Need Help Geting My 3 Month Old to Sleep Through the Night

SOunds like someone needs a little cereal in her bottle before her bedtime so she stays full all night... did it with all three of mine and it worked like a charm... Hope this helps.

I'm with some of the other responses, add a little cereal to the bottle. It'll keep her fuller a little longer.

Hello, how are you this morning? Well to be honest she is still little she does need her bottle at night. I suggest you put some type of lullaby near her crib and she would love the soothing sounds and will sleep like an angel.

You know what, in all my readings and speaking with my doctors, they don't need that middle of the night feed by 6 months. I have never heard of stopping the feedings when they are that young. Now, my 11 month old son still nurses once in the middle of the night and I'm pulling my hair out over it, but I never would have considered dropping that middle of the night feed at 3 months, especially because my son used to feed at least twice a night back then.

Here is an article on Sleeping Through the Night/Middle of the Night Feeding:

Getting Baby to Sleep Through the Night: All babies will fall asleep eventually. Some just need a little more help than others.
By Barbara Solomon

Pulling Baby out of the Crib
Up to the time he was 10 months old, my son David had always been a good sleeper. Then my family moved into a new house, and all of a sudden, all bets were off. He began waking two, sometimes three times a night. I was sure he was just unsettled by the change and would return to his old ways soon. But after we tried every trick in the book only to suffer more sleepless nights, we caved in. One night when he called out, I scooped him up and brought him into our bed. We all slept soundly, and I was feeling pretty good -- until I spoke with a friend later that morning.

"Don't you know that you've opened a can of worms?" she scolded. "Now you'll never get him back into his crib!"

Picturing endless sleepless nights ahead, I panicked, and it's no wonder. Getting a baby to sleep consistently through the night can seem like the ultimate unattainable goal. But after I spent just a few nights leaving my son in his crib when he cried for me and gently encouraging him -- "You're okay, David, just go back to sleep!" -- from the hallway, he quickly resumed his old sleep habits. And experts say that with some patience and effort, most parents will be able to solve their child's sleeping problems, too.

The Impossible Dream
During the first weeks of life, you can't expect a baby to sleep through the night. In fact, there is no typical sleeping pattern for newborns; the only thing you can count on is that they sleep around the clock for varying periods, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. So why can't they sleep consistently for long periods? Blame it all on biology. An immature brain is the primary reason.

"People have a genetic timing mechanism in their brain that controls sleep, and it takes time for that mechanism to develop," explains Marc Weissbluth, MD, professor of clinical pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago, and author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Ballantine, 1999). "Think of it like eye color: Babies are born with a genetic predisposition to a certain eye color, but it takes time for that color to be expressed."

A need to feed is another factor. Many experts believe that newborn babies have to eat frequently, particularly breastfed babies: There's no way to tell how much a breastfed baby is eating at each feeding, so breastfeeding mothers may be more likely to fully awaken a stirring baby to feed.

Bottlefed babies, on the other hand, may sleep for longer periods because formula takes longer to digest and leaves baby feeling fuller longer. "But babies who have birth defects and are fed continuously by tube for the first several weeks of life show the same process of sleep maturation as other babies," notes Dr. Weissbluth. He believes that ultimately, "Sleep comes from the brain, not the stomach."

Regardless of studies and experts, until she is at least 6 weeks old, a newborn baby will undoubtedly wake several times during the night. Around the 6-week mark, many babies show subtle signs of organizing their sleep. They may get drowsy at 6 or 7 p.m. and may sleep at night for consecutive blocks of four hours or more.

At about 3 months, most can adhere to a sleep schedule that includes a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and two or more longer blocks of sleep at night. According to a poll of primary caregivers by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), a nonprofit organization, by 9 months some 70 to 80 percent of babies are sleeping a straight 9 to 12 hours every night.

That's great news -- unless yours is one of the 20 to 30 percent of babies who don't sleep so well. "My son was a horrible sleeper!" recalls Lisa Henahan of Peachtree City, Georgia. "Until he was 15 months, he would sleep for an hour and a half and then wake for an hour -- all night long!"

If your nights sound similar, rest assured, these tips can help parents solve a range of stubborn sleep problems.

Sleep Tight, Baby
To exhausted parents it seems that there are as many sleep issues as there are children. But most babies fall into the following categories:

"My 2-month-old son sleeps all day and is up all night."
A common phenomenon during the early weeks of life, day-night reversals often clear up with a little time and a lot of daylight. Try exposing your baby to bright light or sunshine in the morning hours and keep the lights dim in the evening. It also helps to move your baby to a busy part of the house throughout the day, play with him during the daytime, and wake him for daytime feedings.

Then, keep your interactions with him quiet and subdued at night. As babies approach the age of 6 weeks, they begin to respond more to environmental cues, so it helps to have a bedtime routine such as a bath and a song. It may take several weeks, and a baby this young still probably won't sleep through the night, but he may consolidate his sleep into two large blocks at night.

