When did you let you little one sleep through the night?

Tessa - posted on 12/08/2009

At our 2 week check-up, our pediatrician told us that she was gaining weight fine and that we should stop waking her up for night time feedings. She will wake up when she is hungry.

Claire - posted on 12/08/2009

my youngest Hamish is 5 weeks old. He has just started sleeping about 7 hrs solid through the night. He did have the odd day here and there when he slept through when he was younger. I didnt wake him up to feed then but then i had slept too!
♥

Mollie - posted on 12/08/2009

All babies are different. But one thing they all have in common is letting you know when they are hungry. I'm not sure why your ped said to wake her up - but when my kids slept I let them be.

Mary - posted on 12/04/2009

Quoting Carly:

I use nursing to keep my periods off. If baby sleeps through the night, the pesky things come back. As for baby, they are too little to go through the night without eating. I don't let them sleep through the night until they are more than 8 months and even a year. You are a mom now. There's really never going to be a night that you aren't woken up. Just wait till they get sick.

I have seven children.  I never woke any of them up to feed them.  They all slept through the night by the time they were 3 months old.  If the child is hungry or distressed, (s)he will let you know.  My children were very rarely sick, so I had many, many nights as a mother of infants and toddlers, etc.  where I got uninterrupted sleep.  It's not unheard of.  My youngest is now fifteen.   Why would you want to wake up in the night if your child doesn't need you to?  Carly, if you're using nursing for birth control,  there are other ways to do avoid conceiving again that are much more reliable.  You can still conceive without ever having that first period after a baby because the ovulation comes first, then the period.

Colleen - posted on 12/04/2009

my doctor said that if they're hungry they'll wake up. When they're tired let them sleep. They'll let you know what is best for them.

Sonia - posted on 12/03/2009

My son was 3 weeks old when he started sleeping through the night and I can tell you that I never woke him up to feed him!! He's now a healthy, well developed and clever 7 year old, who has a good apetite and who is not lacking calcium or anything else...Your daughter would let you know if she was starving, don't you worry about that! So in the meantime, let her sleep and catch up on your sleep too! Enjoy!

Samantha - posted on 12/03/2009

They should tell you that babies will wake to eat. If you wake them all the time to eat they will want to be fed every so many hours. Babies can sleep up to 6 or 7 hours in the day time so what makes it any different at night. I could see now if the baby was crying and you werent getting up but thats not the point here. I have 6 kids and i didnt wake them at night, and they are fine..

Patricia - posted on 12/03/2009

LET? HaHa If my children would sleep through the night, no matter how young they were, I let them sleep. If your baby is hungry, he/she will wake up and let you know. Try to remember that YOU are the mom, and although it's good to check with your pediatrician about certain things, the doctor isn't always right.

Nicole - posted on 12/03/2009

My kids (4of them) slept throught the night, I never woke them up to feed them, they all let me know when they wanted to eat. Babies not only need food to grow but they also need sleep to grow. You need to do what you know is best for your baby, you are with the all the time.

Angela - posted on 12/02/2009

The first week out of the hospital, we woke our son every 2-3 hours to feed because of his jaundice levels, and pushing fluids was the best way to get rid of them. At about 1 1/2 months, he slept through the night, first time. By 3 months, he was sleeping through the night almost all of the time. He's 11 months old now, and goes to bed at 8pm, and sleeps til 7am, and I think a lot of that is due to NOT waking him so frequently to feed. He left me know when he was hungry. Don't start it too early, though. They really do need that nourishment right at the start. Keep yourself tuned in to your child's cues.

Kendra - posted on 12/02/2009

My newborn has been sleeping through the night since about 5 or 6 weeks. I'm sorry, but I don't believe in all this hype of "you need to wake the baby to feed them every 4-5 hours" crap. My family doctor agreed with me. He said thats 'old wives tales' and a lot of physicians are not up to par in today's world. Your baby will wake up when they are hungry. Otherwise, its ok to let them sleep. Mine sleeps on average 9-10 hours a night. She is now a lil over 3 months old... and gains weight like crazy! Plus she's on MY schedule, not HER schedule. If you know what I'm saying! Trust me, it makes your life much easier if you put them on your schedule!

