Newborn Sleep

It's confusing isn't it? Babies need long nighttime sleep just like we do. Don't feel bad, she'll be better rested and have a better day if she gets that sleep.

I recommend the book "On Becoming Babywise". They mention to waken the baby after feedings during the day, have some activity time, then put baby down for a nap, that helps baby be tired at night as well. (Baby Whisperer says a similar thing with her Eat, Activity, Sleep, You-time concept-EASY).

Two of my children were sleeping through the night by 8 weeks-on their own (two were not). You'll feel better after a good night's sleep as well!

Good luck.

Way to go Mom...your gut is right!!! There is no need to wake your healthy baby for feedings. She will wake when she needs to eat. Trust yourself -- you're doing great!

We all go through this. M. guilt :)
My rule was never wake a sleeping baby in the night! I fed my kids on a good schedule all day long and then let them sleep as long as possible at night. And that is great if she is falling back to sleep after eating even if it takes a few minutes. It is all about the long term and it sounds like you are doing great.
If you are nursing, a great and helpful book is 'Baby Wise.'
Best.

My first child by the age of 4 weeks was sleeping 6+ hours straight a night. By 8 weeks old, the child will wake you up when she is hungry. Sleep is the most important thing for brain developement. Let her sleep and you too!! When she's hungry, she'll wake you up. If it's still the middle of the night, put her back down. If you start to play with her in the middle of the night because you think you need to bond, you might get her nights and days mixed up and for your sanity, you don't want to do that!! My second child is just going on 4 months now, and I just moved him to his crib from the bassinet. Hard thing to do, but he was just getting too big. He's sleeping fantastic, between 8-10 hours a night. And swaddling them makes them feel safe and secure, like they are still in the womb. I am a total believer of swaddling, my 19 month old was swaddled until around 6 months of age...and she is a great sleeper to this day....12 hours on an average! And letting your child fall asleep in their crib on their own is a good thing, if you start at an early age, when they get older, you will just be able to put them down when its time for bed time and walk away, no crying because they want you until they fall asleep. You can only do what you are comfortable with. Good luck!

I never woke my son up except during the day so I would get the nightly sleep. My doc never said anything about waking him. I think strait Ped doc. recomend waking while family docs do not say much. I think at 8 weeks I was excited, because my little one slept throught the night. 10-5 or 6am..

We always tried to put my son down and let him fall asleep. He is now 6 months old and we put him awake in his crib and he falls asleep. You are not missing out on bonding time. You are teaching good sleep habits and making it easier for you down the line. I have seen too many people who put the baby to sleep then put them in thier crib and the child never develops thier own way of soothing themselves to sleep.

Always follow your instinct. Your mom skills will be stronger than you think.

Our pediatrician told us we didn't need to wake her at night to eat. Feed her if she wakes, but she's probably doing fine.

And you sound very fortunate that she goes to sleep by herself. I understand the attachment issue, trust me - I have a 10 mo. old and we still have them, but as long as she's not sobbing uncontrollably when you put her down, I'd keep going with that. You'll thank yourself later.

I would not wake her. It is not necessary!! Babies know what they need!! My twins were sleeping through the night around 8 weeks. When I would put them back in their crib after a feeding, they usually did wake up, but I put the mobile on or just rubbed their back for a few minutes.

Since she's healthy, definitely let her tell you when she's hungry. You'll all get more sleep. Congratulations on your baby!

I would never wake up a sleeping baby for a feeding. You should get your rest, she will let you know when she's hungry. As for her being awake when you lay her back down, that's something you can only hope will continue to happen so that way you won't have to rock her to sleep or anything. My son used to do well with that, until he turned about 9 months old and now I have to hold him, rock him, or lay with him in bed for him to go to sleep and it can be a nuisance. Good Luck!

Someone once gave me great advice...never wake a sleeping baby. As long as the baby is thriving (gaining weight) there is no reason to wake her. She will let you know when she wants to eat. Personally, I feel that by waking her to feed her, you are teaching her she needs to eat in the middle of the night. This isn't true.