"My 7-month-old daughter won't sleep through the night. Why?"
From around 6 months on, a baby should be able to make it through the night without a middle-of-the-night feeding and without waking his parents. But that doesn't mean he's sleeping all those hours. The term "sleeping through the night" is misleading, points out Lawrence Balter, PhD, professor of applied psychology at New York University, in New York, and editor of Parenthood in America: An Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2000). "All people -- including babies -- wake and put themselves back to sleep several times a night without realizing it," he says. "That's something babies need to learn to do."

Some kids learn on their own; others need a little help. There are several ways to teach your baby to soothe himself to sleep. Most of them involve listening to some crying. So how do you stay focused amid the tears? Remember that crying isn't going to harm your baby. And the reward -- a good night's sleep for all -- is worth a few teary nights.

The Ferber Method
"My neighbor has recommended the Ferber method to help my 6-month-old sleep through the night. What is it?"
This method was developed by pediatric sleep expert Richard Ferber, MD, author of Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems (Simon & Schuster, 1986). He advises parents to check periodically on their baby when she awakens at night. Here's a sketch of how it works: On the first night, when you hear your baby cry, you go in, give her a reassuring pat, and then leave. If she's crying 5 minutes later, you repeat the process, but this time you wait 10 minutes before going in, increasing the time in five-minute increments. The second night, you start at 10 minutes. Dr. Ferber's system has worked for many families.

"We're trying the Ferber method for my 7-month-old, but I can't stand the crying. Is there another, less drastic way to sleep-train my baby?"
There are also ways of making gradual changes within the routine you already have, notes Jodi Mindell, PhD, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Sleeping Through the Night (HarperCollins, 1997). If you've been putting your baby to sleep by rocking her in a chair, for example, start by just sitting in the chair together. "Then choose the next step -- putting your baby in his crib and holding his hand.

"A few days later, you can sit three feet away from your child's bed," Mindell says. Within a few weeks, you should be able to work yourself out of the bedroom.

"We've tried the Ferber method. My 6-month-old becomes enraged every time we go in to soothe him. Any suggestions?"
Some children respond better to a cold-turkey approach. If your baby cries, you don't go in her room (some parents call reassuringly from the hall). This is not for the faint of heart, and, as Balter points out, is better for younger babies. An 8-month-old may be able to sit or stand in her crib, which makes it hard for her to settle down if her calls aren't answered.

More Sleep Issues
"My 9-month-old insists on a 3 a.m. feeding. How can I get her to give it up?"
For many parents, a final obstacle to an uninterrupted night is that middle-of-the-night feeding. If your baby no longer needs to be fed at night (check with your pediatrician to be sure), simply stop giving him the bottle or breast when he calls for it. Alternatively, you can use a sequence of progressive steps, which might include offering him diluted formula or breast milk for a few nights and then gradually replacing it with water. He may not find it as appealing as milk, and, subsequently, won't cry for it.

"My 10-month-old son used to sleep through the night, but lately he's been waking up all the time."
Chances are, there's been some change, however subtle, in your child's routine. Everything from a vacation to an illness to an overnight guest can disrupt a young child's sleep schedule and cause her to awaken and need comforting. Some parents report that developmental milestones, such as learning to walk or use the potty, can also upset sleep patterns.

"When a child takes a developmental leap forward, neurons are firing and there are probably connections being made in the brain," says Mindell. "It's no wonder their sleep is disrupted." Most babies are also keen on practicing their new skills; when they wake in the night, sleep takes second place to getting up on all fours or babbling.

At times like this, you may need to repeat old steps, such as sitting in your baby's room for a few nights and gradually working your way back out. But don't despair; experts say children with established good sleep patterns will return to them pretty quickly.

"How can I get my 8-month-old to go to sleep at the same time every night?"
If your baby isn't sleepy at the same time every night, her daytime sleep routine may need tweaking. "Make sure to wake her at the same time each morning, keep naptimes consistent, and avoid letting baby nap after 4 p.m. A reasonable bedtime for a baby this age is around 7 or 7:30 p.m. If she wakes from a nap at 5:30, she's not going to be sleepy enough to go to bed then," says Mindell.

One strategy to avoid, however, is shortening her naps in the hope that this will make her sleepier at night. The fact is, overtired children have a hard time falling asleep. And evidence shows that babies aren't getting enough sleep as it is. Many experts recommend that infants ages 3 to 11 months get 14 to 15 hours of sleep daily, but according to the NSF poll, most babies get fewer than 13 hours.

Even if you've succeeded in creating a great sleeper, remember that every child occasionally has wakeful periods. When this happens, reassure yourself that you're not going to be sleepless forever. Says Peggy Nona, a Rochester, Minnesota, mother with two school-age girls, "I used to worry about getting them to bed at night; now I worry about getting them out in the morning!"

Barbara Solomon is a mother of three and a writer in Scarsdale, New York.

Originally published in American Baby magazine, July 2004.