Teigha - posted on 12/02/2009

I woke my baby up every two to three hours at night until my mother-in-law came to stay with me at week 3 and told me I was crazy and should let my baby wake me up when he is hungry. After that, he pretty regularly went to bed at 10:30pm and woke up between 2am and 3am to eat and then again at 6:30am. My mother-in-law (who had 4 boys) said that I should feed him as often as he wants to eat during the day, and he will "store up for the big sleep." Now he is 6 1/2 weeks old and started sleeping trough the night right at 6 weeks. I guess the point is, if your baby eats enough during the day and is gaining weight, let the child start sleeping a little longer. Of course that's just my opinion and experience. I am not a doctor!

Whitney - posted on 12/02/2009

Quoting Christina:

2 Weeks?? I didn't let mine sleep through the night until he was about a month and a half. You still need to feed your baby at night when they are 2 weeks old.. No matter how tired you are! I wouldn't let her sleep all night until at LEAST a month and a half, maybe 2 months to be more on the safe side.

I am still waking her up twice a night to feed her.  If I let her, she would sleep through the night, but I am not letting her do that.  I was just wondering when people were little their child sleep through the night.  I was thinking about 6 to 8 weeks, but I wanted to see what everyone else was doing.

Hema - posted on 12/02/2009

I wake my son up at least twice at night to feed and hes approaching 9 weeks. He starting to sleep through the night, but I am not comfortable with him going too long without a feed. Also he is a lot more content during the day if he has had at least one feed during the night.

Glo - posted on 12/02/2009

I never woke my babies to eat. Not even during the day! When they were hungry they woke up and I fed them. I had 5 children and all of them survived and are healthy adults now. Tell your ped if he thinks she needs feeding during the night for him to come to your house and wake her up and feed her. Doctors are great at telling moms what they should do because they are not the ones that have to do it. Doctors work many long hours each day so even if they have children their wives are the ones home with them and do most of the work!

Donna - posted on 12/02/2009

Hi new mum x I have 3 boys i let them tell me went they were hungry, my 1st son was a hungry baby n on sma white but he would sleep a 6/7 hour night i was told to wake them all up (i did not, if they are asleep then in my mind they need it.. when they are hungry they will tell you) BUT who is the best person to know their child IT'S YOU MUMMY good luck with you lovely baby x by the way my children are now 13years( very healthy and a great boy ) 9 years( and very healthy) and 7 years ( and again very healthy) good luck sweetie x

Natalie - posted on 12/01/2009

my son did the same and alot of health nurses etc told me to wake him for a feed during the night, i did this for a few weeks before giving up i found he wouldnt feed and would fall asleep again in under 5mins of latching on so it was pointless, Let sleeping babies lie! there is no need to wake baby unless there is medical reason or no weight gain.
Babies learn the differance between day and night by feeding and being woken, night time is for sleeping your baby may just be 'on to it'

Trina - posted on 12/01/2009

I NEVER woke my baby to eat! Unless they are under weight and have a failure to thrive issue you do not have to wake them ever to eat. They will let you know when they are hungry. I'm a mother of three and my kids were all very healthy babies and they slept through the night very early. They all became rollie pollie happy babies. I always fed by demand never on a schedule. Use your instincts and remember that doctors are not always right. Mine told me I didn't need to wake my kids up. So you see they all have their opinions and they aren't always the same as another doctor. Use what they say as guidelines and follow what feels right. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion!

Krista - posted on 12/01/2009

Babies will tell YOU when they're hungry. If she's not waking up, she isn't hungry. This only poses a problem if she begins to lose weight.

Jodi - posted on 12/01/2009

Never wake baby up for a feed unless there is a medical reason you have to......both of mine were sleeping through the night in the first few weeks, and there is no way I would wake them to feed them if they weren't screaming for it!!! Enjoy the sleep while you have the chance!

Sheri - posted on 12/01/2009

Old school to wake a baby for feeding - they will wake you when they are hungry
I was delighted with co=sleeping...I could nurse both of us back to sleep and I never felt sleep deprived. Besides, this phase may be very brief and she may wake every 1=2 hours- sleep when you can, when they do and it will hopefully pay off in the long run that they learn to eat when they are hungry, sleep when they are tired...
my 11 year old was a 10p-10a sleeper, my 9 yr old son will get up earlier if he goes to bed later and my 7 year old falls asleep like clockwork by 9p regardless of where she is...they all sleep like rocks without silence, music, white noise or other distractions, or complete darkness, like some light sleepers I know!

