Hello ladies, I need a bit of a refresher on this... My 6mo granddaughter is sleeping "through" the night, 6-7 hrs, then wants to breastfeed and will generally sleep another 3-5 hours. I read others' descriptions of babies this age sleeping straight through 9 hours. I recall mine being more like that by this age, but then that was over 20 years ago. Baby takes 2 daily naps, 10-ish and 1-ish, for 30-60 min. She just started on solids a few weeks ago, so they give her a full "dinner" of baby food, sometimes mixed with rice cereal, then have a solid nighttime routine. I later suggesting changing the routine a bit so that sleep did not require breastfeeding immediately prior, and they agreed with that. Still, though, she sleeps pretty well for 7 hours, but since they were putting her down at 7, mom has to get up around 2am for another feeding. They've successfully transitioned her to her own crib in her own room, so they don't want to go backward on that (although after the 2am feeding she often ends up just co-sleeping the rest of her night). She is up anywhere from 5am to 7am regardless of whether she's in their bed or the crib. They're trying to move 7pm bedtime to 8 (miserable baby!), but still the 7hrs max sleep time never seems to stretch any further. Thoughts please? Is there a better way to get her to sleep longer, or is this the price to be paid for 2 great naps during the day? Thanks!
Wow, what a community of magnificent women here, thank you all so very much! I appreciate your great advice and will show them to my daughter and her husband. They're in the Air Force in California and we are here in Seattle, but we've been to visit a couple of times. I'd forgotten about BF babies not staying full as long, and adding in new foods gradually, and didn't realize moving bedtime later could be counterproductive. Am also glad to have some varying perspectives on the CIO method, as my daughter is probably much more compassionate than I was and will see the crying sessions differently than I did. This way they can consider both viewpoints, not just mine or the other grandma's. I'm sorry that some of you never see a 7-hour night yet and do hope that will change for you soon! Happy Mothers Day and I am very appreciative of your wonderful support!! Clearly each of you are caring parents and friends, and will have many joys in this adventure of raising a family. Thanks again.
Sounds like she's sleeping great for her age! They could try waking her just before mom goes to bed to breastfeed, but that could work to their disadvantage. It's another option though.
Each child is their own. My ds didn't sleep through the night until after 10mo. I wouldn't worry about it. Breast milk doesn't linger very long so BF babies eat more often.
I would recommend them getting the book... Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. My ds has GREAT sleep habits and I accredit it all to the book!! Moving bedtime later will not get baby to sleep longer, it just makes for a crankier baby. I'd try moving bedtime earlier, my ds used to go to bed around 6pm at that age and slept until 6-7am, but was up 1-3 times to eat...which was fine. He went right back to sleep.
(sorry ... I was feeling grumpy and that came out all wrong ... but I can't just delete, so here's the apology)
I would say that your granddaughter is sleeping EXTREMELY well for her age, better than my 2 year old! She is probably hungry after 7 hours since she then sleeps well again for another several hours after feeding. These parents are very, VERY lucky!! No need to change anything.
ARENT GRANDCHILDREN THE BEST?????????????????--- My son ( middle of 3 children) --- slept through - BUT woke up at about 4 am every day to nurse--- I will always regret taking the pediatrician's advice and '''putting a pillow over MY head-- he'll stop waking up after 3 or 4 days'''--- my baby DID stop waking up in under a week=---- but why did I make him so upset??? -- FOR WHAT???? --- It didn't cost me anything to pick him up at 9 months- nurse him in our quiet house- for a 30 minute ''feed'' when I wasnt distracted by his big sister- or the phone- or the doorbell-- I truly regret his sorrow and wish I'd kept up the 4am feed until he was at least 13 months--- - that's how I feel---
My suspicion is - -the babys' parents will find a balance that works for them- and you can go right on having a fabulous, wonderful time and NOT having to carry the whole weight--- it's the best!!!
Blessing,
J.
aka- Old Mom
Hi C.,
I just want to say, as a nanny, I saw that every child was different. I took care of 2 year olds that needed a nighttime 2-3 a.m. bottle, no matter how much I stocked them up on food at bedtime. My son is 2 now, and I'd say 50% of the time, we have a nurse at 2-3ish. This was far more frequent when he was wee little, as your granddaughter is.
I wouldn't say that this is a price to pay for two naps a day.... this is just what a six month old NEEDS. It is extremely common for a child that age to nap twice and need a nighttime feeding. Rest assured, your granddaughter is completely normal and right on track with most very young children. :) Breathe easy on this one! I know that there is a lot of talk about little ones 'sleeping through the night', but as many in my moms group and I have discovered, I think there are a few parents stretching the truth a bit. Certainly some kids at that age will sleep through the night, but most don't. And most moms I've spoken to say that when they are asked if their children are "sleeping through the night', they will often fib and say "yes" to avoid unwanted advice. This isn't a criticism of anyone, just a fact: strangers like to ask about sleep and give advice, and mothers often don't really want to engage that way. It's fairly common for parents to see sleep "even out" and become routine in time and length at around three years old.
