Not Sleeping Through the Night-5 Month Old

my son is 3 months old and was sleeping through the night at 1 and a half months!! I give him a warm bath every night and after his bath I feed him with dr. brown bottles i also put cerial in his bottle and he sleeps every night from 10:00 till 7:00 the next morning without getting up!! the bath always helps I also use the lavender wash it really relaxes him!! hope i was a little helpful!! good luck!!

I wish I had a good answer for you, but unfortunatly it changes all the time. My first son started sleeping thru the night around 7 mths, my second not until he was 15 mths old (:( ). And now that they are 2 and almost 4), the youngest has been waking up at 3 every morning for the past 2 weeks, and apparently last night the 4 year old started to catch on.

Sleep is always an issue....but maybe try giving him more formula, food, etc. before bed. He might be hungry.

good luck
K.

some babies just don't sleep through the night very regularly at this young age. Their tummies are so little, that they can't eat enough to get them clear through the night. I do agree that you are putting him to bed awfully late, but if that fits into your schedule then go for it. I don't think that time you put him to bed has anything to do with whether or not he wakes up for a night time feeding or not. How often do you feed him during the day? I bet you don't go 8 hours without feeding him so why would you expect him to be able to go that long at night? Just listen to your baby and feed him when he is hungry

5 months old is still a little young to STTN. Yes, you hear the stories of children who are doing it at 1 month old, and it may seem like all babies are sleeping through the night at 3 months, but it's a different definition - books will define STTN as a 6 hour stretch at this point. My oldest didn't sleep through the night until he was 18 months (outside the norm on the other side). My other two were very normal in that they weren't STTN (a 12 hour stretch) until 8-9 months. Rice cereal is an old wives tale from our parents/grandparents generation in relation to night sleeping.

I do agree that bedtime is probably too late. Sleep begets sleep. If possible, you should aim for a 7:30 bedtime at the latest.

First, you have to remember that "sleeping through the night" for an baby is 5-6 hours, so technically your little one *IS* sleeping through the night. I HIGHLY recommend Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution because it has a lot of valuable info and not just about sleep :)

Second, it's not recommended to give babies anything except liquid (breast milk, formula, juice, water, etc) in their bottle because of the choking hazard. That being said, many people do it, and their kids are just fine :) However, studies have shown that cereal given before bed or in their bedtime bottle doesn't make them sleep longer.

The next thing that stands out to me is that he's eating 7oz at a time!!!! That's absolutely AMAZING for a 5mo!!! How often does he eat during the day?

When it comes to naps, I can totally sympathize with you! My 6mo takes 2 naps each day and sleeps anywhere from 20-90 minutes, but it's usually less than 40 minutes at a time. Some days, I'm ready to pull my hair out and BEG for a longer nap....

My son is now 3.5yo, and he didn't sleep longer than 4 hours at a time until he was about 18 months old. I distinctly remember when he was about 4mo when he didn't go to bed for his longest sleep until 4am!!! (part of that was a result of a lack of routine) Even after 18mo, he went through a loooooong period of time where he would wake 4-5 times each night, and even now he wakes at least once per night to climb in bed with Daddy.

My 6mo daughter is the complete opposite!!! She's been "sleeping through the night" since she was around 4mo. She goes to bed around 9:30/10pm, wakes to nurse between 4 & 5am, then sleeps until 9:30am or so. She's a SO much better sleeper than my son!!!

My son did MUCH better with an earlier bedtime when he was younger, whereas my daughter is fine with her 10pm bedtime. We're a late household anyway, so a 7pm bedtime wouldn't work for us. BUT try it and see what happens. He may even sleep later than 5am if he's able to have a better sleep. This just goes to show that every baby/toddler/child is different, and you just have to go with the flow, especially when your son is so young. Have faith!!

My 21 month old STILL wakes up during the night! Ofcourse her reason is probably because I still nurse and she is a comfort nurser. But with my other children they all didn't sleep through the night till they were 2ish on a regular basis. The naps sound very short for your son if he's only getting 1 nap. My daughter naps from 11-3 and thats the only nap she takes but its a LONG nap. I agree he is probably going to bed too late and is over tired and can't sleep.

Why do you think something's wrong if he's only 5 months? I realize it's a desire for all parents that their child sleep through the night, at any age! But honestly, it's a bit unrealistic. Yep, there's books that tell you otherwise. There's parents who do NOTHING "magical" & yet take the credit for their wee one sleeping so well at "such&such" age. But start talking to parents who have literally tried everything under the sun & their children simply don't sleep well.

Trust me, if your kid is waking up once or twice a night, talk to your PED. Ask what is "normal" for YOUR baby in terms of how much they are eating during the day & how much they may still need to eat at night; how much they are sleeping during the day, & what is fair to expect for nighttime sleep. What time is best to put DS to bed (earlier is always better - always). But again, earlier bedtimes can mean needing to start sleep training just with that (which is what I had to do with DS #1). Sometimes that's the "trick" & things fall into place. Other times you get DS to fall asleep well at an earlier time & then you have to tackle the night wakings with a different plan.

