Getting More Sleep at Night

Each baby is different. My twin boys didnt start sleeping longer until 4 months and then not great until about 6 months.

Not at this age, they are growing so fast so they need to eat. You should get Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp though. He may not start sleeping through the night for a while, but this will help. Hang in there mommy it won't last forever. : )

I would go into his room and pat his back. Don't pick him up, just let him know that you are there. he will eventually learn to put himself back to sleep.
Good luck!

Hi D.. I know it doesn't seem like it yet, but believe me, this stage will pass so quickly that you'll miss it when its gone.

You may be tempted to add cereal to a bottle of breastmilk/formula in order to have him sleep better, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. My reasoning is that when you suddenly add cereal into a young one's diet, they get fuller on less, meaning they actually get less of the nutritious breastmilk/formula than they need! Also, have you ever tried sleeping on a really full stomach?? You kinda feel gross and have trouble getting comfortable. Same with the baby.

Three hour stretches are pretty good for a seven-week old. Mine didn't start sleeping more than 5 hours in one stretch at night until he was 4-5 months old, so I was getting woken up pretty constantly even after returning to work. But like I said, it will pass.

If you have a husband living with you, have him help out by waking up and bringing the baby to you for breastfeeding. Don't feel guilty about asking him to help. I know I did, I figured since he was working and I was at home for the first 3 months, I shouldn't wake him, but for the sake of your sanity, just ask for help. All he has to do is get up out of bed, go over to the baby's room, change his diaper, then bring him to you for feeding. Or if the baby's not breastfeeding, work out a schedule where he can just do it all a couple times a week so you can get some sleep.

It's not easy, but I swear it will pass! Next thing you know, Brian's a teenager and you'll be waking up at all hours of the night to make sure he's still at home in bed... :-)

Hi
3-4 hours at a time is pretty good for his age. Remember that his stomach is only the size of his fist, so it needs to be filled up regularly. It will get better soon
Hang in there

Hi D., I am a Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach. It is never too early to start establishing good sleep habits. His age is less important than his weight. By 11-12 pounds he should be able to sleep for at least a 9 hour stretch. It is not true that babies don't start sleeping through the night at 4 months or later. I have clients starting at 8-10 weeks whose babies now sleep 12 hours straight through! Forget aout cereal and co-sleeping. Don't set yourself up for bad habits that you will have to break later, like nursing all through the night, driving in the car, or having to psuh him in the stroller or put him in the swing to get to sleep. Make sure that when you put him in his bed he is awake and puts himself to sleep. When he is 11-12 pounds you can start to prolong his sleep by not rushing to him when he wakes. Do not go in if he is just fussing, only if he is crying. Give him an opportunity to put himself back to sleep. If you go to him too soon you will miss the chance for him to learn to soothe himself. Also, keep stimulation to a minimum, not too many errands or too much company. It really disrupts sleep at this age. Good Luck!
K. Smith
www.theindependentchild.com

Yes, it's too soon. Much too soon.

A newborn needs to feed...that is why they wake up, it's survival and an instinct. As they grow (and they are growing/developing a LOT right now), they need sustenance and calories and feedings to keep up with THEM. Feed on demand. I know it's tiring, but that is the way it is. You want your baby to grow/develop properly, right? Thus, a baby wakes and needs to be fed.

Whenever I was burnt out with my kids as babies... I would think about a friend of mine... who has TRIPLETS! Now, that is hard....

Keep in mind, that you have to 'see' your baby in terms of the 'age' THEY are... if you expect them to be/act older than they are... then THIS is what creates frustration/stress for the Parent. A 7-week old baby is just born not long ago... life for them is not easy either.

It will get better... but in time.
The book "What To Expect The First Year" is really great, and will tell you what to expect.

Have your hubby help too... really. A new Mom has to rest.

All the best,
Susan

Beautiful Mommy,
Well, it's kinda part of this stage....they are getting acclimated to this world. It takes awhile.

Best to have him sleep with you in a family bed. They are regulated by your heartbeat and breathing and so they get acclimated faster. Also when they do wake up, you can assure them right away before they get panicked.

If you are breastfeeding (she said hopefully) you can just roll over and nurse so you can both go to sleep again without all that fuss and bother.

Also your son won't be so scared all alone and down the hall, when all he really wants is to be near you. All the rest of his everything rests on the foundation of trust that you build with him now. try to look at it from his perspective......