Heather - posted on 12/01/2009

If your baby is gaining weight appropriately, she will let you know when she's hungry. If she's tired, let her sleep. The only exception is if she is "failure to thrive" and needs to eat at regular intervals to gain weight. My son is 18 months old now and weighs 30lbs! He was a little slow to gain weight the first week, so they told me to wake him up to feed him. It was a disaster! First of all, he was mad that he was woken up, so it would take forever to settle him down so that he could latch properly. Then, once he was finally calm again, he would just fall asleep while eating. Very annoying for all of us, so I gave up. Their bodies wake them up when they're hungry and/or need to be changed. Listen to your baby and follow your instincts. They are right more than you think they are.

Kerryn - posted on 12/01/2009

Hi, I have 2 daughters & both of them were the same as your little one. I stopped dream feeding around 2 months of age, then they slept 6-8hrs through the night, it wasn't a case of me letting them they both just refused to wake for a feed so I let them decide when they wanted to wake. However I did myself wake alot afraid they had stopped breathing but I just checked to make sure they were okay & let them continue their sleeping. I think as long as they are healthy & putting on weight like they should I was comfortable with letting them go.

Stacy - posted on 12/01/2009

Uh I let my daughter sleep through the night at 2 weeks lol. I was not about to get her in th habit of waking up in the middle of the night..but my daughter was a chunker so her ped never worried about her weight or anything..I wish my son would sleep through the night..but he sleeps all day if I let him and then wants to eat all night! Silly boy! lol

Carly - posted on 12/01/2009

I use nursing to keep my periods off. If baby sleeps through the night, the pesky things come back. As for baby, they are too little to go through the night without eating. I don't let them sleep through the night until they are more than 8 months and even a year. You are a mom now. There's really never going to be a night that you aren't woken up. Just wait till they get sick.

Susan - posted on 12/01/2009

As soon as they would... My first was about 2 1/2 weeks old, my second was as soon as we came home from the hospital and my third was about 3 weeks old. If they want to sleep let them, when they get hungry they will let you know.

Rebecca - posted on 12/01/2009

my youngest of 5 months doesn't really have a regular rountine at night, right from birth some nights she would have me up twice and others she would sleep right through i never use to wake her and still don't. If she was hungry she would let me know for sure lol. She is still a happy healthy 5month old it hasn't done her any hurt.
Dont worry hun let her sleep,she will let you know if she is hungry.

Jennifer - posted on 12/01/2009

Your pediatrician wants to make sure that she is gaining a healthy amount of weight. My son had lost a lot of weight after birth and I was told to wake him for feedings. He ate every 2 hours during the day but I stretched it out to every 3 or 4 hours at night. I figured he would wake up if he wanted to eat sooner than that. He was fat and happy at 3 months old and didn't need night time feedings anymore.

Simone - posted on 12/01/2009

My little girl started sleeping throught the night at bout 6 weeks before that she would wake my about 4ish for a feed but i never woke her up.

If she is not really eating much when you wake her up id just let it go she will wake you when she is hungry.

Have you just tryed to let her sleep through?

Id give it a shot and see how she goes

Ashley - posted on 12/01/2009

My daughter also was sleeping through the night at 2 weeks. My ped- along with the capital health nurses- told me not to wake her, as long as she was eating throughout the day and gaining weight, there was no reason to wake her. Good sleep habits start early and I am happy to say my daughter is 18 months, healthy and a wonderful sleeper!!

Nicky - posted on 12/01/2009

I fed on demand. My daughter fed about midnight and then again about seven in the morning. She did that from 1 week old and gained weight nice and steadily. My son was 2 weeks early so they told me he had to be fed every 3hrs whether he woke or not. I tried that for a couple of weeks but when he didn't feed I gave up and went back to feeding on demand. Again no problems with weight and they are now both happy healthy kids. Trust your instincts, if your daughter is happy and gaining weight I would let her sleep.

Gwen - posted on 12/01/2009

I never woke my daughter to feed. If she is not preemie or having other health/weight gain issues, I see no reason to wake your baby to eat.