Only one suggestion, and this isn't going to necessarily change things-- your granddaughter might feel more full with just vegetables. Avocados are often favorites, and they are full of good fats. At her age, rice is metabolized far faster than veggies or fats. The nursing could go either way: she could perhaps sleep longer with the "good fats" in milk, or could wake and wonder where mom is.
You sound like a wonderful, concerned grandmother. Happy Mother's Day to you, and enjoy those little ones in your life! They're just fabulous to have around. (I wouldn't have been working with kids for year and about to start a nursery school if I didn't mean it!:))
she is still so very young. My daughter slept through the night right away and by that I mean 6-8 hours in a row. It wasn't till she hit about a year that bam it was 12-14 hours in a row. My son on the other hand did not know the luxury of sleeping long hours at all until he hit 11 months. She is very luck to have a baby that sleep this well already and she will learn to sleep long in a few months.
I do not have advice just a praise. My daughter is 6 months old day (great Mama's day gift!) and i would LOVE LOVE LOVE for her to sleep like your granddaughter. Her parents are doing a great job.
C.,
Does it bother the mother or father that their baby is waking up? Remember that she is only 6 months old. If for some reason they do not want to be waken up in the night then they can try to have her cry it out. A lot of people do that to babies this little. My own philosophy was that they will sleep thru the night when they are ready. I have three boys and I nursed them all until around 1 years old. they all would wake up once or more during the night and I would bring them into bed with me and nurse them They are all sleeping through the night. It is a personal thing but I think that if it is not bothering them then I would not worry about. i think our society puts too much pressure on having our babies sleep thru the night. I could never have them cry it out.
S.
I just want to support the other posts that said her parents are very lucky to have a baby that sleeps 7 hours straight! A 6 month old who is breastfed needs to eat more often, breastmilk is easily digested. She is waking up because she is hungry. Babies are wise & it sounds like your daughter is trusting her instincts & responding appropriately to her baby's needs. I have three children, all breastfed and they did not sleep in 7 or 8 hour stretches until they were older, 9-10 months. Also we co-slept and didnt have a problem transitioning them into their own beds. We never left them to cry it out.
Congratulations! Your daughter is lucky to have a mom who is an involved & loving grandmother!
sounds to me like the baby is sleeping awesome for a 6 month old! there isnt anything to worry about. sure it'd be nice if they could make her bedtime later, but i wouldnt worry about it..once she gets moblile and tires herself out more then she will sleep longer
Dear C.,
I am the mother of 4. My youngest is 20 months old. I have breastfed all of them. My experience is that when you breastfeed babies are hungrier sooner than bottle fed because the breastmilk goes right through them. Especially at that age I was up breast feeding once or twice in the night even with two 1 hour naps during the day. I also would end up cosleeping with my children. There are great books out there on sleep training if this is not working for your daughter and baby. My pediatrician recommended Healthy Sleep Happy Child. I have yet to have a baby sleeping through the night at 6 months of age but I have heard of babies out there that do that. Not many are breastfed though. At age 6 months is when I introduce rice cereals and some baby foods but still mostly breastmilk. Hope that helps. Best of luck. By the way my other children are 4 6 and 9 and they all sleep in their own beds through the night, so I promise it happens eventually.
S.
I think that is right on track - granted it's not through the night - but a 7 to 8 hour stretch is through the night for a wee one.
Granted mom and dad might not feel so great since they probably aren't taking advantage of the 7 hour stretch in other words they are probably staying up - if they went to sleep with her they'd feel much better.
I think at this point she's just hungry so less sleep during the day isn't going to work.
First of all she's only 6 months old. Second, every child is different. I do not suggest moving her bedtime to later so mom can catch an extra hour of sleep before waking. What will happen is the opposite of what you want. The baby needs her sleep and she will sleep and feed as needed. These are not things you can control. As she gets older she will sleep longer and need less food in the night. Please just be patient and enjoy those middle of the night times when mom and baby can bond. Maybe dad could take a shift now and again to give mom the much needed sleep she isn't getting. My son was a great sleeper and slept through the night starting at 8 weeks. My daughter didn't sleep through the night until she was 14 months old. they are all different with different needs. Unfortunately, for us parents we can't control when they will sleep and when they need to eat. we just have to adjust and give them what they need. Also, if you want her to sleep longer you could try putting her down a little earlier. It's funny, but if they are too tired they don't sleep as well or as long. good luck and just enjoy her!
Unless the baby's pediatrician says otherwise, a baby can sleep through the night, without a 2am feeding, at 5 months. The feeding is more of a habit than a need. If the parents are willing to "cry it out", that 2am feeding can stop. It took three nights with my oldest. The first night, she cried a little, the second night, she cried a lot, but the third night, just a little whimper and continued to sleep through the night. This is with two good naps during the day.
i think all kids are different and have different needs. to me, your story sounds absolutely enviable! my daughter woke up several times a night (and she was breastfed) until she was about 20 months (yes, 20 MONTHS) old. enjoy the schedule you have.. it sounds wonderful!
