5 month old hardly ever sleeps???

Jennifer - posted on 04/29/2009

What you can try that can work during the night is put a little of cereal in her bottle so that it can settle her stomach and not wake up to eat. have you also tried to put her tummy down or to the side instead of facing up sometimes that has to do with it also. I always have put my son on to his side to sleep or tummy down and he sleeps all night and he does not wake me up until 7-7:30 in the morning.

Courtney - posted on 04/29/2009

Have you tried the special formula for fussy babies? Even though my child was not extremely fussy this formula helped him get some sleep. Also putting a little bit of rice or oatmeal ceral in the bottle always helps just about every mom I know has tried this and it has worked. I also like the suggestion under mine. I had a cd player in my sons room until he was about 2 he fell asleep to cds like sounds of nature or lullaby cds. Or maybe she might be teething infant tylanol or baby oragel works great and helps the little one fall asleep. :)

Shannon - posted on 04/29/2009

if u keep going in2 her she'll expect u to be there when she wakes!! wot i used to do wiv my boy was i used to leave him to cry abit but i would go in after about 5-10mins to settle him agen, but now i give him ready brek b4 bed and he sleeps 7:30 til about 6:30, but if it was me id give her some ceral before bed such as ready brek as it thicker and keeps them asleep longer. Good luck i hope it works out for you.

Monica - posted on 04/29/2009

try putting her on her tummy to sleep it helps a lot unlike what people say babies have been sleeping on their tummy for years and as long as they can control their head they will not die from sid's. she sounds over tired at that age they should be getting about 14 hours of sleep a day. make sure she has a full belly befor you put her to sleep. make sure you are giving her lots of things to stimulate her so that she is tired.

Vanessa - posted on 04/28/2009

My daughter didn't like sleeping much during the day for the first two months, I had to put her in a routine. Specially for day time, the midwife said that could cuddle her to sleep or let her cry. I know some mums don't like the crying method but it worked for me, it was very hard and I would never just put her down and let her cry until she was asleep I would go in every five minutes cuddle and calm her then put her back down but I would get her up if she didn't go to sleep in 20 mins of doing this but remember she was 2 months old and the midwife was very worried about her so this is why we did it. She sleeps now and has been from 4 months 11 to 12 hrs at night and 2 to 3 naps for 2 to 3 hrs during the day. I remember the midwife saying if you could get them to sleep properly during the day they would sleep better during the night. Just a quick note on that if you breastfeed she should be waking at least once through the night to feed, we were bottlefeeding so by 4 months she slept through the night.

Carla - posted on 04/28/2009

Hi, I'm just starting to get out of this problem. We had heaps of issues with our little girl (now four and a half months) when she was 8 weeks old. It started with her not getting enough food so she was screaming until she was so exhausted she'd fall asleep. We'd rock her and rub her tummy as the nurse thought she had a sore tummy. Since we switched to formula feeding she's much happier but still likes to fall asleep in our arms and would scream when we put her down. I started putting her down when she was almost asleep, When she's floppy but still opens her eyes. Gradually I put her down when she was a bit more alert and giving her a toy or a dummy and standing next to the cot but not looking at her. She could see that I was there but not interacting. Slowly I would move further away from the cot so we would get used to me not being there.

She now sleeps through the night (9.30-7.30) waking once or twice but would fall back asleep on her own or if i put the dummy back in her mouth.

Michelle - posted on 04/28/2009

i just replied to a similar post about getting your baby to sleep through the night...but it works for naps too!

www.babysleephelp.com i bought a 5 dollar ebook there that has SAVED MY LIFE!

my 2 yr old and 7 month old sleep 12 hours THROUGH the night and the 2 yr old takes a 3 hour nap during the day and the 7 month old takes 3 naps during the day!

GOOD LUCK! TRY THE SITE!!!

Ashley - posted on 04/28/2009

Quoting Julie:

Quoting Rach:

Hey I had the same problem with my daughter, she just wouldn't go to sleep at all unless i rocked her. I spoke to a few people and ended up putting her on her stomach (don't do this unless you really feel comfortable doing it!) and I have had no problems since. She goes to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 8!

My son sleeps on his tummy too, since he was 6 weeks old.  He sleeps so much better that way, and is able to go back to sleep if he wakes up.    At 5 months old, your daughter probably has good enough head and neck control for it to be safe, and if she can roll over, it's perfectly fine to put her on her tummy to sleep.

I agree with these moms, my baby has been sleeping on her belly since she was 10 weeks old. She now rolls onto her belly and falls asleep.

How long is your baby awake at a time during the day? At 5 months it should only be bewteen an hour and a half and 2 hours (watch for tired signs, avoiding eye contact, not interested in surroundings, yawning) and then put your baby down for a nap. A baby this age should sleep about 3-4 hours during the day and 11-12 at night. Putting your baby down at 6-6:30pm will help a great deal. Babies "sleep clocks" usually start for night time sleep at around 6pm so putting your baby down later will cause them to wake up frequently at night. If the baby is only taking a few ounces during the night and then not interested they probably don't really want to eat, especially if they are eating well during the day. Do what you feel comfortable with (tummy sleeping, CIO, whatever) but putting the baby down within 2 hours of being awake during the day and by 6-6:30pm at night will help the baby get enough sleep.

Julie - posted on 04/23/2009

Quoting Rach:

Hey I had the same problem with my daughter, she just wouldn't go to sleep at all unless i rocked her. I spoke to a few people and ended up putting her on her stomach (don't do this unless you really feel comfortable doing it!) and I have had no problems since. She goes to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 8!

My son sleeps on his tummy too, since he was 6 weeks old.  He sleeps so much better that way, and is able to go back to sleep if he wakes up.    At 5 months old, your daughter probably has good enough head and neck control for it to be safe, and if she can roll over, it's perfectly fine to put her on her tummy to sleep.

