Four Month Old Waking up Too Many Times to Nurse, HELP!!!

K.,I have a magnetic sleep system you could borrow to see if it will help. I have references if you would like them,
Regards,
L.
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My kids were both like this and I ended up cosleeping until the age of 5-6 months so that we could all get more rest until they were old enough to sleep train. Both times I was afraid I would never get those kids out of my bed, but babies are pretty flexible in their sleep habits for the first year. Once they were about 5.5 months we were able to gradually get them to sleep for longer and longer stretches on their own in the crib, with only one or two night feedings till they were 8 or 9 months. Good luck - it is so hard taking care of a toddler and a baby when you're not rested, so do whatever you can to get some more sleep for now!

I have a five month old and the same thing happen to me around 3 and a half months. She also slept with me until three months. I had to move her out of my room because she wanted to eat every hour. I read the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and this was a life saver. My daughter now goes to sleep at 7:00 and sleeps until 2:00, wakes up to nurse, and then eats again at 5:00. This is much better than every hour. Hang in there, it won't happen over night but it does work.

She is probably having a growth spurt and this will likely let up over time.

At four months, your baby is growing rapidly and is probably hungry. I might suggest formula feeding your daughter at night. I nursed my daughter until she was 11 months old and loved every minute of it. Being self employed, it was difficult to break away for an hour, every two hours, to nurse her. So I began to suppliment with formula during the day and alternated between nursing and formula. I found that she was less hungry and slept longer. At four months, I also started to to add a little rice cereal into her formula or I pumped and added it to breast milk. I think that if she's not so hungry at night, she may not wake up as many times, resulting in a little more sleep for you.
Good luck!
-S.

Several times during the first six months of life, infants go through growth spurts--and need more milk than previously. The way they get you to produce more is by suckling more frequently. It usually takes about two days with each of these "need spurts" for your body to increase production, so long as you are taking in enough fluid yourself and yes, getting enough rest. If dad can get up with the baby during the night, change her diaper and bring her into bed so all you have to do is roll onto your side and nurse, that may help your sleep be less interrupted. During the daytime, make sure you have some rest each afternoon, even if it is just a quiet time on your bed with both kids--your son can still cuddle you while you nurse the baby and if he falls asleep too, you're home free. If he does not have a "quiet phase" in the afternoon, put him in his crib with some music and close the door, so you can have one with the baby. When you start feeding her solids, she will need much less milk and you will no longer go through this supply and demand pull, but nursing time as quiet time can still be a great soother for all. Good luck!

I would defintly wait to sleep train until at least 6 months but maybe even longer. it did not work for myson until he was 8 months. Well she take a bottle? YOu could have your husband wake up once or twice to feed her. Also having daddy go in a few times might stop her from waking up as frequently if she is not really hungry and just wants to suck on a breast. Dadddy can't help her with that. She might also just really be hungry that much if she is having a growth spurt. Try to give her more food during the day. also you might want to try a little rice cercal. she is to young for much anything else but it might fill her up a little more.
HOpe you figure something out.
A.

Hi K.,

With two young children it can be very hard to achieve enough rest. It is hard enough with just a newborn.

What your daughter is doing is very normal. All babies and even older children go through these phases. It is most common before or during a "growth spurt" where she is growing longer, or a major developmental change. It usually last between 2 days and 3 weeks though it can last longer.

You sound opposed to having her in bed with you however as long as it is done safely it can be a great way to make it through the night with a lot more rest and even some sleep.

Does you son nap during the day? Taking a nap when he does can also be a way to help you achieve sufficient rest to make it through this stage.

I strongly recommend continuing to breastfeed for the immediate and long term health or your daughter. If you really decide not to (though it sounds like you want to) it does not have to be an all or nothing situation. You can continue to provide milk at times that work for you. There is a significant risk to your milk supply if you drop feeds before baby is ready to but for some people that is the right choice for them. If you decide to give formula (not recommended but a valid choice if you know the risks) please use a pacifier as formula can induce an artificially deep sleep and increase the risk of SIDS.

Remember also that trying to have a clean house, home cooked meals, completely happy kids and husband is usually a recipe for exhaustion. Perhaps you could look at your normal routines and see if there are ways to cut back or areas you could receive some help so that you are not so exhausted.