In addition to that....

A local parenting coach wrote this:

I know that Dr. Ferber is less strict than he used to be about getting kids to sleep. However, his techniques are still very useful for kids that have actually taught themselves to stay up and/or to demand/expect a parent to be with them until they actually fall asleep. Also watch one of the Nanny TV shows for examples of being firm yet loving with setting limits.

Briefly, the basic idea is that you (1) stop paying any attention to your child after their bedtime--no hugs, kisses, stories and no yelling either. Just make believe they are little critters that you are putting back where they belong. and then, if necessary (2) let them cry themselves to sleep. Also, and actually first, develop a bedtime routine and STICK TO IT! Letting them cry is very hard, and against some people's principles. What we did when my daughter was little (she is now 21) was put her to bed with the musical mobile playing. If she was still crying when the music stopped (less than 5 minutes) we would go in to her. This happened very rarely. I felt that a short period of crying was not a trauma and having her go to sleep on her own was a learned response. It worked and we had very few bedtime hassles.

Good luck,

Marion
Coach and parent
Marion C. Bloch, Psy. D.
____@____.com
www.mayaresources.com

Hi M.,
I have a 15 month old and a 2 month old. So I was and am in the same boat as you! Getting them to sleep through the night is touch and go. With my first I continually fed her because of constant "advice" and the guilt that I felt in not taking it. I finally began to ween her from it with a bottle of water-which she didn't like at all. Once the bottle of water was introduced to her midnightime feeding, she decided that she would rather sleep. Although I will say that when something new is introduced to the routine, such as a change of room, it will take a few days-even a couple of weeks for her to settle. As for cutting her off completely or constant giving in, I did neither, so I couldn't advise you with no experience in that dept. It took me a long time to remember that guidelines-like the one your doctor has told you-are just that:guidlines. So good luck in finding a niche!

Everything I have been told indicates that a baby that young will still need to eat very frequently to get her necessary daily calories. If your baby is only waking up at 4am, you are one LUCKY lady. My baby is almost 7 months old and as her sleep patterns change with each stage of development she went from sleeping for long stretches when she was about 12 weeks(a full-night by most expert's definitions is FIVE hours by the way), to waking up suddenly several times a night for a few weeks (at about 5 months this started). Now she is back to sleeping and can last for about 8-9 hours at a time. Breastmilk and formula digest very quickly in infants as small as yours (she's only 12 weeks old!) and if her last feeding is at 10pm, say, she is legitimately hungry by 4am and needs to eat. Most likely if you keep the feeding very boring, and in a dark room, she will eat and fall right back to sleep. But right now your baby is too young to go longer than that without food and also is too young for solids, which some other people have suggested to you (4 months at the youngest is when cereal should slowly be started to avoid creating allergies). Also, just as a side note, I have read numerous times and was told by my pediatrician, that infant cereal should never be put in a bottle to feed to a child that is too young to use a spoon. If they are too young to use a spoon to get those solids into their bodies (again 4 months at the earliest is when the tongue thrust reflex begins to go away and a spoon can be introduced), then they are too young for the cereal you are putting in the bottle as a work-around! Your baby will go through LOTS of different sleep patterns as she gets bigger and her REM sleep develops. Count yourself lucky at this very young age, that she is sleeping as long as she is!!! It's actually really impressive.

I would talk to another doctor for a second opinion. You could try to give her a bottle before bed with a little bit of cereal to keep her fuller longer. My son did not sleep through the night untill he was almost two and he is perfectly healthy and very intelligent. All children are different and you just have to see what works best with her. The one thing I have learned through my experiences and my friends is some children sleep through the night and others don't. Unfortunatley there is not any real solution to this problem. Good luck and I wish you the best.

I say be happy that she only wakes once per night. I was happy when my son only woke 2 or three times per night. It's about 11:30 now, and I hear him crying. This is like his 4th, 5th, or even 6th time waking up since he went to bed at 7:30. I keep meaning to stop nursing him at night, but I work full-time and if I don't feed him all night, I will be engorged the next day (I stopped pumping this month and he's nine months old) so I always cave in and nurse him. I also have trouble not picking him up when I go up there. I always say I'm just going to check to see if he has a pee diaper, but when he does and I change him, I nurse him because I don't want to just put him back, and if he doesn't have one I pick him up and nurse him because I'm a big softy. And either way when he falls asleep and I put him back, he wakes up and cries and I kiss him and tell him to "go sleepies" and I walk away and he screams. So, keep feeding your 3 month old once per night, but if she starts waking up more than that, then maybe give her water or something and when she's older than 6 months old you can let her cry. But don't wait too long for that because then she'll be able to sit up and then stand up and then it'll be harder for her to go back to sleep by herself. Oh! And if you can put her down while she's still awake, she may still be young enough to fall asleep by herself. Aidan used to do that. I think I messed things up when I started letting him sleep in my bed. But he started waking up at 6am and I was still tired so I wanted to get that extra hour of sleep without staying up to put him back and then only getting a little sleep before the alarm went off. Speaking of sleep, I should go get some.