3 to 4 months is a good starting age for sleep training. Putting cereal into a bottle, feeding him something before he goes to bed (that apparenty he doesn't respond well to), or putting something special in a bathtub isn't sleep training. If your ped tells you that DS will be just fine without eating at night, then start reading some sleep training books. They're all pretty much the same (trust me; I've read them!!). You either decide your a cry-it-out (or some crying) type parent or you're not & you go from there.

And don't forget, there are plenty of infants who sleep well at a certain age & then teething starts or they fall ill & the night wakings start all over again. The more you read about sleep in general, the more informed you'll be at the importance of sleep but also the myriad of things that go on in an ever-growing child that can make sleep difficult. And don't forget the mantra: Sleep begets sleep (most of the time). 3 good naps (at your baby's age) in a day "should" ensure a better night's sleep. But again, every.baby.is.different.

Formulate a sleep training plan, both parents commit to starting it, and then the goal is to stay consistent with your efforts. Some babies DO eventually, on their own, figure out how to sleep better. But most don't. Especially if they're getting full bottles more than once a night. Why wouldn't he wake up if he knew he's getting a full meal at every turn?

Sorry to not be able to give a fullproof plan for you, but I'm speaking from some serious sleep-deprived experience (1st boy didn't sleep well until 15 mths, 2nd boy is 13 mths & still up a few times a night). Just like potty training, you kind of have to chuck your ideals out the window or you & everyone else will be stressed out. Better to just accept the way things are right now, talk to the ped, start investigating a sleep training routine & start fresh with a plan in a week or two.

Good luck!

I think a lot of it has to do with how often he eats during the day... obviously if they eat every two hours during the day they are going to want to eat more often at night also... eventually they get to where they'll go for a longer strech at night. with all of mine I nursed them every 4 hours from the day they were born. Id feed them at 10 and go to bed then they would wake up at 2 and go back to bed until 6 or 7 when theyd be up for the day. All of mine have slept thru the night (and i dont mean 5 or 6 hours.. I mean at LEAST 8) very young and the only reason I can think of is because they were only used to eating every 4 hours so they filled their stomachs when they ate! (BTW....None of my babies acted like they needed to eat more often than that. my 1st was 2 1/2 months when she slept thru the night my 2nd was 8 weeks my 3rd was 1 1/2 weeks (!!!) and my 4th was 4 weeks1) Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you! P.S. my doc says after 2 months they can cry it out... I know it's hard but some people can do it and it does work...

Most babies don't sleep through the night at this age. Neither of my kids slept through the night until after their first birthdays - they had super metabolisms and needed those feedings until their first birthdays.

Our son was easier - he'd nurse while I slept. It worked out well.
When my daughter was almost 3 months, I was diagnosed with cancer and had to stop nursing, so we kept bottles of water next to the bed with the formula pre-filled in dispensers so giving her a bottle was as convenient as possible. Because my treatment wiped me of energy, she was in bed with us for that first year, and we were able to get a little more sleep as we were also both full-time working parents.

Here's what the American Academy of Pediatrics says about babies and sleep:
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/s...

I agree with the others that you should try putting him to bed earlier, around 7. I have found that lots of 5 month olds sleep much worse than what you're dealing with; my son slept great until 5 1/2 months and then he started waking up every 2 hours all night long. I think it's just a development thing--they're starting to roll, sit up, etc., and they need to move which wakes them up. We started my son on rice cereal around that time, which really didn't do anything. We also let him CIO around 6 months because I couldn't do it anymore, I was just so tired. Hang in there, it should get better in a few months. My son is now 10 months old and he is a wonderful sleeper.

I think your doing pretty good if your 5 month old baby is only waking up once a night. Babies bellies are small they digest food fast.My 2 year old just started sleeping through the night! Give yourself at least a few more months before you start expecting your baby to sleep through the night.

Sounds just like my 5 month old, only we put him to bed much earlier. Like another mom said the ideal bedtime would be between 7-8. We put our little guy down around 7:15, he's been waking up once to eat around 3, then back to sleep till about 7. He just doesn't nap well at all during the day either, maybe an hour nap here or there. I know it sounds wrong, but if you do put him to sleep earlier he may sleep longer, and if he still wakes up at 5a, you at least have some time to yourself in the evening. You may also want to try decreasing the amount you feed him in the overnight feeding. My son normally takes 6 oz during the day, but we only put 4 oz at most in a bottle at night. You can gradually decrease this amount till he cuts it out completely. You can even add water in the bottle after you've decreased it enough. Eventually they'll learn they don't want to wake up for just an ounce, or for water. Good luck!