You only need a short term solution probably as your daughter is likely to move through this phase and later will even start shortening and dropping feeds as she transitions to other foods (not for several months yet but it is still in sight).

I hope you can hang in there and find a solution that works for you.

K.

My son also started excessive waking up around the same age and we slept trained him then. We didn't wait until 6 months. He was/is perfectly fine. He is very loveable to us and others. I would sleep train her now if I were in your spot. Good Luck!

You will get ALOT of answers about sleep training. I think most of the sleep book smention a shift in sleeping patterns around 4 mths so it might be a good time to start sleep training. You didn't mess your child up by co-sleeping. Lots of us do it and it is very common outside of our country.

As for the nursing. Babies have growth spurts around at 3 wks of age, 6 wks, 3 mths and 6 mths. There can be individual variation at the exact age these happen. Usually at a growth spurt or just before your child will start nursing more frequently to signal your body to up your supply. (Your body produces milk based on demand) Make sure you are keeping up you fluid intake. After a week or so you child should return to their previous demand schedule as your supply has increased. If it last more than 2 weeks you might be having a drop in your supply or something going on. Sometimes a child will nurse more frequently during the heat, or to sooth discomfort during teething or an ear ache. This is part of breast feeding. Again if it lasts to long check for other problems.
Elizabeth Pantley has a good book on sleep (No cry sleep solution).

H K.,

12 weeks or 12 lbs is the magic number where you can drop the night feedings! The twleve weeks came first for me, so then I started sleep training him in the mini co-sleeper until 5 months when I moved him to his own crib. I chose the slow process becasue it's not clear in any of the books I read when you can start sleep training; however, once you drop night feedings, you begin teaching your baby how to soothe him back to sleep (thus the sleep trainig natutally begins.) Anyway, I read "Solve your Childs Sleep Problems" by Dr. Richard Ferber and it has been phenomenal. My son is almost 2 and is a great sleeper. Good Luck.

You are probably giving the same amount every day. But she has grown. She needs more food to sustain her growing body. Also it is normal for babies and children to eat more for a while and eat less later. It's part of the growing process.

Try alternating with formula, especially at night.

Remember, your baby is crying because she's hungry.

My advice is that it wasn't a mistake to sleep with her, and that might actually help you both get more rest. I think sleeping together at first makes so much sense and it makes nursing so much easier. We slept together til my son was 13 months old. I figured it'd be hard either way to stop -- when he was 6 months or when he was older, so we waited to stop co sleeping until we thought he was old enough not to interpret it as abandonment.

The increase in nursing could just be a spurt, hang in there!

I don't thin you waited to long to put your child in her own bed. Mine still sleeps with me at 17 months. It saved me along of sleeplessness. She wakes one a night and nurses, but I hardly have to wake up since I am in bed with her. I have no advice about sleep training though, cause I have never had the need to do that and don't really know what it means to be honest.

I definately agree with the others about the growth spurt. Babie tend to double their nursing when they are haing a growth spurt, but soon the milk production will catch and all will be back to normal. hang in there. Hospitals are supposed to be educating new moms on this stuff now, but it doesn't seem many of them are getting on the ball with it. Thats what the lactation specialist atmy hospital said.

I recommend la leche league as well

It may be a growth spurt or gas but it also very well could be waking in the night and wanting help to go back to sleep. For me, I don't mind the little ones in my bed for a couple hours in the night if that is my only way to get some more sleep. But I would much rather they learn to put themslelves back to sleep so I am a well rested mother the next day. The "wake, eat, play, sleep" schedule worked really well for me. They ate when they were really allert and ate well. I was able to stretch the feedings so long that they slept through the night in their crib before 6 months. The formula at night idea can help if it is a growth spurt she is experiencing. But be carful not to loose your milk too soon if breast feeding for years is your goal. Try putting her in her own bed before she is alseep for naps so she can practice putting herself back to sleep. Good Luck!

Sorry I don't remember the particulars about your issue, but the book The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems addresses both feeding and sleeping issues. I used this book with both of my kids (now 3 1/2 and 2) and they were sleeping through the night at 3 months and having regular naps through the day. I do remember that at 4 months babies usually need to be on a 4 hour feeding schedule with naps in between. It's amazing to see a baby go from doing well on a 3 hour schedule, then all of a sudden it's not working, then do well again on a 4 hour schedule.