PLEASE don't give him baby medication!!!!!!! This defeats the whole acclimation process!!!!!!!! VERY detrimental in soooo many ways!!!!

This is time for you to be self less. It is very important for your growth and the baby's growth, and your growth together.

Thanks for being a caring and loving mom. Savor these priceless moments! Even if they are at 3am and you are exhausted....I know it doesn't seem like it now but soon he will be grown and flown and all you will have are these precious memories......and they are so precious....

Blessings,
Deb

It is WAY too soon for you to expect your son to sleep longer at night...the best advice I got was sleep when he sleeps, and don't forget to ask for help. If you are having a tough time adjusting, remember you are not Wonder Woman! Ask for help from friends and family doing chores around the house...

My son was about 2-3 hours at this age/stage and it didn't change until about 4-5 months old...so, I would put in a load of laundry or do the dishes while he was in his sling. Or I would call my Mom and ask her for help...she would bond with my son while I got things done around the house. Or my sister and my Mom would come help me with chores.

Don't worry it gets better!

Welcome to the Mommy Club.

Although all babies are different, my son was very similar at that age. One day you'll just notice that he slept longer, and then even longer. I used to do cluster feedings in the evening (breastfeeding), and it really did seem to help, he could sleep a lot longer (all the way to 7 hours). Of course, now, at 4 and a half months, he has regressed and wakes me up to eat every 4 hours, and often wakes up in between there as well. Babies are constantly changing, which can be really annoying :)

I hate to tell you this, but it MAY still be a long time till he sleeps through the night. Or not - all babies are different. Consider yourself lucky that he sleeps as long as he does! My daughter went through a very long phase where she would wake up anywhere from 8-12 times a night. Sometimes she should wake every 20-30 minutes for like 3 hours straight. Babies' sleep patterns can change a lot and they can change often and that is perfectly normal. Just hang in there, eventually they DO sleep through the night! ;)
ps- some moms may suggest you start him on baby cereal, however the American Academy of Pediatrics does NOT recommend this until AT LEAST 4 months - and event then, every baby is different and some may not be ready till later. Giving him baby cereal too soon may cause him to have some digestive problems...

There are all kinds of theories. One is that when he wakes at night you don't pick him up, you just comfort him and rub his back until he settles back down. That said, it worked for my 1st and 2nd but my 3rd was another story. I had 2 school age kids and a husband that had to get up at 4:30 am for work. I couldn't have the baby crying at night. She didn't finally sleep through the night until she was a year. As your baby grows he will be able to eat more and sleep longer, especially when he starts eating cereal. Babies can learn habits too. You have to be the judge as to whether he needs to eat or is just waking up out of habit to be comforted and held.
I agree with Melissa that a regular nap schedule helps them sleep better at night. That is true even as toddlers. Concerning the family bed, I brought my 1st baby to bed with me at night (so much easier to nurse and we could both just fall back asleep), but as a toddler and even older she had a hard time sleeping alone. She was 5 or 6 years old before she would stay in her own bed through the night, so beware that may not be something you want to have to deal with later on. Of course, she's 13 now and will sleep in her own bed, but would still prefer to sleep with me.

The rice cereal at 6 weeks is bad advice because the lining of the stomach is not ready for solid foods till about 6 months. It can cause problems.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/131235/why_delay...

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T032000.asp

Re sleep, the thing that helped our family was co-sleeping. It has to be done safely though. Firm mattress. No couches. Parents not under the influence of any medications or drugs. etc...

Dr. James McKenna runs a Mother Baby Sleep Lab (he's a sleep researcher) and this website is very informative. Mothers have co-slept with their infants since the beginning of time. Our bodies are primed to expect to be close to each other at night, so we can comfort and feed the baby easily and frequently if needed, with little interruption to our sleep pattern. There is a HUGE difference between me waking up seconds before my son to nurse him, vs, me getting up, walking to his crib, to an already crying baby to then sit up and feed.

http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/

I think he's doing well if he's getting up every 3 hours to eat at his age... don't worry, he'll start sleeping more very soon. The only suggestion i have is to ensure that he's getting regular feedings during the day and is on a good nap schedule...don't start this too late or it's more difficult. They tend to sleep better if they have a more regular schedule during the day... and sometimes it's recommended (especially if they are fussy late evening) to feed them more often so their tummies are full when they go to bed (called cluster feeding). My son is 3 1/2 months and just made it through the night without waking.. to bed at 7pm - i fed him 'dream feed' at 10:30 and he slept until 7am... he did wake at 2:30 and 'talked for about 20 minutes but then went back to sleep. When he gets a little older.. let him go a little while before rushing in to feed him to see if he'll put himself to sleep.
PS are you nursing or formula? because if you're nursing you also have to be mindful of your milk supply.. you'll want to ensure you're nursing at least 6-8 times/day.
best of luck!