Also, when I would feed my daughter in the middle of the night, I never unswaddled her. If she needed a diaper change, I would do that first and then reswaddle her. I also tried to not interact with my daughter. That way she knew it wasn't play time. The idea is they eat, burp, and go back to sleep.

Hope this is helpful!
Good luck!
M.

Congrats on your baby girl! Both of my kids slept through the night (6-7) hours at a stretch by the time they were 8 weeks old. If she's sleeping, let her sleep. When she's hungry, she will wake up. Most dr.'s will tell you not to wake them up for feeding unless they are underweight. Sleeping longer is a natural progression, and waking her up might interfere with that and cause her to develop poor sleep patterns which you certainly do not want, especially if you're working full time! Best of luck!

Hi Jennifer, I was doing the same thing...waking our daughter to eat...and when I told my dr this...she said to let the baby sleep!!! No need to wake them unless there is a medical reason...they will set their own clocks.

It's okay that she's awake when you put her down and she falls asleep well. Count your blessings sister! Still, though, if you feel like you are missing bonding time, rock her until she falls asleep, but that could come back to bite'cha.

Good luck and don't worry, you are doing great! Let her let you know when she's hungry though...you don't need to wake her!

Hi J.,

Congratulations on your new baby! Enjoy the fact that she is a good sleeper! Many other new moms would be envious. By 8 weeks of age, lots of babies are able to sleep for one long stretch -- up to 6 hours at a time or even longer depending on how much the baby weighs already. The important thing is to make sure that this happens at night. I agree with the other moms that you don't need to worry about waking up your baby to eat. You may find that she eats more frequently during the day -- that's fine. Regarding putting her down at night -- we had this problem all the time at first. What seemed to happen was that my baby would get all warm and cozy next to me, and then wake up when she hit the cold mattress. If possible, dress your baby in a sleeper and maybe pre-warm her spot in the crib. I think I read somewhere about putting an old fashioned hot water bottle in baby's spot in the crib while you feed them, and then when its time to go back to sleep the sheets are nice and toasty. This might help keep her asleep. However, if she wakes up, that's okay, because she is learning to put herself to sleep, and that is one of the most important skills she can have at this age. I highly recommend Dr. Weissbluth's Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book. This is great because it tells you what to expect and what is healthy for lots of different age ranges. Good luck and enjoy your little one!

Always let sleeping babies lie. Never wake them up. Go by their schedule to eat and they will stay healthy. My daughter started sleeping 8-9 hrs a night at 7.5 weeks. It was a joy. Before that she was always sleeping 4-5 hrs at a time. I enjoyed my sleep and just got up and nursed and we all went back to bed.

You sound like you are blessed with a wonderful little girl. Let me encourage you not to worry about missing bonding time at night. It is as important for her to be encouraged in good solid sleeping habits, as it is for her to eat well. If she is not fussing hard and fighting it, then you are very blessed. I am not a cry-it-out person (atleast at this age), but think gentle encouragement is ideal. I think a lot of parents underestimate the need for babies to get proper sleep. If she is growing fine and there are no medical problems, I think she would be fine to sleep until she wakes up on her own. (But my little ones weren't good sleepers until much later, so it was never an issue for me.) If you keep waking her, she may start waking then out of habit. The only tig would be if you want to feed her right before you go to sleep, so that you get a longer stretch. But really don't worry about the bonding at night, it's not the best time for that, you do the right thing to encourage her to sleep then.

P.S. I just read some other responses encouraging "Baby Wise". I would really encourage you NOT to use it. It is pretty ridgid. My friend said she got a sheet from the hospital warning against it. A better choice, in my opinion, would be "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child."

God has blessed you with a good sleeper. Thank him by ejoying your sleep. She'll wake when she's hungry. Congrats

Hi Jennifer,

You don't mention if you are breast- or formula feeding... I certainly think it's okay for you to let your baby sleep for 4 hour stretches, or even longer. Enjoy it!

Also, if your baby falls back to sleep within 10 min. of being put down, you are truly blessed. (Many babies are not so easy-going!) She needs to learn that night time is sleeping time, and allowing her to go to sleep (rather than picking her up and cuddling) will do that. Of course, if she starts crying, you should definitely pick her up at this stage.