Hey C., congrats on being a grandmother. Your curiosity is wonderful, it is commendable that you want to be an informed and knowledgeable about the development of your grandchild. HOWEVER, please grant your daughter and her husband the space and trust to figure things out on their own. If they are comfortable with this schedule then it is the perfect schedule for them. Of course be available to listen and only offer support/guidance if it is asked for.
Dear C.-
My daughter is almost. My daughter took 2 naps and slept well at night, too. The night waking is just part of being a baby and I think they should be happy with the 7 hours of sleep. I had my daughter sleeping longer at 2 months but there is one MAJOR drawback if breastfeeding....the milk supply goes down if you don't put the demand on every 6 hours. I sounds like all is well in that household. My milk supply went down at 4 months becasue of the long night sleeping and I had to work really hard to get it back up. It depends on how important breastfeeding is to the family. We started waking my daughter more at 4 months just to get a feed in...and that lasted until....1.5, I think. Sleep begets sleep....so the 2 naps a day should be protected until about 15 months (average) when it becomes really obvious they just don't want that seconds nap.
C. - I have three of my own, and 23 nieces and nephews - in my experience, it sounds like your daughter has a picture perfect situation! Going down at 7, sleeping 6-7 hours, up between 5 and 7 am . . . everything just as most parents could hope for at this stage. Sorry to mama, but she's got it good compared to many moms, so she needs to grin & bear it! The best thing she can do is get up and nurse baby in a rocker/lazy-boy/glider in the nursery and then put baby back into the crib. Sure, she'll fall asleep nursing plenty of times, but as soon as she wakes (usually anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes later for me) she should put baby back down in the crib until morning and head back to her own bed. Soon enough baby will not be waking to eat anymore.
Happy mother's day to both of you!
Dear C.,
I'm a mother of twin girls that are 10 months old and they slept about 7 hours at 6 months old. Only at this time I had stopped feeding them in the middle of the night because at that age they don't need to be eating that soon. After about a week of letting them cry themselves back to sleep {5-10 minutes} they stopped waking up in the middle of the night. When I did that they later on moved to sleeping 12 hours a night. It hasn't changed since. I hope this helps. The baby sounds like he/she is doing good. I would also recommend not doing anything to change the babies napping pattern. It should stay just as it is.
I say count your blessings! I think your granddaughter is sleeping fine. It is the parents that need to adjust a bit, she is only 6 months. I say just enjoy this time, she is only this little for a short time!
My son had a similar sleep pattern at the is age and I spoke with our pedi about it at his 6 mo. appointment and our pedi said some babies can go longer than 7 hours at this point but many can't, if baby wakes up after appox 7 hours then feed him. At 6 mos many babies still need a night time feeding. My son is now 9 mos and just dropped that final feeding a few weeks ago and now sleeps 7:30pm - 7am straight.
As for the 5am wake-up - We would leave our son to fuss a bit when he woke up at 5am and he would go back to sleep until 7am.
If they haven't bought this book already you might want to tell them about Happy Sleep Healthy Child. Great book that has helped us a ton. It also says that until 9 mos it is reasonable for baby to get up for a feeding.
At 6 mo alwwping 6-7 hrs at a stretch is great. If your daughter wants to switch hours, try having her go down around 7pm wake up at 10 then sleep all the way thru to 6-7 am. What your granddaughter is doing for her eat/sleep routine is routine. Your daughter is away from having to nurse every 3 hrs, so this is a huge gain. Most 6 mo olds don't have a full menu of foods under their belt yet, as you introduce a new food every 5-7 days when they start eating, first one usually being rice cereal, then you add a fruit every few days so you know you're not having any food allergies/reactions. It could be that she's got too full of a dinner and she wakes up due to a bowel movement.
It's all part of growing and settling in.
Happy Mother's Day!!!
What a lucky daughter and granddaughter to have such a caring Grandma. I have three kids, all breastfed and the 6-7 hour routine and then waking to feed sounds familiar. I think as said already breastmilk digests faster and it becomes a comfort to get back to sleep. Around 9-10 months we let them cry back to sleep, and that was a painful process- but it did work. All the kids learned to sleep through the night and to stay in their crib at some point between 10-11 months. We also did the routine where mom feeds the baby (say 11 PM)before the baby wakes so that the pattern of waking up and crying for food/comfort is broken. That did work well too. And one surprising thing, if you want the baby to sleep longer or later, but the baby down a bit earlier. It sounds crazy but it worked for us on all three. Maybe try 6:30 and see what happens. We found that tip and lots of other helpful info in an old book called Sleeping Through the Night. Not even sure if it's still in publication. Good luck! Happy Mother's Day!
