My son is 4.5 months old. For over a week, we've been making him cry himself back to sleep. he wakes up generally around 3:30am and again at 5:30am. (I am trying to get him to sleep until 6 or 6:30 at least) The last time he eats is at 5:30pm, and he goes to bed at 7:00. He's drinking 32 ounces a day plus two feedings of cereal. I don't think he needs more food in the middle of the night. He's never cried more than 1/2 hour since we've started, but he still cries anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Is this ever goign to get better? am I doing something wrong? We do not go in the room when he cries. we watch him on the video monitor. suggestions?
*a few things to add after reading some responses... He's eating the amt the doctor suggests he should eat for his age/weight. the top of the range actually. he gets way to fussy to push back his bed time. some times he even goes to bed at 6:30. i've tried to push back the last nap, but he gets really fussy then (i'm feeding him the last bottle/cereal at 5:30 b/c he's starving when he wakes up. but he's not quite hungry again at 7 when i put him down). He does take good naps durring the day. And, my dr suggested weaning off the middle of the night bottle... so hence the cry it out thing. I know doctors are not always right, but i figured he was getting what he needed in a 24 hour period.
So he actually woke up early from his nap yesterday. I fed him a bottle at 4, which held him off until 6:30. i fed him cereal and a bottle then, and put him to bed at 7. he actually slept an hour later and didn't wake up until 4:45am. i gave him 4 ounces then, and he slept until 6:45! Can't ask for more than that! thanks for all the advice. I do think he is hungry then, and it was killing me to hear him cry every night! poor little guy. :(
Lindee T has a good option. Try the 11-12 night feeding and I bet you male it until 6 am. I did this with my 3 and it worked like a charm.
Hi Ryan,
At 4.5 months my little boy was almost on the same schedule as yours...to a T. At about 5 months he stopped waking up at 3:30 on his own and now at 6 months he is sleeping peacefully for 11 hours. I didn't change a thing, he just adjusted on his own. I think you are doing all the rights things, just keep in mind he is still a small guy. He'll get there.
I know that everyone has a different opinion where CIO is concerned, but he may be growing through a growth spurt...he is still pretty little to be sleeping as long as he does with out eating. It may be worth your while to feed him at 3:30 and get your sleep until 6:30. We never put our kids on a "feeding schedule" per say. We fed them when they were hungry.
My daughter is 7 months and is just now going from 7:30 until 5:30 or 7:00 am. When she wakes at night if she is crying for two minutes I go ahead and get up and make a bottle. When i put her down for naps, or bedtime I do let her cry it out at times, but I do make sure she is full, diaper changed, and she is now older and more ready. I think 4 1/2 months is till on the early side for sleep training. I would say just have patience! :)
Just wanted to say that you're very lucky your little one is already sleeping such long stretches.....I'm jealous! My little girl is almost 9 months and still wakes up twice during the night. The CIO method just doesn't work for us.
But I would try moving his last feeding closer to his bedtime so his tummy is full :)
May I suggest moving back his last bottle to 7 pm. Put him in bed by 7:30 or 8. I bet you will have better results putting him to bed with a maxed out tummy! You might even try "drem feeds". Before you go to bed, around 9:30 or 10, fix him a 4 ounce bottle and feed him in his sleep then put him right back in bed. I did this until about 6 months and it worked wonderfully.
I am sorry to say this, but it is unrealistic to expect him to go 13 hours in between feedings! At 4.5 months, you are lucky that he goes 9 hours until 3:30 to wake up. My best suggestion is to feed him at 3:30, and then he may sleep a few more hours. Eventually he will need to eat later and go to bed later. For example, if he eats around 7:30 or so, and then goes to bed by 8:00, you could expect him to wake up around 6:30 or so. Sleeping through the night generally means 8 hours of sleep, so you are a lucky woman, but do try to understand that he is genuinely hungry. With in the next month, try to bump his sleep time later, and then it as he gets older, it will get better! Good luck ~A.~***SORRY, IT LOOKS LIKE I SENT IT TWICE!!
Your baby is crying b/c he's hungry!! My 3 month old daughter goes to bed at 8:30pm but she wakes up again at 11:30pm to eat. Then she sleeps until about 7:30am the next morning. I feed my daughter when she is hungry not b/c of some schedule the doctor thinks she should be own. Like everyone is saying.. He may be going through a growth spurt!
All children are different!! I do believe in letting the little guy CIO but it sounds like, even if the Dr says he is, he is NOT ready yet. Dr's are only people with advice and do not know everything. I have three kids, 4, 2 and 6 months. Each one of them started sleeping 8+ hours at different times in life, so there may be an average, but all kids are different, and all kids eat different amounts.
I suggest to keep feeding him his mid night snack, or early morning snack for a couple of more weeks and then try the CIO again to see if he is ready then. I know it is tough and I am going through the same with my boy. It is hard to know when it is cuddles or play time they want and when they are genuinely hungry! Also no one knows better what your little guy needs than you, not the Doctor, no one tops you, you are the boss, you are MOMMY!! Mommy knows best!!Good luck!
This age is notorious for growth spurts and sleep setbacks due to developmental milestones. Looking at his sleep, he's doing really good actually. He's sleeping 8 hours straight which is a big chunk. Is he napping well during the day as well? I'd recommend Elizabeth Pantley's book -- No Cry Sleep Solution. It has a lot of really great information in it.
I agree that 13 hours between feedings is probably too long. His stomach is only the size of his fist and just doesn't hold much -- even cereal which someone is bound to recommend. Keep in mind, sleeping through the night is considered only 6 hours -- yes SIX. You might see if feeding him in the middle of the night helps.
Your little guy actually sounds like a good sleeper. Have you thought about shifting bed time a bit? I agree that he could be going through a growth spurt now so he might be extra hungry...
For his age, he seems to be sleeping well. Have you considered a later bedtime? Maybe a little later would give him some play time with Daddy. Then you could still have some grown up alone time after that and sleep a bit more (unless you are an early bird).
I know for older kids 15 minutes a week is a good increment to shift bed time, but I'm not sure if babies can be shifted more slowly or quickly. I know I used the book Baby Wise to get my daughter situated. (Library usually has a copy, plus Half Price Books usually has one or two in stock.) We did modify some and she let me sleep 5 hours pretty early on... but she was breast fed. My nephews had formula and goats milk so they both slept longer like your son. I remember 8-9 hours was tops for a baby to go without eating at night.
I've heard of some parents who were super rigid after reading Baby Wise. I don't get the impression from your post that you would go overboard so I'd recommend checking it out. It is a quick read. (My husband hates to read, but he even skimmed it so we could discuss how we would use the book.)
Either way, it will eventually get better. By the end of his transition toward solid foods, he will probably sleep better.
We have another baby on the way. Let me know if you have any video monitor advice. I'm starting over again since my daughter will be 6 in May.
First off 4.5 months is a little early for CIO. Second off going from 5:30pm to 6:30am is a really LONG time for that tiny stomach.
I would try spacing out his bottles a little during the day if he's only taking a few ozs but frequently. How much cereal is he eating? Sometimes it makes their tummies hurt if they aren't ready for it. Are you putting it in bottles or feeding by spoon?
