11Wk Old Sleepimg Through the night...too Much Sleep?

My baby has also been sleeping thru the night since he was 9 wks old. We are lucky to have good sleepers. Enjoy!

hello stef, new borns always sleep a lot in fact they usually sleep about 12 hours at night and then they take naps here and there during the day. I wouldn't be worried but if you are really concerned then contact your child's Dr. I hope this helps. God Bless!

I'd be thrilled. As long as he is eating well and looks healthy, don't worry. It is probably a growth spurt and will end soon. Also some kids need more sleep. My second child has always slept less, now she is two and wants to give up naps. Meanwhile her four year old brother still naps daily for 2-3 hours (after 10-11 hours at night)

my 10 month old daughter is on the same sched. I find a two hour nap a bit much so I wake her up after an hour to an hour and a half and she runs around and then takes a second nap later in the afternoon i enjoy the diff. breaks depending on how the day is going. mold your schedules.

Consider yourself lucky!! No, it's not too much sleep. My son, now 6 months, started sleeping thru the night at 8 weeks and my Dr told me that is totally fine. They need A LOT of sleep and it's normal. There are websites out there that have information on infant sleep guides. Just go to google a bunches pop up. ENJOY your good night sleep; it makes everyone in the family much happier!

Hi Stef H.

I am a first time mom of a 4 month old but I have a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. I think based on the little that I've read that you should be counting your lucky stars. Newborns need a lot of sleep but it does depend on their weight and also if you're formula feeding rather than breast feeding. Formula fed babies seem to be able to sleep through the night faster as it tends to be more filling. You should check with your doctor for possible low blood sugar concerns but otherwise, he seems to be doing fine based on your email. Also, get a copy of the book. If you can keep up these healthy sleep habits, you will have one happy child. I hope this is helpful.

GT - LaCrescenta, CA

One area not enough parents are informed about is that by 6 weeks old their little baby's brain has develped to be capable of REM sleep. That means they are not only old enough to be trained to sleep through the night, but they will immediately reap the benefits of night-long undisturbed sleep, that being neurotransmitter repair and growth hormone.

Some babies naturally glide into this, others need to be trained. Some of mine needed training, others glided into it. Be grateful for your glider. Those that need training can put a parent through the wringer. Encouraging healthy sleep is a...healthy thing. =) You are helping define what love is to your little one and if something is healthy and responsible you will be doing a great service by defining love as such.

Hi stef,

I completely understand your situation. My third son was born in 2006 and he did the same thing. Mind you my first 1 boys sleeping habits were different.He didnt sleep through the niget until he was 6 months. My second son began sleeping through the night at 2 1/2 months. So when my 3rd one came and slept so much so early it scared me. I spoke with my doctors and they assured me that it was fine. They reminded me that this is when children develop and grow. My doctors assured me that everything would be fine. One would think he would have woke up for sure, since he was breast fed. There is that myth that formula fed babies sleep better. But the fact of the matter is it all depends on the child. Each child is different. All 3 of my children have been different. And they were all breast fed for more than a year.

If your childs activaties are normal when your child is awake, and the baby is eating and soiling properly, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I Got so worried when my son started sleeping through the night at one month that I actually used to wake him up so I could feed him. It gave me peace of mind. After about a week and a half of waking him, and after speaking with the doctor, I gave up and enjoyed my full nights sleep. Unfortuantely for me, he no longer sleeps 8-9 hours through the night. Its more like 6 hours, but he takes a 2 to 3 hour nap. =)

By the Way, I live in Hawaii. It gets hot here or rather stays hot here, but nothing compared to where you are. Just try to keep cool and enjoy the rest while u can. You are doing an excellent job!

P.S. I hope this helps.

Aloha,

R.

A good stretch of sleep like that is very good for your baby. Just be sure he is getting enough nutrition during the day (at least every 3 hours at his age, then soon up to 4 hours) and you shouldn't need to worry. My first baby started sleeping 7-8 hours (sometimes up to 9) a night sporadically at 6 weeks, and my second baby slept 7-8 hours a night very consistently from 3 weeks! Both were sleeping 11-12 hours total by 5 months (they might have been ready for that sooner, I've heard many babies are ready by 12 weeks, but I was waking them to feed them before I went to bed and I didn't want to stop that routine too soon and then have them waking at 3 am for a feeding).
I know how it is to be worried over every little thing - that's how I was, especially with my first. You're just getting to know this little person and they change so fast. But as long as your baby is getting enough nutrition during the day, having wet and soiled diapers, growing at a fairly consistent rate, and not inconsolably fussy, he should be just fine.

My kids had the same exact schedule at that age. They would sleep like 8-10 hours, breast fed, then go back to sleep for 1-2 hours. My dd is now 4 months old, and now sleeps 10-12 hours, and stays awake now. It's wonderful! Sounds like you've got a very happy baby. Enjoy!

This site tells you a lot about how much sleep a child needs from birth to teens. It also says that provided weight gain has been established, let your sleeping baby sleep.

Something else that is note worthy- if he is formula fed, formula burns off slower than breast milk, so a lot of kids can sleep longer on formula. My son was BFed, and at 12m still woke at least once a night for "mid-night" feeding (usually around 3:00am).