On average, babies don't sleep through the night until they are 6 mos old. My son woke up once a night until he was 7 mos. Then we had to force him to sleep through. He cried 6 mins, the longest 6 mins of my life. But he did it. If it doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. Eventually she will sleep through. Their tummies are very small right now and it's not unusual what your going through. She will sleep through when she's ready.

Hi
I am a mom of 4-my oldest is 20 and she has a 11 month of her own. If your young one is sleeping a good 6-8 hours a night GOOD FOR YOU.... many doctors think a young one should sleep a good 12 hours -(ya right) if she goes to bed at say 8/9 and sleeps til say 4am that is ALL night to me and then if she goes back to sleep after a feeding at 4am then good for you again..to some children 4am is morning. My youngest has an internal clock he was up at 6am every morning since he was 1 month old that was his morning wake up but then went to bed at 9/10pm (I tried to keep him awake for as long as possible at night to see if he would sleep in) no he was up at 6am faithfully and still is and he is 6 years old. My grandaughter is a faithful sleeper (I had to train my daughter for this) -she is put to bed at 7/8pm and sleeps til 5/6am. She is then up for about an hour or 2 eats breakfast and then goes back to for a good 2-3 hours then up eats lunch then afternoon nap is when ever she feels tired but she only naps for about an hour in the afternoon - then faithfully in bed at 7/8 again.
Your daugther will sleep as much as she NEEDS to doctors cant make children sleep and as long as YOU are getting your rest also that is all that matters...
Hope this helps a lil -
A.

What time is she going to bed at night? Does she eat before bed? Is this the only time she gets up in the middle of the night? How much does she eat at her last feeding? There are a couple different scenarios you may want to try depending on your exact situation. My recommendation: (Keep in mind, all babies are different, so this may not work for you) First, I would try to make sure the last feeding is just before she falls asleep, so she has a full stomache. Second, My son is just about 3 months old now, too, and I'd rather he stay up late at night so that I can get the extra sleep in the morning. To make this happen before he was sleeping through the night, we would try to only let him nap in the early afternoon and never later. If it's close to bedtime, it's harder to get them into bed. Also, I only put him in the crib at night so he understands that it's time for a night time sleep. Day time naps can only be taken elsewhere, such as a pack and play or a swing or while riding in the car in his car seat. They learn to associate sleep with the crib this way. Chances are, if she's not eating very much, she may still just wake up no matter what you try and it could be a matter of time before she gets into her own rhythm. Don't give up! You'll do great. :.)

Hi I'm a stay at home mom my 2 1/2year old still wakes up at night for at least one bottle and my four month old has about 3 a night he is 19lbs
I did not have this problem with my older girl who is know 13, and my son who is 12.,but all kids are not alike and if they were it would be a boring world. Just think of it this way it is not the bottle they want it is your closness to be near you and smell you because that is what comforts them at night, that is when they are up to one but after that it's just a habit or they are just scared and they need comfort
Like I told my older kids I havn't had a full night sleep since I was 7months pregnant with my 2year old, since you only have one you just have to sleep when your baby sleeps taking naps together during the day is great, unfortunatly I don,t get that plesure since I have two little ones but when my older guys come home from school they watch the babies while I take at least a two hour nap.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP HAVE YOUR MOM OR MOTHERINLAW WATCH THE BABY FOR you at least once a week

1st of all, you might want to change pediatricians. it is totally NORMAL for a 3 month old to be eating in the middle of the night. do NOT avoid giving a bottle, just deal - trust me, you'll have a hungry, screaming baby and you will only create MORE night time sleeping problems! it will end soon enough - although I'll tell you that my daughter (now almost 3 yrs, woke up for a feeding each night until she was 7 months old!). there's a book called 'healthy sleep habits, happy child' by dr. marc weissbluth - it's the BIBLE for babies and their NATURAL bio-rhythms / sleep patterns. Pediatricians can be great but they also don't LIVE at your house and they don't know YOUR child. trust your instincts and surrender to the baby and her schedule. that is really the KEY.

WOW I am horrified at some of this crying it out stuff I read. A 3!!!! month old still needs to be fed on demand. And they shouldn't be having cereal until about 6 months. If your baby is waking it's for a reason. Maybe she just wants to be held and cuddled. Try going in and picking her up and just hold her, rock with her or sit in a rocking chair with her. She will soon grow and change so enjoy her now. Personally, I breast fed and also co-slept. My youngest kids are 7 & 5 and we still co-sleep. They love it and so do I. Now there are times I put them in thier own room and they stay all night or sometimes they wake in the night and come get in bed with me. I think it's fine and don't mind at all.

However back to your sweet little 3 month old. Feed her when she wants to be fed and cuddle her as much as she needs. Don't let your baby cry it out. How would you like to wake up alone and just need to feel the closeness of somebody only to be denied. Our children rely on us for comfort, safety and feedings.