My children are grown, but I had the same problem. My pediatrician recommended giving my son rice cereal before he went to bed. Try to relax. Your milk will come in better. Be sure not to drink any cafeine in the afternoon, nor too much cafeine during the day. That transfers to the baby also.

Congratulations, K. on choosing to nurse your daughter. Your baby is probably going through a growth spurt and needs to nurse more temporarily to increase your supply. Have you considered letting her sleep in your bed? That is a way neither one of you need to wake up and she will feed on her own. I have several article about co-sleeping on my web site. I'd be happy to talk with you and explore other options.
S. www.mybreastfeeding.com

At around 4 months babies go through a growth spurt. Hang in there, this shouldn't last long. She just wants a little extra while she is going through a growning spurt. If I were you I would start introducing some cereal now. I always started at four months. I gave cereal at around 7pm, then a nice warm bath, followed by a extra long nursing session and then they would be asleep for the night. If they don't mind the cereal your lucky, as for mine I added a bit of applesauce or pears into it.Always stick with 1 food at a time though for 4-5 days for food allergies before starting the next one.

My kids were all sleeping through the night by 12 weeks. Start sleep training now.
Good luck, Trish

I trust your daughter is now sleeping in her own safe crib, rather than in your bed. If that's the case, and she's waking to nurse more frequently, it's possible that she has an ear infection. This is what happened with my son and he would wake up frequently throughout the night to nurse. It relieved some of the pressure from the ear infection. He had no other symptoms and was fine during the day. If your pediatrician can find nothing wrong, then it's possible that your daughter needs to be started on cereal in the evening, so that she has something in her tummy to help her make it through the night. Four months of age is not too soon to start working toward sleeping through the night, though your daughter may understand the routine better as she gets a little older.

Actually, child sleep psychologists say the best time for sleep training is between 2 and 4 months--earlier may be too early or not work well, later gets tough as the baby is more set in his/her ways. Ultimately, you're the mom and you know when and what method is best for you and your baby, so trust your instincts. If you think you're both ready, go for it! I did at 3 mos, and though I have a very active child, she's a good sleeper at 7 mos, and I have the tools to work with her when her sleep patterns are disrupted (by development, trips, growth spurts, future teeth, etc.).

Good luck!
J.

I had my son's dr. tell me that some babies use their mother's nipple as their pacificer for comfort even when they are truly not hungry. Could be a reason for her waking up, she is needing your comfort not necessarily food. Not sure what your bedtime routine is but my son gets formula of 5 oz around 10-10:30p at night. I have found this to help him through the night at 1 month old. The other thing too to might consider, she might have gas painds. My son would wake up crying just shortly after he went to bed (1hr) wiggling around, grunting, etc. I would pick him up sooth him and rock him back to sleep.

Also try to learn the difference between her cries before jumping out of bed to her aid and assuming she is hungry (if you have not already). Lastly, she may be too cold at night. Try bundling her up more to see if that helps too. Good luck!

What amount of milk you might think your child is getting, might not be what you think. The same thing happened to me. My daughter wanted to eat every hour on the hour at 4 months. I did a weigh/feed/and weigh at the hospital. She was only getting one ounce of milk from me when she was supposed to be getting four!! I was starving my child and didn't know it. I immediately, with the help of grandma, switched her to bottle feeding. She was much happier having a full tummy. I suggest you do a weigh, feed, and weigh to check how much milk you're giving your child. You might be surprised.

Hi! She might just be growing and getting hungrier, and need a little supplementation of cereal during the day to tide her over longer at night. My daughter did the same thing at about that age. I was able to continue nursing her for a year, but started cereal sooner than I had planned. I would talk to your pediatrician and maybe try adding the cereal before you wean her. Best of luck! :)

Every child is different so sleep traing has no age limit. Both of my children were in their own cribs at six weeks and in a routine of sleeping all night sometiumes waking up once to nurse. I kept the lights off so they wouldn't think it was play time and put them back down. You may need to give her a teaspoon of cereal before bed. I did this with both of my babes.