I think you are OK, my pediatrician has no problem with my 9 week old sleeping 11 hours at night, and he has been doing that since he was 4 weeks old. Just be thankful you are sleeping!

You can never get too much sleep, they're growing and their brains are working. My son started sleeping 12 hours at night around 5 weeks. He sleeps 12 hours at night now and naps 3-4 hours, it is the healthiest thing for them. Lack of sleep leads to ALL kinds of diseases later in life.

You're just a very lucky Mommy. You're baby needs that much sleep!
No need to call the dr. Thank God and hope he keeps it up!
Congrats on your new baby!
S. G.

Stef, my husband & i experienced the same thing, so much so I was calling my mother crying saying he's sleeping all the time whats wrong? New babies are suppose to wake up often to eat or cry or something aren't they? We even had trouble waking him up to eat. He just wanted to sleep. His check ups went fine, he was right on track where he should be development wise, he was just a good baby. A very good baby. I know it seems/feels like something may be wrong, I mean we hear we're never going to sleep again etc... & yet my boy is 6 yrs old now & having him never changed our sleeping patterns. If everything is going fine at Dr. visits, you should enjoy this time. Our son is our only child. He is a great sleeper & still a very good boy. We are fourtunate. All in all I would say to just enjoy he's a good sleeper... my nephew who is now 1 yr old only sleeps for 30 min's at a time & that is a lot less fun from what I hear. Take care ;)

Hi Stef-

My daughter slept through the night starting at 10 weeks. She would sleep from around 9:00pm-6am, wake up and nurse, and then sleep with me for another hour or 2. It was HEAVEN. Enjoy it while you can because my second child, my son, never slept!! Not until 19 months, and it wasn't fun! Anyway, it's natural to be unsure, I was as well. I have often said that I was never so insecure until I had children!!

Good luck to you!

I do not know how big your little one was at birth, but my first son was borderline premature and didn't sleep through the night (woke for feeding) but then went back to sleep. He slept so much even during the day that I was bored as a "stay at home mom" for the first time. If he doesn't have a temperature and is drinking enough fluids (nursing?) so he won't get hydrated I would not worry. A call to the doctor may ease your mind since you are a new mom:)
H.

hi stef, all 3 of my babies slepted through the night at 6 weeks, what i tell all moms who have concerns, is for pece of mind talk to the babies ped. remember where they are sleeping they growing, your baby may be on the way to a growth spurt. J.

Wow- I wish my kids had been such good sleepers. Enjoy it, but don't expect any future babies to sleep so much.

Eh. As long as he gets enough to eat and is otherwise healthy, enjoy it while it lasts! :)

A baby that age should be sleeping about 12 hours a night. I wouldn't change a thing!

Stef,
Enjoy it. My first child slept like this at 11 days old. I worried and worried, but she was happy, breastfed and loving life. I took her out all day long, she had naps, baths etc. She was and IS fine now at 26 and lives her life to the fullest. Doctors told me then to enjoy it and not complain. Baby #2, boy, age 23 now, was totally different, although didn't sleep, sleep through the night till 14 months old. He always woke up wanting a bottle, could time him like a clock. Then he outgrew it as he became more active. Baby #3, girl, also a light sleeper, and now 18 yrs old and sleeps alot now as college student. Last baby#4, age 13 boy, always a good sleeper, around 6 wks began sleeping through the night. So you see, the are all different and can take care of themselves and their needs.

My oldest daughter started sleeping 7 hours straight at night when she was 3 weeks old. It scared me the first time it happened, but our doctor (and my sister) told me we were very lucky. She also wasn't a very long napper during the day.

Well its probably a blessing but i understand why you would be concerned since it isunusual. When the child is awake is he/she? alert? responsive? how much do they eat? able to keep the food down? are you breast feeding? if so are you taking any pain meds I know the doctors say its ok evend if your breastfeeding but i have seen babies too grogy from the pain med the mom is taking regardless of what the dr. said. is this possibly a reason for sleeping alot? if none of these things are happening its probably that you got the one in a million baby how cool is that?!

I've always based sleep amounts on the total number of hours they're receiving in a 24 hour period. Based on the National Sleep Foundation the following is how much sleep we need:

0-3 months : 15-17 hours
3-18 months : 13-15 hours
18 months-3 years : 11-13 hours
4-12 years : 10 hours
Teens : 8.5-9.5 hours
Adults : 7-9 hours

I hope this helps. I don't think I'd worry about your 11 week old. My children have always been great sleepers and I was lucky because they were sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. My children (ages 4 and 7) continue to sleep 10-12 hours through the night. It's what they need. Your son is just finding his schedule and what works for him. My daughter was similar in that she slept a lot in the morning, but not much in the afternoon. But, she still received the total number of hours necessary for her age.

Let him sleep :o) My daughter was sleeping through the night at 4 weeks (down at 8, up between 5-6am) and back to sleep for another 2 hours. And yes, formula fed babies sleep longer. Id breastfeed during the day, then formula before bedtime. I used to think the same thing, too much sleep, but really its nothing to worry about. Plus, it lets you catch up on a little sleep too :o)