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Still eating twice a night?
I've read all the books, Babywise, Healthy Sleep Habits, Baby Whisperer, etc. My son is 6 1/2 months and is still waking twice a night to eat. The books make me feel like a failure for this and make me concerned that this will affect whether he is a good sleeper in the future. His naps are one morning nap, usually pretty good - 2 hours - about 1 1/2 hours after he wakes. Next nap about 2 hours after he wakes from the first and then a third nap about 2 hours after the last. He always eats when he wakes. Should I be worried that he is not sleeping through the night. I've tried letting him cry a little but he is hungry - he is breastfed and just starting solids. The sleep interruptions are taking there toll on me. Any advice?
Monty's Mom
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
You're not a failure! On the contrary, I think you're doing great! Go and read Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits again and that will make you feel better! :) He says that some babies wake to eat once or twice a night until 9 months of age! You're doing fine! His sleep sounds absolutely ideal to me! Hang in there- you've probably only got a couple more months and he'll start sleeping right through!
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
I agree! Every baby is different, as is every mom, but FWIW I'll just briefly relay my experience on this one with my 6-month-old DS. He was still waking twice a night at 4 months and our ped advised us that she felt it was likely out of habit NOT hunger, since he should be able to make it at least 6 hours at night at that age/weight without problems. So we easily eliminated the 11pm feeding (very little half-hearted crying for a couple months). Just in the past week we eliminated what was the 3am feeding but had become the 4:30am feeding in the same fashion. It had become CREEPY how he was waking at EXACTLY 4:25am every night.....I was starting to become suspicious.
Now he's sleeping 7pm-6am!! Believe me, we're relishing in it while it lasts!! :-)
HTH!
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
what exactly did you do to eliminate the feeding? I think my 4 month old is waking out of habit - wakes about the same time, starts crying after feeding as soon as I step back into the nursery with him...a bit suspicious.
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
Hmmmmm........well, for some reason my DS never fusses after a nighttime feeding. He always goes back down really easily. But we basically phased in a CIO-type thing. We let him go about 5 minutes the first couple nights, 10 minutes the next couple, and then he stopped waking up. And the crying was never truly ballistic. You could just TELL he wasn't REALLY hungry.
HTH!
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
I'm curious, did you just let him cry it out or did you have to go in and comfort him without feeding? My 5mo. old DD wakes up every morning like clock work at 5am.I feed her and then she usually sleeps until 7 or 8. I would LOVE to get rid of the 5am feeding but I am not sure how to do it. Any advice?
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
I think 5 months is too young to try to eliminate this feeding, unless she is getting up another time during the night? Usually by 5am they have gone through the night, are hungry and wet. I used to enjoy the 5am feeding because it meant I could go back to sleep for a few more hours (as opposed to getting up at 6 and being up for the morning).
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
I was thinking it was still to early to try to forgo the 5am feeding. I just want to do it for selfish reasons, It is very hard for me to go back to sleep and when I finally do she is up and ready to go. Oh well, all part of being a mom. :)
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
One of the things that is mentioned in the chapter on sleep in Baby 411 is to try offering water. He will very soon realise it is not worth it to get up for that.
It does stress that a healthy full term baby is capable of sleeping through the night by six months and is more likely waking up out of habit.
There is a chance he is not actually hungry at all but will take the breast or bottle because it is there.
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RE: Still eating twice a night?
Thanks for the encouragement. I just ordered the Ferber book and am going to try it. $3 new on Amazon.
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