3 Month Old Still Not Sleeping Threw the Night

I know this isn't what you want to hear but he will do this off and on for the next 2 years. I have 3 girls and none of them slept through the night consistently until 6 months old. And even after that they would go through phases where they got up a lot. My 2 and 4 year olds still wake up, but I have trained them to get a pillow and blankie and come lay on my floor without waking me up.

Remember, his is still tiny and new to the world. He will find his rhythm. Give him time.

I recommend you get a hold of the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth, MD.

My kids are just under 15 months apart too, and this book helped me understand what expectations I should have about their ability to sleep...and how to help them get the right amount of sleep. I KNOW how tough things are right now. It will get much, much easier. The best thing to do now is to get them on an appropriate sleep schedule. Good luck!

A baby this young, does not have a fully developed digestive system... adding cereal to the bottle will not help. It is a myth.

At this young an age, they wake. Even 1 year old wakes.
3 months is a growth-spurt time, and they need to feed to keep up with their growth. And, sometimes babies "cluster feed" meaning they need to feed even every hour.

I know its hard... but keeping him awake, when he needs to nap, is not going to help. Because, an OVER-tired baby/child, actually does NOT sleep well and they wake more and they do not have a good quality of sleep. You need to go by your baby's cues... when he is tired, then he should nap. A baby this age, typically gets tired about 2 hours after being awake. So you need to gauge his sleepy cues... then put him down for a nap.
Or you can try baby sleep sacks. Some babies like that. Its like swaddling.

But, if a baby wakes and is hungry, you need to feed. And it is not easy, and tiring. But regularity helps. Have a daily routine... with your kids. Is your 18 month old napping? She ideally should be. And try to put them BOTH down to nap at the SAME time. It is possible. I did that with both my kids. It just takes getting a routine about it, and knowing when your babies are tired. Not waiting until they are over-tired.

And if you can, get a friend/relative to help you.
Are you a single Mom or have a partner? If so, he should be helping too... a Mommy needs rest.

All the best,
Susan

Cereal in bottles is a myth to get a child to sleep. This child is only 3 months old. The chances he will sleep through the night is very slim. As a parent of more than one child, yes, this is hard to do, but it is reality. Asking a 3 month old to sleep through the night is not a natural thing, even tho some children will--rare ones.

My best advice is to ask friends or family who have been saying "Is there anything I can do to help?" to come over while you take a nap! Or nap when they do if the timing works out.

If you do not have anyone to watch them, you can find the local "by the hour", Moms day out, or "by the day" care, and go home to get a nap.

This is a hard time, but you will get through it! It is normal that a child does not sleep through the night for the entire first year..if not beyond that... *hugz* you are not alone and we have all gone through this before...

sounds like seperation anxiety or ear infecton. This doesn't sound like hunger to me. See your Dr. for the best advice

I'm not saying you're lieing but you probably had the only newborn known to man who slept 8 hour clips since birth! LOL
3 months is WAY too young to expect any sleep regularity like that. You're lucky if he sleeps 4-5 hours at a time.
NO cereal in the BOTTLE! Their stomach cannot handle it and it may cause problems down the road!

Is he eating every time he wakes or is he just sucking to fall back to sleep? If he isn't really eating then can you get him to take a pacifier. Sometimes you have to try a few to find one they like. I do not think you should keep him awake during the day he could be getting overtired and that may be why he isn't getting a restful sleep. I would try putting him down wide awake every two hours even if he doesn' look tired and put some music on. If he fusses a little that is okay, rub his belly or his head and try to get him to fall asleep in his crib. If he isn't eating at each night feeding then try the same thing just pat him without picking him up, he may fuss but once he realizes he isn't going to be picked up he may learn to put himself back to sleep. Three months is really young to expect a child to sleep straight through but every 2 hours is a bit much. I believe at six weeks my kids slept from 11:30 till 5 or 6 so to me that was a full nights sleep. Are you sure he isn't in any pain as far as gas or reflux? I would have that checked out, that can really disturb a babies sleep it is very painful. When are you giving the cereal at dinner time or right before bedtime? I always did cereal at dinner time not right before bed and this way they would take a full bottle at bedtime. He may need to just suck so a pacifier may help him. Is there any way when your husband comes home you can catch a little nap to help prepare you for the night time. I can only imagine how exhausted you must be. I hope you get some rest soon.

