gives great advice for struggling parents and also scientific research to back up info.  I saw the author speak--he is the foremost specialist on pediatric sleep in the country--and he helped me a lot with my kids. 

Kimberly - posted on 01/10/2009

Your son is very young yet and is growing at a very fast pace. His body requires the nutrition he gets in the night, as that is the time babies grow the most. Don't fret, you have it better than some, for instance my 9 month old wakes every 45 minutes at night and nurses everytime! I haven't slept in forever! But watch him grow! Your baby will sleep through the night when he is ready, and then you will be worried because he is not waking up. You will get some sleep eventually, in the meantime learn to love that one on one time you share with your son in the wee hours of the night, someday you will miss them. Kim

Lindsay - posted on 01/10/2009

have you spoken to your doctor?  as long as your son weighs enough and you get the green light from your doctor it sounds like you might need to do some sleep training with your son.

my daughter wasn't waking up that much - but she never slept through till she was 10 months old after some sleep training! we choose the ferber method which wasn't just letting her "cry it out" all night - it was much more reasonable than i thought it would be and it worked exactly as it claimed it would.  within 3 nights she was sleeping through.  the 1st night is the toughest, but after that its much easier. 

def talk to your doctor before doing any sleep training, but if your doctor thinks it ok i would highly recommend the ferber method.  you can buy his book to get the specifics on how it works.

best of luck, i know how exhausting it can be.

Sarah - posted on 01/10/2009

My 5 Month Old Started sleeping through the night as soon as we started putting Rice Cereal in His Bottle. 

Seta - posted on 01/10/2009

Hello Amanda,

I had a friend with the same problem.

In order not to wake up during the night, try to give him water every time he wakes up, for not more than 5-7 days. He will understand that this i snot food and he has to sleep and then he will not wake up. 3 momms here already didi it... it was a success. Give it a try. Hope you'll succeeeeddd, too :)))

take care

Misty - posted on 01/10/2009

I weaned my 3 month old off of a couple of nighttime feedings. I am breastfeeding and this worked better for both him and I than just going cold turkey and trying to skip feedings. I nursed him a minute less each night. Once we got down to 1-2 minutes I went in and rubbed him to let him know I was there but did not pick him up or feed him. He now only wakes up once a night. My daughter was still waking up every 2-3 hours at 3 months so I feel blessed that my son is down to one feeding a night at this point!

Colleen - posted on 01/10/2009

At around two months I started my daughter on cereal.  I would but it in her last bottle before she went to sleep and she been sleeping through the night ever since

Amanda - posted on 01/09/2009

Wow, thank you everyone for all the feedback and advice. I am nursing and during the day he eats every 3-4 hours. I just started cereal (spoon fed) this week. He likes it and has actually been nursing a bit less and sleeping a bit longer in the day this week. I dont swaddle him but he has never really liked that beyond 2 weeks old. I have a short bedtime routine and I never nurse him right before bed because I didn't want him to get used to falling asleep on the boob. He goes to be just fine. I play a lullaby cd for him at night. he sleeps in his own crib. He is a big baby. He was born 9 lbs and 6 oz and is now 20 lbs at 4.5 months old. I'm thinking the cereal may help a bit but mostly the best thing I've heard in this discussion is simply breaking his routine at night. I think he may actually still need to eat at night from time to time but just not as frequently as he does now. I'm just going to have to suck it up and help him learn to skip a feeding. Thank you all for taking the time to write!

Danialle - posted on 01/09/2009

My son is 6 months old and will only sleep if I swaddle him really tight! He wakes maybe once now to eat. Are you nursing or cosleeping? Both of those will make him wake more.

Rachel - posted on 01/09/2009

One thing that helped with my kids is having some white noise in the room.  I have a humidifier humming or a stationary fan pointed away from the crib.  It seems the light noise going helps, plus it blocks other noises around the house.

Danielle - posted on 01/09/2009

he is not ready to sleep thru the night yet if he is still waking to eat. is he a big baby? My son woke to eat at night until about 7 months. waking 3 x a night at 4 months old is not unusual. around 5 months you can try to eliminate one feeding by just offering a pacifier if he uses one, eventually he will cut out all of his feedings when his nutritional needs are met during the daytime. it just takes time with some babies unfortunately.