Its like a growth spurt. My son is 5 months and does this off and on. I try not to feed him, I just pick him up and give him my finger or something first. But if he is hungry he is hungry and I give him my breast. Don't give up!

when my son was 4 months old, he started waking a lot more often and this article really saved my sanity.... check it out at this link...
http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/4mo-sleep.html

Hi K.,
L. your name! I HIGHLY recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth to understand biological sleep rhythms and how to recognize when your baby's mature/evolve. What time is her bedtime? Is she going right back to sleep after nursing? Do you wait a few minutes to see if she goes back to sleep before responding? I co-slept with my daughter for about 3 months until one night I got NO sleep due to my noisy, restless baby. I found that I was responding with food when Paige was having what Dr. Weissbluth calls "a partial arousal" which means she was at the end of a sleep cycle and heading back into the next one. I was actually creating more problems! I put her in her crib in her own room and she slept through the night! I had to supplement breastfeeding with formula due to low supply though. Try getting her to bed at night around 6-7pm with 2-3 naps a day. A well rested baby sleeps better and longer. Email me if you are interested in Dr. Weissbluth's methods. When it comes to sleep, I trust no other pediatrician.
Sincerely,
L.

Hi K.,

I have a 5 month old boy who also wakes up every 1 1/2-3 hours to nurse. We're in the process of weaning his night feedings and it's a lot harder than I had anticipated. He usually eats every 1 1/2 hr to 3 hours day and night. Now I'm trying to cut out his feedings between 9 PM and before 3 AM. Last night was our 3rd night of weaning, and it was a little bit better since he didn't scream at the top of his lungs like he did the first night, he just cried. When he cries I pick him up, pat him and make the "shush" sound. When he stops crying I put him down and put a pacifier in his mouth. When he cries again I pick him up. We did this dance for 4 hrs the first night, 40 mins on the second, and then 2 1/2 hrs on the third until he fell asleep without a feeding or until he cried pass 3 AM, which is when I decided to feed him. I heard that it gets harder and harder to wean as they grow older, so I'm sticking to this weaning session for a week to see how it goes. A month ago, when he was 4 months old, he did not protest as much during his weaning as he does now at 5 months old. I don't have any magic tricks to share with you, but hopefully this will help you decide how and when you want to wean your baby of night feedings. My husband, baby and I are all exhausted, but we're keeping our goal in mine as we press on. We would like for him to learn how to sleep through the night with out being on my boob....

From my experience, she smells your milk and it's waking her up- I feel like my kids will stay up the whole night and breastfeed if I let them. Do you notice if you get up and move away, she is asleep happily and when you're near she keeps waking up? That's THE sign! I would keep putting her in her bassinet or crib after you feel like she's had enough milk- by the way, I'm trying to do the same thing w/my 4th child! I do love cosleeping and am not encouraging you to stop... Hope this helps!

Remember children go through a growth spurt about 3-4 months. She may be growing and this may pass after a few days or a week.
If this is not the case, there is always the cry it out method. Turn off the moniter and set the alarm for a certain time to feed her.
Gotta find that balance.
Good luck!
H.

Dear Sleepy,
With my daughter (who is now 16mos) I definitely noticed that she went through a couple of phases where she wanted to nurse more often. She slept in the bed with us until she was 5mos old. The Dr told us that the sleep training "window" is between 4-6mos, but depends on how much weight the baby has gained. Your Dr should be able to tell you if your baby is ready. One thing I can tell you is that once your Dr gives you the go ahead, I would definitely recommend putting her in her own room in her own crib & using the cry it out method. It makes for a rough 3 days, but after that, she should be mostly sleeping through the night without complaint. The parents we know who didnt let their babies cry it out are still dealing with midnight wakings, etc. while our little girl has been a sleep champion & now sleeps for about 11.5 hours a night. Best of luck!

I've just been doing some Google research and found that there's such a thing as "4 month sleep regression"...so you're definitely not alone! (I didn't realize there was a name for it and everything!)

Remember that when it comes to sleep, everyone has their opinions...even me. But when it comes to you and your family, only you know what's truly best. So take everything you read with a big grain of salt. Trust yourself and be kind...you'll figure it out. We do the best we can with what we have.

Here's what I did when my son started doing this: first, write it down. Having a list of wake ups and durations help me and my sleep deprived brain put things in perspective. It also helped to see if there were any patterns developing. I wrote down everything, all day, for a week to see what sort of schedule we had going naturally....if any. If the wake ups happen at the same time (generally) then it may just be a habit forming. First and foremost, make sure your daughter's not hungry--or wet or whatever. 4 month olds should generally be able to sleep 4-6 hours at a stretch (if I remember correctly) so if you're in that range then chances are she's wanting some comfort, not food.