baby is only 3 months old. also children will regulate their sleep according to their own bodies as well. Give it some time and sometimes some kids dont sleep at all the first year! My second child was that way and it drove me bonkers, she didnt sleep through the night till 12 months!! I had my children about the same distant apart in years and the youngest is almost 2 now. It will end soon trust me, its super hard but you will make it. Your not the first nor the last to battle this. Dont be to concerned about nodding off, I did that many times as long as your home is 100% secure where htey cannot harm themselves and if ya can get a babysitter or family/friend to help you get some extra rest until the baby is older. This is the time you need someone else there so go find them! Get a playpen and if you feel sleepy put the child int he playpen and nod off for a few with the other kid in their bed or playpen as well. again, i know how hard it is but I made it just keep pluggin away! ITS ALL ABOUT CAT NAPPING WITH 2 CLOSE IN AGE!

what helped for me was swaddling my daughters arms straight down. I just wrapped a blanket all the way around. So her arms are constricted but not her legs. She actually went from sleeping 3 hours to 7 hours that first night. So most nights now she sleeps 6 hours or so and on occasion will only sleep 3 hours. But this makes a huge difference. She also sleeps much better in her bassinet then next to me in bed. good luck! (My daughter is 4 months now).

Try putting cereal in his last bottle of the evening. I think it is a tablespoon of cereal per ounce of formula - you may try a little less at first. Like 4 tablespoons to 6 ounces of formula.

Unfortunately for you every baby is different and there is really no way of making your baby sleep through the night. He is still very young 3 months is usually when they start to sleep longer periods of time (4-5 hours straight). You are doing everything right everything that you have tried is what I would have done. It will take time and when he's ready he'll start sleeping longer periods of time. My only suggestion is to get on his schedule sleep when he sleeps. I know it's even harder with another one at home though. Maybe try getting someone in to give you a break and watch them while you rest. I know it takes a toll on you and you need your rest also. Good luck!!

I'm sorry to tell you that just because your daughter slept wonderfully does not mean that your son will. Really expecting a 3 month old to sleep through the night is a lot. It is wonderful if they do, but should not be expected at all. Do you have sound machines in his room? Since this started when you switched rooms, I'm thinking that the silence isn't what he is used to. So maybe when he wakes, he doesn't hear your breathing and can't get back to sleep or is scared.

You are in a very hard spot. Your daughter can't be left unattended and you aren't getting the sleep you need. I would have your husband take turns getting up with you at night. You do it once and he does it the next time. Hopefully this way you could get at least two hours of solid sleep. Yep it would suck for him to have to do this all night and then go to work where he must function but it took both of you to bring the baby into the world.

Can you afford outside help? Do you have a teenager in the neighborhood who could come over for a couple of hours after school and play with your daughter?

And as a side note, since the cereal is not helping your son, you really should stop adding it. Just because a doctor suggests it doesn't always mean it is the right thing to do.

Hugs your way!

I'd get yourself a new Dr. There is no evidence that introducing cereal helps them sleep longer. It is a myth, one that can be dangerous to their underdeveloped digestive systems.

My daughter was a big eater, every 3-4 hours, up until I night-weaned her at 11 months. Some babies need the food.

My son, otoh, likes to sleep, and goes at least 5 hours. I've done nothing differently, they are just different kids. He also takes a nap from 4-5 and then goes down around 6-7, sleeping 5-8 hours, eating, then sleeping another 4-5. Sleep begets sleep, so there is a good chance your son is popping awake so much at night because he is overtired and just cannot settle --think about how hard it is for you to sleep when you've been up an excessive amount of time. Your mind races and you just cannot relax.

At night, do not talk to your child --ever. Go to them, and just work on putting them back to sleep. By engaging them, you are telling them it's OK to be awake, when it isn't. In fact, I don't let my husband go to our 3 month old son in the middle of the night because my hubby can't but help to smile and chat with his baby.