Michelle - posted on 01/09/2009

try a bed time routine if you havnt got one already a nice bath a cuddle with a bottle,or try baby massage i swear by that iv done it to my little girl and it never fails shes almost four and it still works like a charm

Jolene - posted on 01/09/2009

My girl was doing the same thing. I broke down in tears at her 2 month appointment, so the fact that you're still dealing with it at 4 months breaks my heart. Here's what the pediatrician said. Your baby is capable of getting ALL the nutrition he or she needs within a 12 hour period. So here's how to train them to do this. Turn down all the lights in your home around 7 o'clock in the evening. Keep things subdued and put baby down at around 10 or 11 after a good feeding. Now here's the not so pleasant part. Let baby cry. Don't feed more than once before 7am. (I spent a night driving baby around in the car to calm her down, but the very next night she slept through the night and has consistently ever since.) At 7am turn all the lights in your house and open up those windows for some extra light. Keep baby playing and active when it isn't nap time, and feed her whenever she wants it. Her internal clock will get the picture in a few days. Hang in there, and remember in the middle of the night that baby isn't starving. She can get all she needs during the day.

Sara - posted on 01/09/2009

My 3 month old has been sleeping through the night it seems right from the start.  We formula feed him and he eats quite a bit during the day so that he is completely full at night.  We also have him a routine where we feed him his last bottle, change his diaper and then put him in his crib with his mobile on at the same time every night and usually he falls right asleep.  I think the routine has a lot to do with his sleeping patterns.  I hope this helps.

Michelle - posted on 01/09/2009

One more thing i NEVER put the pablum in a bottle feed A small amount by spoon I know it doesnt seem like much but eating this pablum is quite tiring for babies.

Michelle - posted on 01/09/2009

Hi there I am mom of three ages 13, 8 and 5. I maintained a structured routine from day one with all of my children and was very lucky that they all slept through the night 8pm to 8am from 2 months of age. I myself at approximately 3 to 4 months of age started to give small amounts of rice pablum at bedtime. It is a heavier consistancy and keeps them fuller longer. I consulted with my doctor about this at the time and was encouraged to continue this as it was working. Good Luck I hope I helped!

Tara - posted on 01/09/2009

My son was the exact same way until he started rice cereal at 4 months. My dr recommended never putting the cereal in his bottle because this will make him more dependant on the bottle later on and it would be much harder for you to get him off the bottle. Start with a spoon and stick with it! After 2 weeks of starting the rice cereal he started sleeping through the night and still is! He has his cereal at 7pm and is in bed at 7:30 until about 6am when he will get up for a bottle then back to sleep for another hr or two! Good Luck! Prior to cereal he was up every 3hrs all night long since he was born! Cereal helped a lot!

Kris - posted on 01/09/2009

It is not uncommon for a baby to get "stuck" in a routine around that time.  Assuming he is healthy and a normal weight he is ready to be either gently nudged, or lovingly pushed, through the night.  I recommend you start tonight with what we used to call "baby boot camp". Let him do his normal routine.  Write down what times he wakes up.  Say you put him down at 8 and he is up at 10, 1, and 4. Tomorrow night when he wakes up at 10, you are going to wait a full 10 minutes before you go in to check on him.  (Look at your clock, it will seem like an eternity).  If he is still crying after the first 10 minutes, go in and check on him. Pat him on the back and whisper sweet things.  Then leave and wait another 10 minutes.  If he is still crying you can do one of two things.  Repeat step 2, as many times as you want.  Or get him up and feed him.  Now you have gone at least until 10:20 with that method.  You will never go back to ten again because you have set a new standard.  You will not go to get him again before 10:20.  Repeat this again and set the new standard for the next night.  It is not that incremental.  He needs to learn to put himself back to sleep and the only way he can do that is to give him the opportunity to learn.  Once he learns, it should fall in to place pretty quickly. The tougher you are, the quicker they will learn.  The quick method is to put him down and let him cry.  I promise he won't remember it and if you are tough, it will be all over in three nights...I promise.  [Now I will stand back and wait for the verbal darts to fly :-)]

At this age my kids were up at 8 a.m. ; naps from 10 - 12; lunch and play time; nap from 2 - 4; play time from 4 - 6; cat nap or down time at 6 (this is usually the fussy time of the night) and down at 8.  Once he starts eating solids that include meat, you can take it to Up at 8, 1, and 4 with bedtime at 8.  You will have two 2 - 2 1/2 hour rest times during the day.  With meat you will want to space meals out 5 hours apart to ensure good digestion.  Clear as mud, right? :-) This is just my experience with my three kids.  I'm sure there are many other good techniques too.