The best thing I read was the way your child goes to sleep is the way they will expect to go to sleep every time. Start some sleep associations that don't involve nursing. I did Tracy Hogg's (baby whisperer) EASY routine and found it incredibly helpful. Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time. Putting space between eating (nursing in my case) and sleep was a big improvement to our day. It also helped me become more aware of his 'getting sleepy' cues so that I could take advantage of that window of opportunity to help him get to sleep on his own. Start putting your daughter down while she's not quite asleep for a couple days, then a little less asleep, etc. until you can put her down while she's awake.

Get your husband involved. If it truly is just some comfort that's required, he can provide that as well. It'll take a couple tries, your baby has to get used to his style, but it will give you your much needed sleep. If it is food, a bottle of formula/pumped milk will also let you sleep while he feeds. (Check with your doctor to see how supplementing with formula like that may/may not effect your milk supply.) I've also read nursing before *you* go to bed may buy you some extra time. Sort of a 'top off' for your baby that might reset her wake up clock.

This too shall pass! You'll sleep again...someday! :)

Sounds like a growth spurt. Try pumping so that dad cn get up with her. What do you consider too much? At 4 months sleeping consistently through the night isn't likely. I miss the rest too but I want what is best for my son. Soon you can add in rice cereal which will help too.

I'm no 'sleep training expert', but my pediatrician said 'don't nurse him in the night-- he he's big enough to eat enough to sleep through the night' when my boy was about 4 months (I forget how many pounds he was at that point, but clearly my doc didn't think it would be traumatizing for him).
Good luck!

co-sleep, co-sleep, co-sleep! that way you and baby both sleep. we did this with my son and as soon as we did everything changed and i got much needed sleep and he's a happy and secure boy. and...don't but into sleep training...it's really cruel to let your kids "cry it out" and people think it will make them independent, but it does the opporsite. check out attachment parenting.

My older son just turned 2, and my younger one is 3 1/2 months- good ages, most of the time! I just finished reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, and I really wish I had read it two years ago.

To sum it up, so you don't have to read the whole thing before you get relief, don't keep your baby up longer than two hours after she wakes up from her previous nap, and let her sleep as long as she wants for each nap. Don't wake her up, except in the morning- then, wake her up by 7:00 so her naps will be early enough that she'll go to bed at a decent hour. For example: wake up at 7, first nap at 9. Baby sleeps until 10:15. Second nap from 12:15 to 3:30. Third nap at 5:30 to 6:15. Bedtime at 8:00. This is just an example, but has been about how my days have been since I started this four days ago. The night sleep improves significantly when the baby goes to bed early enough, and is well-rested. Sleep begets sleep, Dr. Weissbluth says, and I think it really is true, even though I didn't believe it before! It certainly has been true with my firstborn, who was still waking up at night and fighting going to bed. I put my baby in his own bed during the day and when I first put him to bed, but bring him in bed with me when he wakes up after I go to bed. It's sort of become my compromise between getting him to sleep in his own bed, and getting some sleep for myself! In another few weeks or so I may end up keeping him in his bed at night, and getting up with him, but I'm not quite ready for that stage yet.

It's just a growth spurt.

I remember this happening with my daughter--my doctor told me that it was a temporary phase, which correlates with a growth spurt--the baby nurses almost constantly for a little while, to stimulate increased milk production. When production is up, the frequency goes back down until the next growth spurt. Good luck!

K.

She is probably going through a growth spurt... I wouldn't worry - keep nursing her and see if you can get your hubby to take the kids in the morning so you can sleep in a bit more!

if you felt like you weaned too early with your boy, maybe it would be worth giving it a try to let your girl nurse as much as she needs. we slept with our boy till he was a year, then night-weaned at 14-months and it took about a week, but i had no issue with it in my mind because i knew he could handle it. he was eating plenty and he was able to understand things like "nanas go night-night. no nanas until the sun comes up" clearly you must do what you feel comfortable with, but i agree with the woman who said she was well-rested because she slept with her kids and just let them nurse. its pretty temporary and you know they are getting what they need. my son was not hard to wean out of my bed or off of my breast, and i am certain that his weanings occurred at times when he was ready.