Rach - posted on 04/23/2009

Hey I had the same problem with my daughter, she just wouldn't go to sleep at all unless i rocked her. I spoke to a few people and ended up putting her on her stomach (don't do this unless you really feel comfortable doing it!) and I have had no problems since. She goes to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 8!

Emma - posted on 04/23/2009

Hi at 12 weeks my son was sleeping through the night. We would wake him and give him a bottle before we went to bed at about 10/11 so he would have a full tummy. We put him in his own room at 12 weeks and left him crying when he went to bed. although this was upsetting, he only did it for 2 nights for an ahour and then got the message, and has slept through ever since. I think one of the reasons is that he is in his own bedroom so we don't disturb him. My friend is in the same room with her daughter whi is 18months and she constantly wakes up. You have to show them who is boss as they will manipulate you! I think it depends on the baby as well. Some need more sleep than others. My son now goes to bed at 8 and doesn't wake up until 8.am. He also has 2 and a half hours naps during the day- he is 13 months old. If he cries when he goes down- which is very rarely we ignore him and he eventually drops off( you become aware of what is an attention cry)

Heather - posted on 04/22/2009

Quoting Julie:

hi julie, thanks, at the moment she is still in the same room as me we are in the process of moving out of my mams, when she wakes i leave her for a while in the hope that she will stop crying but the only time she stops is when i do pick her up n cuddle her in then she will stop crying and go back to sleep,

At around 6 months of age, it is important for them to learn to fall asleep on their own. 

It was really hard to listen to my son cry angrily for 45 minutes the first time we let him cry himself to sleep.  The reason we did this was because he had become so dependant on us (his parents) to come to him everytime he cried at night. 

Once you get through the first few nights, the time it takes to settle gets shorter and shorter.  Now my son rarely cries at night, and never wakes in the night.  

A good routine will also help, babies need a routine!                    

  Good luck!

Maria - posted on 04/22/2009

if you fed her and cleaned her let her cry out i know its hard but she will go back to sleep if she is tired. also at five months babies are more awake during the day my daughter is now 6 months and she takes 2 naps maybe 20 minutes but i try to keep her up as much as i can and keep her active so by the time its her bed time she is tired. just try to get her on a set schedule good luck

Heather - posted on 04/22/2009

My son did the same thing until we moved him to his own room, then he slept better than ever!

Babies need 10-12 hours of sleep a night, and 3-6 during the day!

Tomorrow night put her to bed in her room at 7/8pm, before you and hubby go to bed (about 3 hours after she goes) quietly wake her in her dark room for a small feeding, this will help her through the night.

It's worth a try, it worked for us! Our son is now 71/2 months old and is just starting to not need the late night feeding (better for hubby and I).

Good luck!

Julie - posted on 04/22/2009

Quoting Julie:

hi julie, thanks, at the moment she is still in the same room as me we are in the process of moving out of my mams, when she wakes i leave her for a while in the hope that she will stop crying but the only time she stops is when i do pick her up n cuddle her in then she will stop crying and go back to sleep,

It is normal for babies to wake up during the night; they have sleep cycles just like you and me, but they need help to learn how to put themselves back to sleep.  You probably even don't realize when you wake up to check out your surroundings and go back to sleep. Does she go to sleep on her own at the beginning of the night, or do you rock her to sleep?  That may be a good place to start.  Put her down when she is sleepy, but not quite asleep yet.  When she wakes up in the night, try other methods of soothing other than picking her up, like rubbing her back or tummy, and slowly try to do less and less as she learns to calm herself and go back to sleep.  It might be a long process, but you'll get there!

Jacy - posted on 04/22/2009

wow that is very little sleep. i cluster fed my daughter to get her to sleep through the night. also i would put rice cereal in her bottle. heres what i did i would feed her dinner (with rice cereal added to it) then a 4oz bottle (this would be about an hour before her whind down and bed time). durring this quiet time before bed (an hour after dinner) i give her a full bottle with rice cereal in it. then i put her to sleep and she wouldnt wake up till 3-330a. then she wouldnt wake again till 6-730a.
her nap schedual went like this- about 3 hours after she was fully up and dressed she would go down for a nap (usually between 10-11a). then she would go down for a second nap at 3-330p and i never let her sleep past 5pm. she would sleep 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours each time.
at 5 months your daughter could be teething which could really mess up sleep. for that try gentle naturals teething drops (thy were a godsend for me!).

Lauren - posted on 04/22/2009

When my daughter was that age she did the same thing. I shared a room with her too. I also realized that her appetite was growing and it helped alot by feeding her more of the cereal or oatmeal. Maybe try to mix alittle in with her bottle at the 11pm feeding?? And i also agree with not catering to her every cry. It sucks, I know, but let it go a while and see how it goes. If you get frustrated or feel you have to go in there then do it. Just not every time. I play jazz and classical music everytime she naps or is in bed for the night. It will work out for you, just hang in there!!

Julie - posted on 04/22/2009

hi julie, thanks, at the moment she is still in the same room as me we are in the process of moving out of my mams, when she wakes i leave her for a while in the hope that she will stop crying but the only time she stops is when i do pick her up n cuddle her in then she will stop crying and go back to sleep,

Julie - posted on 04/22/2009

Do you go in every time she wakes up and cries? If there is no other reason for her to wake up, just let her put herself back to sleep. It can be hard, but you may be surprised at how quickly she quits crying and just goes to sleep if you don't make an appearance. Give yourself a set amount of time, like 5 or 10 minutes, that you will wait before going in. Also, try playing some light instrumental music in her room. If you play the same thing every single time she goes to sleep, she will start to associate it with sleeping. Then you can just leave the CD on repeat through the night.