Is the dr you take her to a pediatrician or just an md. I would go mad if my Ped said something like that to me and I'd be looking for a Dr that didn't have QUACK in his name.

Love your little girl now because soon enough she will be crawling and walking and not want half as much from you. You'll miss the days you could cuddle her, trust me!

dont ever deprive your baby of a bottle.

Hi M.,

My daughter's pediatrician gave me great advice about this same problem. He said the trick is to have your baby have all their bottles during the day.. So if your baby normally drink 24 oz during the day and night ...She/He should have all 24 OZ througout the day only. This really worked for my daughter :-)

Good Luck,
Debbie

I know that this might sound strange to you, and I know that it will be against what the dr would tell you, but as a mom of 2 kids and a step mom of 2 kids, Put a little bit of cereal in her last bottle of the night. Don't put to much in it becasue she won't be able to suck it through the nipple, but she will sleep ALL NIGHT!!!!!! My first daughter was drinking 8oz when I brought her home from the hospital ( Dr told me that that I was forcing her to eat and I shouldn't, forcing her my butt, I had to pry the bottle out of her mouth to burp her) After my 2nd was born and we straightened out her allergic to milk problem, she was eating cereal in her bottle right before she went to bed for the night when she was 3 months old. Both of my girls were eating babyfood before the Dr's say it's "normal". What is normal for one child IS NOT normal for another.Honestly it is not going to hurt her to have cereal earlier than the books say, and if anything it'll give MOM a good night's sleep, well after the first week of her sleeping through the night anyways ( you'll wake up and check on her often because your not use to her sleeping through the night)!!!

I had the same problem, but I nursed my son. We were up in the middle of the night at least once until he was five or six months. It's totally normal. I understand you need sleep, but I always made up for the sleep I lost at naptime the next day. This should be easy for you as a stay at home mom. It's good to vent about the loss of sleep, though. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I understand and empathize with your situation.
Good luck and God Bless.

My 6 month old also wakes at 4am for a bottle. He goes to bed around 8pm. Don't stress it hun. If he is hungry let her eat. Babies do things in their own time. Don't rush her and enjoy the one on one time while you can.

try putting a little rice cereal in her last bottle before bed and see if that help. I know the Dr.s tell you not to do that till a certain age but I found with both of min Daughter almost 7 and son 3 that when i started the cereal they slept better at night. Good Luck

M.,

My son is 4 1/2 months old and still doesn't sleep through the night. Every baby is different and if you child is hungry at 4am don't feel bad about feeding her. Now if you work and need the rest and want to try to get her to sleep through, then it is fine to let her cry. i have consulted a number of teachers and doctors on this matter and they say at this age it is fine to let them go, but there is also nothing wrong with feeding her. She maybe going through a growth spirt and need the extra food. Hope this helps!

A.

I am really surprised about some of the responses to your question... Personally I have 3 children. my first 2 I nursed and they were up a coulple times in the night. My understanding is that nursed babies tend to have more feedings then bottle fed babies. My first was up every 2 hours, Nursed 7 Minutes (you cold literally set a timeer to him...lol) My second was up every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. I got up with them and fed them. My 3rd was adopted so I bottle fed her. She only slept about 4 hours after a feeding. and even now at 6 years old, she gets up around 4 every morning and tries to come into my bed. I take her back to her room and put her back to sleep. I never worried about if they slept thru the night. Every child is different and what they do is different.

I personally would get a new doctor! I can not imagine a doctor saying to a first time mom.. who is already worried if they are doing things right by their child... to not feed their child.
I had a doctor that constantly told me that my son is under weight.. he ate ton of food.. But he was also always in the 98 percentile for his height. Tall and skinny.. growing taller then he was putting on weight. My daughter was always too fat... she was short.. and even thoug the doctors told me these things I didnt really take much thought to it because the numbers and guidelines they give parents are taken from say a hundred different children. None of which is your child. And they then say.. this is what should be happening. and that isnt always true for your child.

Feed you little bundle of joy when she needs to be fed. You can nap when she is napping.. or at least rest.. The house work will be there when you have time for it. Getting up once in the night, is really nothing to worry about especially at her age.

Take care!

W. in Watkins Glen
Mom to 3 children.
Korey-Mikel age 16,
Whitney age 12 soon to be 13,
and Andrea Age 6

So for your little bundle

Well my 2 year old still doesn't sleep through the night. 3 mths old is a bit too young, imo to be sleeping through the night. It's totally normal for babies not to sleep through the night for the first year. Refusing a bottle at that age is cruel. Here's Dr Sears take on sleep, highly recommend reading this, even getting his book.