My daughter slept a 5-7 hr. stretch from about 6 weeks - 12 weeks. I don't even remember when we re-swaddled her -- sometimes we maybe had to rock her for a while to get her back to sleep. Other times she would fall asleep while nursing (and stay asleep while being swaddled). It's all a blur now! Anyway, consider yourself lucky that your daughter is already such a great sleeper!

Best,
R.

From my experience I wouldn't wake her up anymore. My daughter was jaundice so I had to set an alarm for every three hours to get her levels down, but as soon as her levels dropped the doctors said to stop scheduling her and feed her when she asked to be fed never to follow the clock. And as long as she was gaining weight she was fine. My daughter is 3 mo. and she has been sleeping at night waking to eat 2 to 3 times for at least a month and a half. We co-sleep so she just rolls over and eats and goes back to sleep.

I always followed the rule: never wake a sleeping baby. When she is hungry, she will let you know. Take advantage of that extra hour or two that you may get if she is sleeping. I learned this from my father who was the youngest of 10 children. He couldn't believe that I would even consider waking my first son up as the hospital nurses suggested.

Enjoy your little girl. :)

Do NOT ever wake your child to eat during the night.... people think that they need to, but really a baby will eat when they want to. They will let you know>

Get your sleep momma! :-)

My son started sleeping 8 hours a night at 7 weeks old, so let your baby sleep as long as she wants at night. My daughter slept 8 hours at 6.5 weeks old, so i know he's not just a lucky fluke! :-)

During the day, don't let the baby sleep for longer than 2.5-3 hours at a time, but that's so she gets on the cycle of knowing the day from night.

Congrats on the new baby!!

Be glad your child is able to lay there awake and fall asleep on her own. YOu are doing her a favor. Down the road, if she doesn't fall asleep on her own, you will have to feed her, rock her, etc.. so be happy that she's not freaking out or something. IF it's the middle of the night, don't feel bad for missing out on bonding time, it's sleeping time. Get your own sleep while you can, it's hard to be a good mom if you are sleep deprived. Also, I'd ask the ped. , but if her weight is fine, I would not be waking her to eat. My middle child slept through the night at 6 weeks, and she too was very healthy with her weight, so I let her go until she woke up in the morning, usually 5 or 6 for nursing. Good luck and be glad she's sleeping well.

Was wondering why you were waking the baby...my rule...never wake a sleeping baby!

I would stop waking her during the night now. I've always been told not to wake a sleeping baby, unless there are some serious nutrition issues that require night feedings. Waking her in the middle of the night will start a bad habit that may be hard to break.

Hi Jennifer. I agree with most of your other responses. I have two grown children of my own and ran a daycare for 15 years, now I am a nanny and I have to tell you I have NEVER woke any of the babies, especially at night. They will wake when they are hungry or wet. They need their sleep. I may have woke a few good sleepers during the day as to get them on a schudule. I have had babies that wanted to sleep all day and up all night so I did try to teach them night from day by waking them during the day but other then that I never woke a baby in the evening hours.
Good Luck and Congratulation.

Sounds like you're doing great! Our ped always said that you should put babies to bed awake, and so they learn how to put themselves to sleep. We didn't do that with our first, but did with our second, and it made bedtime so much easier when he was older. Also, count your lucky stars that your daughter is sleeping well! As long as her weight is fine and she's growing, I wouldn't wake her up to feed her. Enjoy the sleep! And, if you're unsure, give your doctor a call just to make sure. Good luck!

Hi Jennifer,

I have a 9 week old and was just at the doctor. This is my second and she is a totally different baby than my first both in eating habits and sleeping habits. My first was very skinny and needed the nighttime feedings and hated being swaddled from the first minute in the hospital. That being said I was concerned about doing things differently with this one but at our 2 month checkup I asked the doctor and she advised the following...

If you baby is doing well on the weight side, she said to no bother with waking her up to feed at night but to start encouraging her to sleep as long as possible during the night.

Also I asked about swaddling because my baby still has a strong reflex in her arms and will wake herself up if not swaddled. Doctor said it is fine to keep swaddling if needed. If you don't need to swaddle your baby than don't but if she wakes herself up it is ok to keep doing it.