Tamara - posted on 01/09/2009

We are having this problem too and I just asked the same question a few days ago.  I thought I could try to take away one of his night feedings, particularly the 2 am one that way he would sleep from the 9/10 pm feeding to the 5/6 am feeding.  I too was afraid he was just trained to take that 2 am feeding...but that is not always the case.  I tried a few nights to go in and put the paci back in his mouth...he would only sleep an hour longer and be up again.  We've done cereal in the bottle since he was 3 months old AND I always try to give him a little more at the 9/10 pm feeding.  It doesn't make any difference for us.  He still wakes up and he is HUNGRY!  We have even started solids this entire week and I haven't seen any change in his appetite overnight.  You might try putting a little cereal in his bottles though because we were doing every 3 hours too and once I put some cereal in his bottles his feedings extended to 4 hours.  Plus it might fill him up enough that he won't wake up in between feedings.  I agree with what people are saying about keeping them active and stimulated throughout the day too.  Good Luck!  I'm feel ya I'm also very tired from the last 4 months as well!!  BUT...when I do sleep longer now (like on weekends when my husband handles more of the night feedings) I am more tired!  Even though we feel exhausted our bodies are actually getting trained to accept less sleep.  I also try to go to bed a little earlier so overall, even though I am getting up, I still get 8 hours of sleep (sometimes that means I am asleep on the couch or in bed at 8 pm)!!  AND...even though I have tried not to make this a habit, we co-sleep on occassion, even if it is on the couch while I am falling asleep watching tv.  Babies who co-sleep actually mimick your breathing and sleep patterns when they are next to you.  All that deep, heavy breathing you are doing, they mimick, which keeps them in a deeper sleep.  I didn't want to believe it but then when he started fussing and going through his 'colicky' stage I would lay him tightly against me and just breath very heavily and deeply while rubbing his back and he would fall asleep! 

Justine - posted on 01/09/2009

Just wanted to add this for consideration: http://www.babycenter.com/404_will-my-ba...

Tammy - posted on 01/09/2009

you are far from alone on the problem..my son will be 2, january 11th and needless to say he still does not always sleep through the night.  It does get better but  seems like when teething he;s up through the night...Have patience, eventually it will happen..

Kelly - posted on 01/09/2009

I have found that the order of activities throughout the day is the most important thing in helping my boys sleep. Sleep is a learned activity. The length of time between feedings will vary by age but most important is the order. Eat, awake time and THEN sleep. Setting up this order/schedule helps to regulate their metabolism as well as give the skill to fall asleep on their own. They don't use eating/nursing as a "crutch" in order to fall asleep. I used this with both my boys and Jackson was sleeping through the night (10 pm to 7 am) by 10 weeks and Liam (born prematurely) was sleeping through the night (11pm to 7 am) by 12 weeks. I nursed exclusively with both my boys and they ate on the following schedule: 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and then between 10-11 pm. They would eat, then play/be awake for in the beginning on 25-25 minutes and then go down for a nap until the next feeding time. I would just try working on the order of his activities and see if this helps. Waking up is also a habit now and probably not bc he is actually hungry. Try letting him cry through it one night (5-10 minutes of crying) and see if he "breaks" the habit. Good luck! Oh and I also swaddled both my boys (still do with my 5 month old). It helped bunches!

Kelly - posted on 01/09/2009

I have found that the order of activities throughout the day is the most important thing in helping my boys sleep. Sleep is a learned activity. The length of time between feedings will vary by age but most important is the order. Eat, awake time and THEN sleep. Setting up this order/schedule helps to regulate their metabolism as well as give the skill to fall asleep on their own. They don't use eating/nursing as a "crutch" in order to fall asleep. I used this with both my boys and Jackson was sleeping through the night (10 pm to 7 am) by 10 weeks and Liam (born prematurely) was sleeping through the night (11pm to 7 am) by 12 weeks. I nursed exclusively with both my boys and they ate on the following schedule: 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and then between 10-11 pm. They would eat, then play/be awake for in the beginning on 25-25 minutes and then go down for a nap until the next feeding time. I would just try working on the order of his activities and see if this helps. Waking up is also a habit now and probably not bc he is actually hungry. Try letting him cry through it one night (5-10 minutes of crying) and see if he "breaks" the habit. Good luck! Oh and I also swaddled both my boys (still do with my 5 month old). It helped bunches!