I need a little help. My 4 month old has been sleeping through the night since she was about 10 weeks old, until recently. She is absolutely ready for bed by 8pm if we try to keep her up she is a miserable wreck. But now she is waking up at 4am starving. I would let her cry it out at first but I believe she is really hungry. I had a friend tell me to sneak in and extra feeding at about 6pm to help her feel more full, but that hasn't worked. Any suggestions?
Hi A.,
Perhaps she is ready for some rice cereal. I'd try giving it to her at bedtime. That should keep her satisified thru the nite.
Good luck.
L.
The same thing was happening with me, my son is now 5 months old. He still wakes up once a night, but my son is a very big boy he weighs about 19 pounds so he can't make it through the night without more food. My suggestion would be sneed a little cereal (rice with DHA is the best into her bottle, and fill her tummy before bed. Good luck. T.
Wow, you are doing great. She is sleeping for a long stretch and that is wonderful. Can you do a feeding at 4 am and then put her back down? Also, you could try feeding less and less at this time to extinguish the need. For example, if you are nursing, nurse for one minute less every morning. If you are bottle feeding, give one ounce less every morning. Eventually it will be such a small amount that she will stop waking for it. This usually works. Best of luck to you!
I believe that is a sign she is ready to start solids. Start on rice cereal at dinner time (spoon fed, not in her bottle). Initially the amount will be so tiny (as she learns to swallow) that it will not make much difference, but very soon she will consume enough to help tide her over through the night. Later you can add breakfast & lunch. Make sure you introduce each new food alone and for at least three days. I started my son on rice at 3 months & did just that for 2 weeks. It very quickly improved his sleeping habits. Then I started adding the yellow vegetables.
Also, feed her when she wakes at 4 am, she obviously needs it. Just do it in the dark & try to put her right back down. And as another poster recommended, keep trying to reduce the amount you give her at that time.
Good luck.
If she's breastfed then nurse her at 4am, cereal is not necessary nor reccommended. If she's going to bed at 8pm then waking up at 4am she just slept 8hrs so yes she's hungry. and she just slept the entire night. Feeding her extra before she goes to bed really doesn't work because she'll be digesting it over the next 8hrs and still wake up with an empty stomach. Sleeping through the night doesn't mean she sleeps from the time you put her to bed until you get up. For most infants and newborns they sleep about 4-6hrs at a time need to get up and eat then go and sleep some more. Regardless of whether she's breastfed or formula fed she shouldn't sleep more than 8hrs at a time without eating because she's doing the most growing during these first few months
Obviously your brand new child needs food.
Feed her and put her right back down after changing her diaper. She should go right back down if you keep it dark, quiet, and do not stimulate her. No need to burp her. Don't let her fuss for long as this will just make her wake up more and fuss more. Pick her up as soon as you know she's awake. Babies cannot lie or manipulate and cannot be spoiled. Knowing you are there to meet her needs right away will help her to learn how to trust.
Hi A.-
I would highly recommend feeding her cereal. When your child is growing, they require more nutrition. I would suggest feeding her some cereal at night. Like has already been shared, just a little bit at first, but definitely with a spoon. Rice is also the best to start her on. After a few days, if that doesn't seem to help, try some in the morning (8 or 9, not 4!)and at night. I have four children. They didn't all have the same 'starting cereal' time, but I knew they were ready for it. I also think that going to bed at 8 or even 7 (as was suggested) is good. It is hard being a first time mom and getting so much advice and trying to figure it all out! Hope I didn't add to that confusion.
Try giving her some cereal. The doctor may not recommend it yet, however every child is different. She may need a little extra.
Is she nursing or getting a bottle right before she goes to sleep? I remember a time when my son was a really good sleeper but he did wake up at around 4-5, have a bottle and then sleep for another few hours. I wouldn't advise trying to keep her awake longer--the opposite is true with babies--they are worse sleepers when they are overtired and then you'll BOTH be miserable. If anything--try putting her to bed a little earlier than 8, even 7 might be good. That way if she wakes up at 3, you can feed her and know that you still have a few hours of sleep to go B4 you have to get up! Good luck!
A.,
I believe that 4 months is about when they go thru another change and I don't think it's unusual for an infant to wake up during the night at 4 months. If you think she had enough to eat during the day, then give her water and that will discourage her or just go with the flow and feed her, is she eating much food yet at all? Also, mention it to her doctor just to get some feedback there.
Trial and Error, Lady,
Wishing you the best,
M.
It might be time for cereal, if you haven't already started it. That should definitely keep her tummy full longer than the formula/breast milk.
If you've already started cereal, I would make sure she is getting some at dinner time and then a bottle at bed time as well.
If you aren't certain, call your pediatrician.
If the baby is hungry, you need to feed her.
it sounds like a growth spurt which means it probably also temporary. if shes hungry - feed her. my son did the same thing and then had no problem going back to sleeping through the night after the growth spurt was over. i think its too early for cereal and i think the cereal in a bottle trick isnt safe.
I went back and forth with what to do at this age, as well. My son could make it for about 8 hours at night and I wanted that 8 hours to be when I slept! He went down around 7:30 or 8:00, but what I would do was wake him up at 10:30 or so, right before I went to bed and give him one more feeding. Some people call it "dream feed." He doesn't wake up all the way. That way he lasted until around 6 am. I did that until my son was about 5 months old. Some people told me he didn't need that late night feeding, but it worked for me. And he slept til morning. And around 6 months, he was sleeping about 11 hours straight. I didn't start cereal til 5 1/2 months. Just wanted to let you know what seemed to work for me, but I know every child is different!
A.,
It is very likely that she is hungry. It's very common for infants who used to sleep well to have a sleep regression at about 19 weeks and about 37 weeks (roughly 4 months and 9 months). If you google sleep regression, Moxie has some great information on it.
It's unfortunate, and tiring, but it's normal. DD is just shy of 1 year and we're finally back down to 2-3 wakeups per night.
I would be leery of using Cry It Out with an infant that young. Even the major proponents of Cry It Out say that the child should be at least 6 months old before using the system.
There have been some studies that may show that excessive crying can be harmful - http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp.
Best wishes and hope you get through this stage a lot faster than we did.
S.
Hi A.,
This is pretty typical. At this age your baby is probably starting to cut teeth and is more aware of her environment. I would say meet her needs and give it some time and soon she will be sleeping well again. Many babies start waking up again after sleeping through the night. Besides 8 PM to 4 AM is still GREAT!
J.
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Hi A.,
Welcome to the club! I am going through the same thing with my daughter (4 1/2 months old) and it seems every parent I talk to with a similar aged baby is experiencing this! We all can't determine if it's a growth spurt or teething. I agree with introducing cereal or supplementing with an extra feeding.
By the way, my daughter slept through the night last night! :) In addition to her normal feedings through the day, she had 2 small servings of cereal and 3 oz. of pumped breast milk in addition to nursing at bedtime (7:30).
Good luck! Hope you start getting to sleep through the night again!
