Sleepless Nights

Hattie - posted on 07/01/2009

My oldes (2yrs.) still doesn't sleep through the night and I did the whole cereal thing and tried to give her a bed time. Now I'm trying to learn my 2 wk. old patterns. With every child it's different and what one child may do yours may not. You may never get any sleep then again you may have to wait a couple of months before your child sleeps through the night. I still have sleepless night. I guess what I'm tryign to say is be greatful it he finally sleeps through the night and I sympathize with you if he doesn't as I haven't had a good night sleep unless my child is at a relatives hoouse in over 2 yrs.

Lucy - posted on 07/01/2009

Your baby is not ready to sleep through the night. He will do it in his own time, as Lisa said, sleepless nights are part and parcel of having a baby. Don't give your baby cereal and certainly not in a bottle! Recent health research states that before 17weeks baby's tummy's aren't capable of digesting anything other than milk. Giving him cereal may well make him sleep longer because all the stodge is just sat in his tummy not being digested, Is it worth your son having a higher risk of developing allergies or bowel problems for the sake of a few extra hours kip? If you're tired try sleeping when your baby does during the day. The night time sleeping will come just be patient! My daughter is 3months and has just started sleeping 6hours at night which am thrilled with as i expected it to take much longer for her to go that long!

Rebekah - posted on 07/01/2009

my pediatrician told me to start my son on rice cereal at 4 1/2 mos. i waited until he was 5 mos. and it made him wake up every hour. he had just started sleeping in stretches of 6-7 hrs. so, i thought the cereal would make him sleep even longer. it did the opposite! it also made him painfully constipated... you are never supposed to put their food in a bottle either. when they are ready to go to solids it should be bowls and spoons from day one. good luck! when you do get that first long stretch of sleep and you realize it when he finally does wake up you will be so excited you won't be able to go back to sleep... lol

Jael - posted on 07/01/2009

Dont put rice in his bottle, but make 3 or 4 baby spoons of it and feed it to him right before he goes to bed. give him a warm bath withthe soothing baby soap and keep him up more during the day and he should sleep better. I did those things and my son slept 6hrs through the night.

Kirsten - posted on 07/01/2009

my little guy is a month old and hes a pig! He barely sleeps at night...the nurse suggested I offer him food more often during the day so he will pretty full at bedtime. I just started but it seems to be working..

Malinda - posted on 07/01/2009

The first months are so hard, especially when you are sleep deprived! I don't really have any advice that others haven't given, but I just wanted to tell you that you aren't alone...and, to hang in there!

Sara - posted on 07/01/2009

Quoting Alysha:

Well like I've said, family members have just been telling me to do it, so that he will sleep longer periods of time. And I know I'm young, and this is my first child, hence the reason I'm asking other people what they know. I don't want to do anything that will harm my son, or do anything that his body isn't ready for. 

Thanks for the information!

The first 3 months are pretty hellish!  You're not alone in that!  I know that you're tired, but there are a couple of things you can do that will pay off as he gets older, I think.  It is great to establish a routine at bedtime early on.  I do bath, bottle, book and then bed every night with my daughter and have since she was about your son's age.  Just try to start the routine about an hour before you notice a time he normally may go to sleep.  As he grows and becomes more aware of his surroundings he'll equate the routine with sleep, so it will be easier to put him down at night. 

Please remember that it will get better.  You are not alone, and it's such an insignificant amount of time, a few months, to go through all this when you think about the big picuture.  It's tough, and you have every right to bitch about it if you want!  :)  Just hang in there girl! 

Toni - posted on 07/01/2009

I agree i did try rice cereal in the bottle and it did nothing so i gave it up, at 2 mos old he wont be able to sleep through the night, i know your tired but hang in there it should start getting better at areoung 4 mos old.

Alysha - posted on 07/01/2009

Well like I've said, family members have just been telling me to do it, so that he will sleep longer periods of time. And I know I'm young, and this is my first child, hence the reason I'm asking other people what they know. I don't want to do anything that will harm my son, or do anything that his body isn't ready for. 

Thanks for the information!

Minnie - posted on 07/01/2009

Infants do not have adult sleep patterns. It's normal for them to wake frequently, and in fact, long deep stretches of sleep increases the risk of SIDS.

It's a myth that adding cereal to a bottle helps baby sleep better. His digestive system is not ready for it, and it may well make him have poorer sleep, because his body will have to work harder to digest it.

http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepth...

You're a mother of a baby, and a quite young one at that. Frequent wakings come with the territory.

Sara - posted on 07/01/2009

At two months, i'm not sure he's capable of sleeping more than 4-6 hours at at time without eating. You may just have to be patient and wait.



As far as putting rice cereal in his bottle, there is not proof that makes babies sleep longer. There is research that says introducing solid foods too early can have consequences later in life for him, such as obesity. Plus, cereal has no nutritional value, so it is merely taking up space in his bottle and then his tummy that needs to be taken up by actual food. I would urge you to reconsider, he's only two months old. It will get better, you just have to hang in there!