Hello! Three hours at a time isn't bad at all. My daughter didn't sleep through the night 10pm-6am until around 3-4 months. Something that I did do and I believe that it helped in many ways, was to have my husband bottle feed her a fairly large bottle just before we put her down at night. I tried to mainly nurse until about 6 months, but we found that he enjoyed participating in her feedings and giving her a bit more at the night feeding before bed allowed her to sleep a bit longer. We added an extra ounce to what she normally took at other feedings. It worked for us, so maybe you would try that. Good luck and enjoy your time with the little one!

I followed the "Babywise" principles with my babies and they both started sleeping through the night fairly early on. Many people say you can't feed a baby on a schedule, but it worked great for both of my babies. I fed them every 2.5-3 hours during the day and fed them when they awoke at night. They never went hungry, in fact there was very little crying because they never needed to cry to be fed. I fed them at regular intervals and they were always happy to eat. Feeding at regular intervals apparently helps to stabilize the baby's metabolism so they can begin to sleep longer periods of time at night.

For babies fed on a routine, there is a large spectrum of "normal" for when they begin to sleep through the night, but the average is 8 hours per night around 6 weeks of age. My first baby began to sleep 7-8 hours a night at 6 weeks of age, hit and miss. Then I switched up the nightime routine a little when he was about 2-3 months old (I woke him to feed him before I went to bed) and he consistently slept 8 hours a night, then by the time he was 5.5 months old I stopped waking him for that late-night feeding and he slept 12 hours a night from that point on. My second baby completely surprised me and started sleeping 8 hours every night when he was only 3 weeks old! (That was a big surprise - I believe that is unusually young to start sleeping that long). Then he was about 5 months old when he began to sleep 11-12 hours at night.

If you are not opposed to feeding your baby on a schedule (some people are flatly against it, and that is fine) I recommend getting the book "On Becoming Babywise" for a comprehensive explanation of parent-directed feeding. It is not a very popular method from what I see on this website, but I highly recommend it. I have 2 gorgeous, happy, healthy, secure, loved, and loving little boys, both raised under parent-directed feeding. I had a very hard time with sleep-deprivation, but because I was able to begin getting good rest again when they were still fairly young infants, I was better able to cope as a Mommy, even dealing with pretty severe postpartum depression. If you have any other questions about this, feel free to ask me. And if you do decide to check out "Babywise" - I would love to help you with any tips or questions you may have.

they usually wont start to sleep longer till about 4 months (and some much later). if anything you can see if your baby will take an extra ounce in or breast feed longer at night. all i can suggest is to end your niht earlier then normal. get on your babies sleep scedual. when my daughter eas born i would goto bed right after her last feeding at 930-10p then i would get 3-4 solid hours of sleep. also i never woke my baby up to feed her at night i would let her wake me up. most people think you HAVE to wake them up to feed them but you dont they know when they are hungry and they will tell you. my daughter was just fine doing this and she never dropped weight at all. good luck!

Yes, it will get better soon. I found that 12-weeks was about the magic number for my children. If you're glancing at the clock and finding that your son is waking up at fairly regular times, try getting to sleep a little earlier so you can get in 2-3 hours before you have to wake-up again. Also, keep the lights low or off (or, if you can find a red-nightlight as red is the least jarring color for your sleepy eyes) and don't talk, etc. This will help you and your little one get back to sleep faster. I know some moms co-sleep and say this is easy for nursing, but I found I slept better (was not on alert) without our baby in bed - personal choice. And, if you can, find a couple 20-minute blocks during the day (2 or 3) where you can close your eyes and nap. If you're at home, this may be easier, but even if you're working it can be done. This will help alleviate some of your sleep deprivation. I also found a 20-minute relaxation itune, that helps me quickly relax and mentally and physically shut down - and I set my timer for 30-minutes just in case I fall too much asleep! Good luck to you!

Three hours is pretty typical...hang in there!

