How Many Times Does Your Baby Wake in the Night?

[thanka2]

Hey SZJ,

I think you already know this about my son but:

Number of Night Wakings: Currently, None.
-0-5.5 months, slept 45 minutes at a shot, around the clock
-5.5 months on started sleeping 12 hours straight with one to two night feedings up until about 12 months old
-14-15 months no night feedings

Why: We have no idea why he didn't sleep well in the beginning but reason that it's partly his personality and partly because we didn't know how to set a schedule for him until he was about 6 months old.

Since setting a schedule his night wakings were because:
-He was hungry because he didn't eat a big enough dinner/he was going through a growth spurt
-He was unsettled because of a very active day--this still happens when he goes to see his Chinese relatives at big holiday dinners--he has night-mares and wakes up
-He is over-tired and beyond exhaustion and just has a hard time staying asleep
-He was going through "separation anxiety" where he would wake calling out to see if we were still there (right around 8-12 months-old)
-He had jet-lag and/or was in a new/strange place
-We messed with his schedule and he got to bed too late too many nights in a row
-We (the parents) were particularly stressed-out over something (had been arguing or there was tension) and he sensed it and was unsettled and didn't want to go to sleep
-He is ill

Breast/Bottle/Both?: Breast at night until 5.5 months (bottle during the day), Bottle afterward, No bottle since 14 months

Why do you think your baby sleeps through: He has a good routine throughout the day and a pretty relaxed and soothing evening, gets plenty of activity that tires him out during the day and he eats a lot that keeps him full at night. And...he just adjusted to it...we tried to get him to sleep better at an earlier age but it just had to be the "right time" for him to get into the hang of it. We did "our part" by setting a routine and waited it out until he got the hang of it.

 

[carang]

i should say that both of my kids were fantastic sleepers UNTIL 6 months old. my daughter slept through the night or at a minimum 6 hour stretches from about 10 days old!!!

when both of my kids learned to roll over or pull themselves to standing, it was all over. they could stand up, but didn't know how to sit back down again. and they would wail and wail. so from 6 months on, they woke at night.

 

[joyofliving]

We used to rock our 16 month old daughter to sleep till about 2 months ago when we sleep trained her to sleep on her own. It took us 2- 3 days but it worked like magic. Since she started sleeping on her own she stopped waking up in the night automatically. She used to wake up 2- 3 times in the night before this for breastfeeding. So now she sleeps for 11 hours 7pm- 6am straight without waking up.

 

[Suv]

My son also would wake up crying when he managed to stand up in his sleep and did not know how to go back down. I knew his standing up cry from others so would respond immediately and help him down even if it took 4-5 tries over an hour or so while saying key words. We would practice sliding/ moving hands down crib bars and bending knees during the day. I think that helped tremendously at night- within a week the issue was resolved.

 

[starbucks2]

Hi

When our baby was 6 months we had just started him on baby rice and were still giving the dream feed at 10pm ish. We would give him some solids at 5.30pm, then milk at 7pm (BF), bed from 7pm to 10pm, get him up without waking and give a bottle of formula then back to bed. He would then sleep through to 7am.

Good luck
SB2

 

[Shenzhennifer]

I see a pattern here. The ones of us that BF to sleep, those seem to be the night wakers...
I used to do the dream feed, but then he started waking in anticipation. And then I read that you should phase it out by 7-8 months so I haven`t bothered again.
Sazzy, I will try your method. At least I hope I can when I`m half asleep in the night
Well, at least I have some company somewhere in HK in the middle of the night~

 

[mgarthe]

Age: 5 months old
# of wakes:0-1
Why: She started being like this at 6 weeks old. I think she's more satisfied being bottlefed.
Breast bottle or both? Breast fed in the first five weeks, bottle fed afterwards
Why does your baby sleeps through?
We did use the "happiest baby on the block" method....using white noise, swaddling tight enough, milk shake to soothe her. We also make sure that she's well fed before going to bed. She simply just sleeps through from 7-7.

I love reading all your methods. I think I just lucked out but with my next future baby I'd love to learn more techniques to soothe babies.


Michelle
Baby, Children, Maternity, Family Photographer
Welcome to Garthe Photo Arts, Hong Kong
on Summer sale!

 

[starbucks2]

Hi

I do think that the formula seemed to keep my baby full for longer. I breastfeed almost all feeds until baby was 11 months but from quite early on I replaced the last feed of the night with formula. While he was still waking at 3am ish to feed then I would breastfeed him because it was easier than mucking around with bottles at that time. I think that the solids helped too. We were able to phase out the dream feed by about 7 months as he was more established on solids by then and was having a baby rice at 5.30pm ish then breastfeed at 7pm and dream feed formula at 10pm - 10.30pm. Because we were trying not to wake him for the dream feed, keep him sleepy, I found it easier to get a bottle into his mouth than breast feeding.

Good luck, the night wake ups are not easy but it should pass soon.

SB2

 

[lilypotter2009]

I didnt face any of these problem actually Lily used to wake at about 1am and then again at 4am. Now she goes from 9pm - 7am. Sometimes she wakes at 5am eats 4oz and then sleeps until 8am.

HV said she may start to wake again soon!

 

[nicolejoy]

My baby USED to be the world's best sleeper, I think. She was sleeping from midnight til about 7am at only a few weeks old or so. Then she was sleeping from 10-8, wake up for a snack, then sleep until 10am between 3-6 months old. Ever since she hit 7 months though, SOMETHING changed, I don't know WHAT. She's 9 months old now and her sleep patterns are driving me insane!! She goes to bed between 9 and 10, then wakes up at about 1am for a feed and goes back to sleep, then wakes up at about 4am for another feed, and then at 7-8am and is ready for the day. I have a few "theories" about why she is waking so much... maybe it's because of our change in schedule - my husband is studying part time at the moment and gets home between 9-10, right as my baby's going to bed. She's eating solids, maybe needs more? But doesn't WANT more. She's always the one who tells me when she's finished eating. I offer until she's not interested any more. Maybe she's just too interested in the world at the moment? Maybe it's because she doesn't get enough milk during the day? She's easily distracted when feeding now - and feeds for only a few minutes at a time. Her night feeds are her best feeds... (she's still breast fed)

I don't know why her pattern changed when we were doing so awesome!! But I know it's not forever. I've tried a million things to help her sleep better at night - but it doesn't seem to be harming her... it only makes ME more tired... I'm pretty exhausted most days at the moment!! Any suggestions that I haven't thought of would be greatly appreciated