Sorry to hear about this. Yes I agree your 3 month old should be taking longer stretches other than 2 hours at night!! I have a 4 month old and we put her in her own rrom at 2 months because she was waking ( or making noise) every hour!! So now we don't even go into her room unless she cries. We have a white noise maker which worked with both my kids. A fan or something that makes white noise might help drown out the other noises that are making him wake up and its soothing. Also what I did and still do is after the 6 or 7 o clock feeding, keep her up for at least 2 hours and she is so ready by then. I try to get at least 3 to 4 ounces in her in the room with the lights low. she knows what time it is then. I have read that kids like routine and thrive better on it. I would say also to feed him every 3 hours on the dot and do not let it go past that during the day. All babies are different. Both my kids where sleeping through the night at the same time. I never experienced an early sleeper ( at birth,etc). Always was 3 months. Also keep in mind that babies hit growth spirts like nobodies business. So if he is hungry then he will wake. Good luck!! I hope it gets better for you guys!!

You are very lucky that your daughter slept through the night. Yes, it is possible, but not the norm. My sister slept through the night early on, so I know it happens. But MOST babies cannot sleep through the night yet at that age. And books that give advice on sleep training all say that 3 months is too early to expect them to. I read The No Cry Sleep Solution to try to get my son to sleep. It was very helpful in teaching you ways to get them to self soothe and put themselves to sleep. You can always try these gentle approaches now and even if they don't work right away, you will be setting him up for good sleep habits later. The fact that he was sleeping 4-6 hours for the first two weeks doesn't mean anything, that is just newborn sleep. They sleep pretty much around the clock at that point.

Don't let him get too tired. Don't deprive him of naps or keep him up past when he starts to get sleepy. I think 3 naps a day is more the norm at this age, at least. And some babies dont do well with baths at night. My son was always completely awake after a bath. I have to do them in the afternoon. My son was never in pain or gassy or anything either, he just wouldn't sleep unless I was rocking him. Some kids are great sleepers, some are NOT. I got one that is not. It sounds like you got one of each. But he may grow into a good sleeper yet, he just needs time. Read a couple of books on sleep and see what you can apply to your situation at this age to try to extend his sleep times a little. Hopefully around 6 mos (the normal age to sleep train) he will start doing better. Mine took until 15 mos.

try babywise book. worked for my twins!

3 months old.. I would say that he isn't sleeping thru the night cause their little tummies can only hold little food at a time then need to be refilled, it is not unusual for babies not to sleep thru the nite until later when they are eating cereal and stuff to fill their little tummies, 3months a little young to feed cereal too at about most doctors say 5-6 months maybe a little cereal at bedtime to hold them thru the night..good luck and this doesn't last forever and you will survive it just like every mother from generations past:)

I have an almost 4 year old, a 19 month old and a 4 month old. The 4 year old slept through the night at 6 weeks! Amazing! I thought all my babies would be like this. Then came my 19 month old. She did not sleep through the night until 10 months and even now, she sometimes will still wake up. My 4 month old at this point, is still not sleeping through the night. If you do decide to give cereal, I have always heard you need to give it on a spoon. I don't know about cereal being so bad for babies, my pediatrician recommend cereal for my daughter who has reflux as young as 3 months to help keep the food down. I have heard other pediatrician's recommend this as well. My ped. worked at the All Children's specializing in gastrointestinal issues, so I do believe her. But I don't know about it helping sleep through the night. Let me know if you find anything that works, because I am right there with you, tired all the time!

Gosh, you must be so tired.
Take a look at what you are feeding him-I am hoping it isn't formula, but if it is that is probably the problem- so much awful stuff in that- take a look at WestonPrice.com and they will give you great direction- I know it is more work BUT for a nights sleep it will be worth it, unless you can nurse?
Usually not sleeping is lack of what that baby needs- and being the 2nd child
he may have not gotten something that your daughter got, being the 1st.
Adding cereal- adding grains at 3mos-that may cause an allergic reaction- not the best way to get anyone to sleep.
Soaking barley, and then slow cooking the barley, and then using the barley water for your baby also helps with the nutrition.
I know you say it isn't impossible because your daughter did it- really they will be different in very many ways, and while I know it is tought to celebrate that when you are so doggone tired, I hope that you will think about that- my girls are different in ways that continues to fascinate me- ah but I am now sleeping!
best, k

to be honest I think you just lucked out with the first one. Maybe it's too cold in his room? Or maybe he just misses being close to you. Is he still small enough to keep in the bassinet in your room? Three months is really young to tell what his sleep habits will be. Good luck to you.