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

I have 4 kids already, and all 4 of them, even the one I breastfed, were sleeping through the night by 1 1/2 months! The secret is this: when you do feed them at night, make it boring. Don't give any stimulation. Don't talk to them, smile, chat, nothing. Feed, change, burp, back in bed. During the days, every chance you get, entertain the heck out of 'em, tire them out. If you do that consistently, they'll find that there's "no fun" waking up in the middle of the night. Before just skipping that 4am bottle, try going a week or so doing it that way: feed, change, put back in bed, no stimulation. Make it a really boring 4am bottle. Try that for a while. If after a week or 2 of that she's still waking up, I really would let her cry it out, she'll certainly eat her share when she wakes up at a more reasonable time, so it's not like she won't be getting all the nutrition she would anyway. It's not easy to let them cry it out, but in a short time she'll certainly get the hint. Then she'll realize "when I wake up and cry when the sun's shining, I get SOOO much further with Mom!" :) Good luck!

dear M.,
my daugther will be 3 months on the 30th and she still wakes up every 2-3 hours and i give her a bottle did you look into maybe she has gas my daugther has been through 3 formula she was on enfimil, soymilk and now alimentum she was a gassy baby and this formula helps her she sleeps alittle bit longer .... is she a good sleeper during the day? she might have her days and nights mixed up good luck L.

hi M., my son is now 4 and has slept thru the night since he was 6 weeks old, i was given the same advice as you did from your doctor, my mother-inlaw has raised 6 kids and said she learned this trick with her first. i took her advice and did this with my son, and it was heaven it only took a couple of nights and he was trained LOL. it is good to do it while they are still very young, it did the trick in my case :), and remember they should not be hungry as they should have gained enough weight by now (at 3 months old) so dont worry you are not letting her starve. i used to feel the same way "oh i cant let him go hungry thats just cruel" but you just have to think well we all sleep at least 8 hours a night without eating right !! well i wish you the best of luck and hope that you too will have restfull nights in the not so distant future.

I dont think a baby 3 mo old should sleep through the night, my son was 11 mo old before he slept all night, there is a reason the baby wants to get up.maybe just a habbit but as she or he gets older it will happen all by itself dont worry if everyone else has a baby that goes by the book ,yours has a mind of there own!! when it is time it will happen same as the first step or first word let the baby decide when it is time , hope i helped a little ,good luck ,D.

OK, I agree with a lot of what has already been written here. A 3 month old is most certainly going to be hungry at 3 am, especially is she is going to sleep early (I mean like 8 or 9pm). Some babies wake up every two to three hours. You can try to give her some cereal, but don't give her too much. That can cause other troubles that you don't want. Go with your gut instinct. If you feel she needs more food, then give her a bottle. I know how hard it is getting up in the middle of the night but hey, we're moms, right?

M.

Your doctor is right, at 3 months old a child should be able to sleep through the night (I believe they should also be at least 10lbs). Some other things to think about:

- At 3 months old a child starts to realize that if they cry you will come. A child's mind is dramatically different at this age than it was when they were born.
- If you keep giving a bottle at night, your child will NEED this bottle in order to sleep. I had a mom at our daycare that was discussing this same situation with her son's doctor. Her son was probably about 4 months old, but her Dr. said that if you continue your child will depend on that bottle. Needless to say when I heard that, I stopped giving my daugther (about the same age - 4 months) a bottle in the middle of the night. We also had some friends that didn't have the heart to do this with their daughter, now the girl is probably about 16 months old, and she STILL doesn't sleep through the night! That is SCARY!!!
- I would always let my daughter cry, however when a child cry times goes by VERY VERY slowly. So I would watch the clock. If it got to be excessive (initially I would let her cry for a good half hour) I went in there.
- First thing I did, I got rid of the monitor. That was a huge deal, I could still hear her cry but it was a least muffled not not crystal clear.
- If you go in the room while your child is crying, they will cry harder. My husband used to try to just go in there and rock her back to sleep (because I refused), she cried more and then the only way to get her to go back to sleep was to give her a bottle. My husband had a harder time letting her cry than I did.
- I also have a "supply" of pacificers in her crib. I would put 4 pacifiers close enough to her head so that if she woke up in the middle of the night and needed on, she could find one and put herself back to sleep.
- If she did cry excessively, I would ALWAYS try just the pacifier first to see if I could get her to go back to sleep.

3 months might be a little early to start trying to get your child to sleep through the night, but I was right there when my daughter was 4 months. I needed the sleep!!! Let me tell you now my daugther is 13 months old, and I can put her in her crib (at what I consider bedtime 8pm) if she is not tired, then she sits in her crib talking to herself and entertaining herself - NOT CRYING!! And if she wakes up in the middle of the night she does the same thing! And when she wakes up in the morning, she sits in her crib talking until I go in there and get her. It is awesome!!!

Hope this helps! Just remember you will have them around for at least 18 years, so a few months of them not sleeping through the night, not a big deal. What til they are wanting to sleep with you or until they are teenages...I know I will look back and wish that she would just wake up and cry in the middle of the night instead of dealing with ALL the other stuff.