I have 2 girls 14 months and 3 years old who both slept through the night (8 hours) around 5 weeks and around 11-12 hours by 3 months old and they were breastfed until about 5-6 months. I think a couple of things to try are putting the baby to bed a lot earlier. My 14 month old still goes to sleep by 7:00 every night and wakes up at 7:00. Another thing you should do is not let the baby got to sleep to the bottle then the only way they know to go back to sleep is for you to wake up and give them another bottle. You need to train the baby to go to sleep on its own without a bottle. A blanket or pacifier are o.k. for soothing as well. I would try to feed the baby about an hour before bed and then give a bath and rock the baby for a bit, but put him to sleep awake. He will probably cry (maybe A lot) for a few days until he learns to soothe himself, but it will be worth it in the end. The naps should improve as well. Try doing a nap at 9:00 and 1:00 and eventually he will drop the morning nap.

sorry didn't read the other answers but I had the same problem and here's what we do now that has helped:

-during the day put baby down to sleep every 2 hours (before they get too tired) at this age they shouldn't be up for more than that. If baby isn't getting enough sleep during the day, they sleep worse at night too.
-try putting baby down around 7-8 instead then wake baby up for last feeding of night at around 10-11pm. This way they stay asleep til at least 4am and if you're lucky til 6am.

This works really well for us. When we wake her at 10-11pm for final bottle- she drinks full bottle then she falls right back asleep w/o skipping a beat. To avoid the gassiness, make sure to keep baby upright for 15 mins after any feeding.

Good Luck!

My son just turned 6 months and here's our schedule:
up at 6:15ish, two short naps in the morning, one longer one in the afternoon around 2-4. To bed at 7. I feed him approximately every 3-3.5 hours during the day and a meal of solids around 6 when we all eat. Then I nurse him to sleep (or to drowsy state). He still wakes at 11:30 or so and is truly hungry. Again at 4, and is really hungry.
My daughter was similar. They both have fast metabolisms and my son is really big so he simply needs lots of calories.
I think you're doing fine. Stay regular with your feeding during the day and his night sleep might improve. Might not for a while, but it will improve at some point.
Also, I have noticed that every few weeks or so he goes through some kind of cognitive development that disrupts his sleep. Keep the faith, stay regular, and he'll get back on track in a few nights.
Good luck.

I found with both of my girls that keeping to a feeding routine during the day, sorted out the night sleeping. Before everyone gets all up in arms about it, I am not talking about withholding food from an infant until the clock says it is time. I'm talking about helping their bodies to set a reasonable routine for eating. Our bodies adjust to what is the norm. If I eat everyday at noon for a week (only a few days to set a routine for babies), my body will start to be hungry at noon. That is basic biology. When my girls were this age, they were eating every 3.5 to 4 hours during the day. If they were awake at 3.5 hours-ish we ate. If they were still asleep at 4 hours-ish, I woke them up to eat (not during the night of course!). Generally I'd feed them when they woke up, then we played, read books, changed diaper, etc. then they went back down for a nap. This was the routine during the day. Both of my girls were exclusively breastfed, beginning small amounts of rice cereal with a spoon at 5 months-ish. My younger daughter slept an 8 hour stretch at night by 3 months. My older one had colic so slept not much at all for the first three months (ack!), but once the colic had run its course (13 weeks) she went 6 hours at night and was up to 8+ by 5 months. This is the same for all 7 cousins too. I highly recommend sorting out a daily feeding routine that works for your family. It really does help their bodies fall into a good sleeping habit.
In the mean-time I would decrease his 2am feeding gradually. Start with 5 oz., then 4, etc. Right now he is waking because his body is used to being fed at that time. By gradually decreasing the amount he is fed, it will give his body time to adjust and take in more calories during the day.

Good luck in your continuing adventure!

If he's only waking up twice during the night, you are doing great. The medical definition of sleeping through the night for a child under 1 year old is (drumroll please): 5 hours! Most people don't know that and have unrealistic expectations.

And when babies do sleep 8 hours or more, it can change when they are about to make a developmental leap (rolling over, sitting up, talking, teething, etc.) it can disrupt their sleep.

This was the same for me with my baby at that age. I say you're doing pretty good. It will change soon and you'll get a little more of a stretch then magically one day my baby would sleep through the night. I didn't get a good stretch until he was one year old but every child is different. I made sure he had hs last bottle late enough (11pm for awhile, then it got moved up to 10 pm then and now it's 9pm) and I made sure he had a clean diaper right before bedtime so a soiled one wouldn't wake him up. Not a fan of CIO because at this age they still have small tummies and wake up hungry. I say keep doing what you're doing and this sill soon pass/change. Also, I talked to a lot of nurses and they said to hold off on the cereal/baby food until 6 months because of the immaturity of their digestive system and development (hence the confusion w/the spoon) and that cereal/baby food had more carbs they burned off easily becoming hungry again sooner. Again I would do what you're doing w/the bottles, hang in there and give the cereal (not in a bottle and make it soupy) and Gerber baby food a little later like over 6 mos of age. Hang in there! This too shall pass making room for another developmental stage.

I think your child is going to bed way too late, which is causing fractured sleep and night waking.
My 7 month old has been on the following schedule for 3 months: awake for the day around 7am, nap at 9ish for 1-2 hours, nap at 1ish for 2-3 hours, bottle between 5:30 and 6pm, and right to bed. She sometimes wakes between 2am and 6am for a feed, sometimes not. Check out Marc Weissbluth's book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.