HI there,
I just had to write you, one because I am also the mommy of an 3 1/2 mos old baby girl, and a 2 year old boy and two because I've gone through/going thru what you are as well. I nursed my son until he was 17 mos old and I plan to nurse my girl as long as she wants as well (at least the first year and no longer than 2 years! yikes :)
We also co-slept, both with my son (who is now in his own bed since baby was born) and with baby girl. She was giving me a good 5 hour stretch at the beginning of the night and then waking to eat every couple hours after that and it was working well. That is until the past couple weeks. Same thing happened on and off with my son and I just dealt with it. It very much coincides with their growth and learning spurts. My daughter has really been growing and she's rolling, laughing, "talking", playing with her hands & feet and grabbing for toys ~ obviously a lot more than the first few months. I just know she is needing more food (especially since breastmilk digests faster than formula) more often and I know that this pattern will come and go as she grows.
If you are committed to breastfeeding but wanting more sleep at night when your babe's going through growth spurts, you can try formula feeding right before bed and I've heard that can give you some extra hours of sleep.
I'm mostly writing to let you know it's normal and babies all have their "times" of not so great sleep due to the changes they're going through in development.
Sympathizing with you and wishing you luck!
K.

I nursed both my girls for several years. My second daughter also needed to nurse more frequently because I wasn't producing as much milk as I did the first time since I was so tired with two young children. Since they grow exponentially, baby's appetites increase in size. As they need more nourishment, the mother needs to eat more to make more milk. Since you have a toddler, you are probably pretty tired. Don't skimp on eating. You NEED more calories to make more milk. SLEEP when your kids nap instead of taking care of other things. This is essential. I think you are a terrific mother for sleeping with your baby. It is hard but in the longrun they grow up as better people. It has been proven through research that development happens mainly through touch with infants in the first year and the more contact they have with their parents the more their neurons get switched on. I feel for you not getting sleep at night so get it during the day!!! This is a very short period in the life of your child and you can let other things go right now. Get help with your older child, ie a mother's helper. You can also supplement with formula before your child goes to bed. If you pump, start by adding an ounce to your bottle of breast milk and continue to add formula a little at a time to get your baby used to the taste very gradually. I also started at this age to introduce room temperature water in a bottle with a silicone nipple. I found my kids got thirsty quite a bit. Before you know it they will be in middle school and you'll wonder what it even feels like to sit quietly with your baby in your arms and what a magical time that was in comparison to when they are older.

Babies go through growth spurts and will wake up more as a result. From an attachment perspective- cosleeping is normal and natural. This is no where near too long to be cosleeping. Try to nap when she naps. This will help with the missed sleep when she wakes up at night. Once she is older, closer to a year, you can substitute/offer water for nursing at night. At first she will reject it, but if she knows that she will not get milk then she will probably accept some water. Since the water is less rewarding she will learn to sleep better eventually. Right now she is still small & her stomach is small. My daughters woke up at night until almost two, but at 1 1/2 I stopped feeding them in the night. They balked but I consistently offer water & only let them sleep with me if they go right back to sleep. They will accept this after a week or so. At that point, they didn't need to milk at night for nutrition since they were fully on solids and nursed during the day.

Check her gums to se if she's teething. My son got 4 teeth at once at 4 months - they took about 6 weeks to come in. We also had our son sleep near us. My husband would get him and I nurse him; then my huaband puts him back to bed. He's 15 months now and has slept through the night for several months only waking up 1 maybe 2 times. If your husband is willing to do this with you, it makes it easier on both of you. Our son still nurses and sleeps in his own crib in his own room now. Good luck!

Have you tried feeding her right before you go to bed whether she is awake or not? For instance if she goes to sleep at 7, pick her up and feed her at 9 or 10 or whenever you go to bed. Then she should sleep another 4-5 hours and you will be able to get a nice chunk of sleep. Otherwise she will likely wake up a couple of hours after you go to sleep and you won't get much rest. This method can take 10 days to get results so you might have to hang in there for a while, but it usually works. I did this for a couple of months until my son was sleeping for longer stretches and it worked for me. Some Mom's also swear by giving a formula bottle before bed, they say it makes the baby sleep longer. My son would never take a bottle though so I didn't try it. Best wishes!