Hi M.,

My daughter is 10 weeks old and shes a little chubber. Shes 16 lbs and 25 3/4 inches long shes a biggie lol. I just would feel like you would depriving my little one of food if she woke through the night, thank goodness shes been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks old but if she woke up in the night I think I would still feed her but im not in your shoes so i am just giving you my opinion.Three months old just seems a little young to me. J.

Not sleeping through the night at 3 months old is NORMAL. Absolutely, normal for a baby of three months. Cereal in the bottle at this age can cause a host of problems, even if some babies seem to do fine with it. The digestive system of a 3 month old is designed for digesting breastmilk. Formula is made to resemble breastmilk as best it can, (although it really doesn't come close) and it's all you should be giving a baby at 3 months (if not breastfed).
Is there a reason why you switched her to her own room? Many families find co-sleeping to be a huge benifit to everyone. The child feels safe & secure with her parents with her, and sleeps better and Mom gets a less disturbed night of sleep. The human animal is a pack animal, we need the closeness of our mates and our young and they need to feel protected especially as a vulnerable newborn.

Hi, you didn't say how many lbs. she is but smaller babies can't sleep through the night b/c their bellies are too small. My girls were 5'8 & 6'7 at birth. Once they started food they slept longer b/c they were full. If she was sleeping through the night before you moved her, try wearing a t-shirt while you go about your daily activities & put it in her crib so that she still smells you. I would continue feeding her at 4. I can't sleep if I'm hungry, how can they? She will progressively sleep more after she starts food and starts rolling over. Just hang in there. Good luck!

I am a stay at home mom and homemaker ( I have given myself the title... "Home Manager" these days). Do not freak out about your chikd sleeping through the night or not at 3 months old. You did the right thing by moving her into her own room right now. Waking one time per night is nothing! I am a mom of 11 years, I have 2 boys, an 11 year old and a 2 year old and I am expecting my 3rd... so I have been in your shoes. You have to remember that the Dr. doesn't live with you and that as much as you need to listen to your child's pediatrician, you also have to do what works for you and your family in your home! Every child develops differently, some babies sleep through the night immediately (God Bless those moms) and others can take up to 6-8 months (Lord help those mothers). Just like your child will walk, talk, crawl and develop at her own pace, not at what the books and doctors claim and demand! Offer the binky at first a few times, then, if necessary, reach for the bottle. Sometimes the binky will work! She will not die from not receiving one feeding in the middle of the night... remind yourself that it is best for her not to have that late night bottle if it can be avoided. By the way, your child will sleep through the night for a while and what the books and doctors and sometimes other parents don't tell you, she will go through stages of waking in the middle of the night (sometimes multiple times) as she gets older as a baby, toddler and pre-schooler! Pat yourself on the back for caring so much about your little one and remind yourself that the binky might work and you may get a little more sleep. God Bless!

Yikes! good luck.. I have a 8 month old who still wakes up every 2 hours.. I have tried everything!!!
Warm lavender baths before bed, feeding him before bed, tiring him out, etc.. you name it I tried it.. so If you find something that works please let me know! ;o)

Dear M.,
I am a mother of 3 but 2 of my children have grown and moved out. when my son woke up in the middle of the night i would give a bottle, but they have a special cross cut nipple for bottles so you can thicken with baby oatmeal. real thin so it goes through the nipple . be careful and watch. this helps fill the baby stomach do this before you put your peanut to sleep for the night. hope this helps. K.

The best advice that I could give you stems from a similar problem that I had with my 18 month old.
My daughter had a terrible experience for some reason with a stuffed toy that was in her room. As soon as I put it in there, she started waking up 2 or 3 times each night, screaming. I would set her down and let her walk around her room for 5 minutes and then put her back to bed. When I finally realized it was the stuffed animal that was scaring her, I took it out. But by then, she was so used to getting up every night that she kept doing it, and demanded that I let her get down and play. I was okay with it for a little while, but got tired of needing to give her playtime at 4 in the morning. SO I just stopped giving her playtime. I would go into her room and pat her back, tell her everything was okay and that we would play later in the morning, and I would walk out. She kept crying, of course, but I just had to shut it out and go back to sleep. If I continued to give her what she wanted, she would never sleep a full night again. It was hard at first, because she would cry for an hour or more, but after only a few days, she realized that I wasn't going to give in, and started sleeping through the night again.
So, my point is this. First off, if your doctor says that she will be alright without a bottle, take his advice. If you feel better, make sure you give her another bottle late in the evening so that she doesn't have to go as long without food. Secondly, it will be hard at first to let her cry at night, but she will soon learn, just like my daughter did, that her bedtime is non-negotiable, and she will probably teach herself to sleep through the night. It sounds awful, but if you have to, put a fan in your room or sleep with music on, so you don't hear her crying. Chances are, she's not starving, she's simply mad that you aren't paying attention to her. babies thrive on predictability, and if you go into her room at 4 AM every morning for a month, she will start to think that that is the norm and get upset if things are changed. So, be patient, give it a few days, and she will soon sleep through the night, and make your night much smoother. I hope this helps!