-M

everyone is right each child is different. Most definantly sleep when baby sleeps. My daughter never slept thru the night unless she was at grandmas. I asked my Ped about it and she smiled and said her son did not start sleeping thru until he was 3 yrs. (Gee thanks!) my daugter is now 21 months and still nurses at night and wakes 1 - 2 times at night more if sick.

Just know this too will pass.

Read Baby Wise, my son slept through the night at 4 weeks and has since.

He'll likely start sleeping better soon enough. Until then, get a little rest here and there when you can. Recruit Dad's help, too - if not with the nighttime waking (I assume you breast feed since he is waking so often? Breast milk is a complete food therefore digested very quickly) Dad can help with household duties till your son has more of a predictable routine and is sleeping better.

PLEASE do not give your sweet little one rice cereal at this age - it is not healthy. They should not begin solids till 6 months and grains should wit till 7-8 months. They cannot digest the grains properly before that. All you'd be doing is stuffing them full of something that just sits in their belly like a rock, and could make your baby sick - or even cause long-term problems, all for your convenience.

Hi D., My kids are all grown now, but I had my babies on rice cereal at 6 weeks (my moms advice) and they starting sleeping through the night, the cereal fills them, so they didn't wake up hungry during the night. J. L.

I don't have to tell you anything you have not already read. Some nights you will wake up every 2 hours and some nights you will wake up after 5 hours. I have a 4 month old and last night he went to bed at 9pm and woke up at 6am. Not relying on happening all the time but as others have said it will get better. Welcome to being a mom.

Two book recs: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Stay away from the cereal for now: For one thing, cereal given too early can trigger an autoimmune response that damages the pancreas and can cause childhood-onset diabetes (send me a message for more info). There is no consistent proof that feeding solids at bedtime makes babies sleep longer.
I just started solids with my 6-months-old, and the rice cereal constipated him, making him sleep less because of his tummy-aches. (And the poops, when they finally did happen were incredibly disgusting. ;) )
Cosleeping or bedsharing (safely, of course) might be just the ticket for you. I know it's hard to wake up so often, but it sort of is the nature of the beast.

D. - I feel for you! Three hours at a time is not much. Try feeding him more often during the day. I fed my dds every two hours during the day when they were that young, and they would sleep for at least 6 hours at a time at night. I know it sounds like a lot of feeding, but it might work. Also, you should get at least 4 hours of continuous sleep at a least every few days so you don't go nuts. Maybe you can put in some earplugs and have hubby give a bottle every other night or something? I hope this and other suggestions will help you get more sleep.

Getting little or no sleep is one of the routines that introduce us into motherhood. It may seem like there's no light at the end of the tunnel, but trust me, you'll get through it. There may even be a point where you forgot how little sleep you got, or you may even look back and laugh at it.
My second child was pushing me to the point where I could've set a world record for no sleep. He was colicky between the hours of 11p.m. - 3a.m.
Hang in there, when your baby begins with solids (looks like in a few more weeks/months) then you'll be getting more sleep....and then when you do get more sleep, you won't be able to sleep b/c you're thinking "is my baby o.k.? why is he sleeping so long?? :)"

The lack of sleep can be really hard as a new mom. All of us have been there, its not fun. I just want to give you some encouragement that this stage doesn't last forever and sleep will be coming soon :)

yes, it it too soon to expect a 7 week old to sleep a long stretch at night - unless they do it on their own. You could try giving him an extra feeding right before you go to sleep - that may help get him through a longer stretch, as it did with my son.
And i do NOT agree with the rice cereal recommendation. He is far to young to properly digest it.

Babies should not begin to be sleep tarined until at least 4-6 months old. Your 7 week old os waking out as he/she mostlikely needs to be fed every 3 hours.

He wakes up because he needs to be fed. He needs to be fed because his stomach is tiny and he can't eat much yet. As his stomach grows he will have enough food to make it through the night. It is not an issue of training an infant to sleep longer. I hope you are a stay at home mom so you can give him all the attention he needs. If not this will not last forever. You can make sure you feed him before you go to bed and you might get a longer stretch but it depends on what HE needs.

Unfortunately, three hour stretches are pretty typical at this age. They have tiny tummies and need to eat frequently. I would do a feeding just before you go to bed and swaddle the baby really snuggly. You might get 4 or 5 hours out of the baby that way. Also, some people cluster feed in the evening, feeding the baby every hour until around 11 so that he might fill up more. Never worked for me, though. Good luck