Rose - posted on 12/01/2009

I believe on feeding on demand if the baby is hungry he or she will wake up and "ask" to eat. I do not believe in waking a sleeping child in less its a life threatining emergency like a fire. Babies need sleep just as much as they need food to grow

Miranda - posted on 12/01/2009

My daughter was about 4 or 5 weeks when she started sleeping through the night (about 8 PM to 6 AM). I think she would've done it sooner if I'd let her, but her pediatrician insisted I wake her up. Like you, I would wake her up and she'd nurse for about three minutes and fall right back to sleep. I finally stopped listening to the doctor and just let her sleep. She would have her longest feed when she woke up because it'd been about 8 hours (she'd nurse for about 45 minutes-an hour). We never had a problem and she consistently gained weight. Doctors may know the typical baby or what's "recommended", but they don't know every baby's personal needs. Your baby won't let him/herself starve, they'll wake up and cry. As long as your baby is peeing/pooping and gaining weight regularly, they'll do just fine. Good luck. Do what you think is best, that's why you're the mommy. My daughter is now a healthy 18-month-old by the way. :)

Bethany - posted on 12/01/2009

I never let my daughter sleep more than five hours at night until she was six weeks old. At seven weeks I let her sleep seven hours, and eight at eight weeks. She's been sleeping at least that ever since. Now at 1 1/2 years old it's twelve.

Two weeks seems a little young to let her sleep through. If you're breastfeeding, I definitely wouldn't go more than five hours at this point. If she's formula-fed then she could probably go a little longer.

Elisabeth - posted on 12/01/2009

Hey girlie...I don't think I ever "woke" Jameson up. If he was hungry he would wake up. I know for sure around 8 weeks he quit waking up to eat but I never ever woke him up to feed! I hope you guys are doing well!!

Gabrielle - posted on 12/01/2009

Both of my children were about a month old when they slept all night. But if she is not really eating when you wake her up then you know the old saying let sleeping babies lay. I have come to find that some baby just take to sleeping all night faster then other. So I would say let her wake you up she knows when she wants to eat. Congrats and Good Luck.

Bridgett - posted on 12/01/2009

My kids slept through the night as soon as they came home from the hosital. I did not wake them to feed. My thought is if they were hungry then they would wake to eat. I gave them a little more before they went to bed and when they got up to make sure they didn't miss any nutrients. But they grew up to be very healthy and in goo weight categories.

Brittany - posted on 12/01/2009

when i came home from the hospital they had me waking my son up every 3 hours at night because he was not eating very well. at his 2 week check up, the pediatrician told me i could stop waking him up. of course i am not lucky enough to have my son sleep through the night, he is 5 months and still getting up at least twice, but i would definitely check with the pediatrician. once they feel she is gaining weight like she should be then i would say okay. but there is probably a reason they are having you wake her up still.

Kimberly - posted on 12/01/2009

I know people say that babies need to eat every few hours but I also feel like they will let you know when they are hungry. My son did have night feeds for awhile but that was because he woke up not because I woke him up. I know someone who woke up her son to feed him and then had problems because she got him into the routine of waking up and it was difficult to break. As long as your baby is getting enough during the day I don't see if being a huge deal to let her sleep if she was starving she would let you know.

C. - posted on 12/01/2009

2 Weeks?? I didn't let mine sleep through the night until he was about a month and a half. You still need to feed your baby at night when they are 2 weeks old.. No matter how tired you are! I wouldn't let her sleep all night until at LEAST a month and a half, maybe 2 months to be more on the safe side.

Maria - posted on 12/01/2009

i woke up my son since day one...he was such a sleepy head
since 5 weeks old, he has been sleeping through the night in his crib and hardly wakes up...up until now at 6 months old
my son is the dream baby...1st moms dream!

Megan - posted on 12/01/2009

I let my daughter sleep through the night at like 2 months, which that is when she started to sleep through the night before then she would wake up and let me know when she was hungrey

Ashley - posted on 12/01/2009

when my son was 11 weeks old is when he starting sleeping threw the night so at that time i did not wake him for anything maybe give it another 6 or 7 weeks an then it would probally be ok for you to let her sleep thru night feeding but i would check with her ped just to make sure

Megan - posted on 12/01/2009

I let my daughter sleep through the night at like 2 months, which that is when she started to sleep through the night before then she would wake up and let me know when she was hungrey