This is going to sound very cruel, so please don't take it this way...what is going to happen when your baby is teething and wakes up screaming in the middle of the night? Are you going to make her scream then?

I'm a SAHM like you. ONe of the nice things about being a SAHM is that you can rest when she does during the day. So what if she wakes up still? She's 3 months old! It's not like she's 5! I would have LOVED for my kids to have only gotten up once during the night at 3 months.

Also, don't forget, at 3 months, they are going through a growth spurt.

It'll happen again at 6 months

luvs
A.

WOW, 3 months old and only waking up once at 4 is GREAT, I think. My little one is almost 10 months and JUST THIS WEEK are we getting over teh 4 am feeding. I would never think that a doc would say that she SHOULD be sleeping through the night at that age. I think that's very young...I would give her the bottle for now.

First of all, babies that young are just starting to sleep at longer intervals and you should be glad that she only gets up once during the night. It will be another couple of months before she'll be ready to go all night without a feeding. When she wakes up then feed her and don't worry about it for now. If she is still doing this when she is 7 or 8 months old, then will be a good time to let her cry it out.

feed her a little later in the evening and start giving cereal for her last feeding in the evening. it may fill her up enough. of course some docs these days will say its to earlie but beind an old fashioned italian who seen 13 neices an nephews come into the world wiht her own 4 1/2 yearold (workijng on great neices and nephews and another son on the way) ... i will tell you helped me wiht my son's sleeping and if you dont over feed they wont get overweight.

i know it's tough, but try to hang in there. you're NOT the only one. my daughter just started sleeping through the night at about 14 months old, AND i gave her the bottle all the time to sleep. she's now drinking about 1/2 of what she did about 6 months ago (during the night). some kids just DON'T sleep through the night. plus you said you just moved her to her own room. try putting some lullabies on that will play through the night (that's what started helping my daughter sleep through the night). also, maybe if she does have a fuller belly before she goes to sleep may help keeping her down through the night. you could also try giving her some water to go drink through the night (although the water only pacifies my daughter enough for me to get her more milk if she needs it). just remember, you're not alone on this one...sometimes it helps to know that you're not the only one going through it. it killed me to hear all my friends and family (and everyone else around me w/ babies) that their babies started sleeping through the night w/in the 1st 3 months (if not weeks). try to nap while she does, and that will help a lil while you're still dealing with it. GOOD LUCK!

Hi M.-Sometimes children eat in the middle of the night out of routine more than hunger. Try to pat her on her tummy and sshhh her,he may settle down all on her own! This may take a couple of nights, not to worry! As long as she is gaining weight and looks healthy I wouldn't worry, you know your daughter better than anyone.

Hi M.,

This is what I did for my boys ( I have three). My guys didn't sleep through the night either. If they woke around 3 or 4 (or 5 for that matter) I'd give them a bottle, but not a full bottle. Half. Then put them back to sleep.

Once my guys hit 12 pounds I knew it was habit and not hunger. I'd start the painful process of letting them cry for a few. First night 1 minute, and work my way up to where I just go in to check, put them back down and walk out.

Three months old is still too young to let cry.

Good luck

T. - Marlboro, Ma

From what I've read sleeping through the night for a baby is 6 hours. I wouldn't feel bad about giving the baby a bottle. Every parent has to do what is best for them.

She needs cereal in her last bottle. I have three children and cared for my niece for the first three years of her life. Each child was given cereal in there bottle for there last nights feeding. I have an old school ped. and she says a hungry baby will NOT sleep. Our parents had cereal in there bottles at a month old she told me. I did it and all four of them slept threw the night at three months. But your ped. shouldn't tell you not to give your child a bottle. They wake up becasue the are hungry. If she is going to bed at 8 or 9 then 4am is a normal "MORNING" time for them. You did the right thing by putting her in her own room and DO NOT take her back into yours no matter how hard it is. Try the cereal TRUST ME it will help always start with the RICE first they have special nipples for it. Add A table spoon for 8 ouces and a teaspoon for 4 good luck.. hang in there.. be strong trust in yourself do whats right for you and your child. Just becasue they have medical degress doesn't mean they are always right...

Good luck and let me know, my 2 1/2 yr. does not sleep through the night, still comes and finds me at 3am. I also work and am toooo tired to fight with him. All babies are different and all doctors are different. I just don't really ask mine anymore because I just don't want to be lectured about it. Sometimes you do what you can just to sleep yourself.

girl one word CEREAL!!! Put some in her last bottle and she will sleep through the night. She can have rice cereal. My 1st son had to have cereal when he was 2 weeks because he was so hungry. the cereal coats thier belly letting them sleep. If your baby wakes up a 4 am now it is okay because she probably goes to bed at 8pm which is a long time for now. As she gets older it it be 6am and so on. Good Luck!