Good luck!

I always end up responding w/o reading other responses first, so if I've repeated a bunch of stuff, sorry!

If her weight is okay, stop waking her up! You may be one of the lucky ones who has a miracle kid who sleeps through the night early (my good friend's son slept 12 hours straight at 12 weeks--consistently!). If she's big enough, she'll wake up when she's hungry.

Beware though, you may have trouble sleeping past that 4 hour mark for a while :)

Good luck and consider yourself lucky!!

I never woke my baby for a feeding especially if he was sleeping thru the night. If he woke during the night I would feed him and swaddle him in his blanket and down he went in his crib to sleep. This allowed him to remain on the feeding schedule thru the night and allow ME to rest as well. Trust me when the new baby starts to get older you will wish for those days when she would sleep long hours. You will tire fast!

Let that baby sleep and when she's hungry she will gladly let you know.

Dear Jennifer, I know some moms let there newborns sleep as long as they want but my Doctor always said when they are that young 5 hours is the longest they should sleep before you should wake and feed them. My kids never slept any longer then 3 hours before screaming to eat. After she eats if you want to hold her for awhile go ahead. My boys are older now but those middle of the night feedings are special memories I will have for ever. Enjoy them and cherish them because they grow up so quickly you blink and they are almost teenagers.

If there aren't any health concerns I would not wake her. Let her sleep. She will wake when she is hungry.
:)

Unless you are breast-feeding and their is a supply/demand issue FOR YOU, don't worry about waking her. She'll wake up and want to eat on her own time. Be thankful and get some sleep. ENJOY!

Jennifer
I am 35 and have been a mother for 19 years do the math I was young. I have three children ages 19,16,13. So just want you to know you are doing a great job if your baby is 2 months old and the weight is fine and she is doing awesome with everything else.I think you can go ahead and let her sleep.If she is hungry she will let you know.She will wake up on her own.I never was a clock watcher.Babys know when they are hungry wet need hugs they will let you know.Keep up the great work and get some sleep.Love ya K.

Hi Jennifer,

I understand the confusion and concern you are experiencing. That is completely normal as a first time mom! Welcome to the club : )

I will tell you, as the old saying goes, never wake a sleeping baby. When my daughter was born, she was diagnosed with jaundice. The only way for the baby to get rid of this on her own is to poop, and the only way for her to poop is to eat. For the first 2 weeks of her life, I had to feed her on a schedule, regardless of whether or not she was sleeping. Once her system was cleared of the billirubins and the jaundice was gone, I could move on to a "feed on demand" system, ie, feed her when she wakes up and cries for it. If your baby is healthy and normal, growing and thriving, there is no need for you to wake her up in order to feed her. If she's hungry, she'll let you know. Otherwise, enjoy the quiet - and the sleep!

As for your 2nd issue, if you lay your baby down and she is awake, that is ok! This is how they learn to go to sleep on their own. Unless she is crying, you should feel free to leave her be in her bed. That being said, if she is crying, you should respond immediately. Babies are not capable of self-soothing until at least 4 months of age, at the earliest.

Good luck and enjoy your precious bundle! : )

I think that you are a very lucky mama! Your baby is a great sleeper. I agree with you, that if she is gaining weight and growing on schedule, you don't need to wake her every 2-3 hours. If you know she is up to eat every 4 hours at night, that must be what she needs.

As for going back to sleep, if she is content, then let her be. You don't want to get into a pattern that will be hard to break later. If you swaddle her and lay her in her crib, can you sit in the rocker next to her crib and sing/hum to her until she is asleep? That way, as she gets older, she won't be dependent on being rocked and will be able to self-sooth.

Congrats on your new littel one and good luck with your nighttime routine.

I see you have tons of advice and I didn't read it but I just wanted to add on that I never woke any of my kids from day 1. I went off the advice from the older generation to never wake a sleeping baby even though the hospital had told me with my first 3 that I should wake them every 4 hours. The funny part I wanted to add on here was that I just had my 4th kid at the end of November at Good Sam in Downers Grove and they are now telling parents "never to wake a sleeping baby" and that we should never wake them in the middle of the night to feed and they will let us know when they are hungry and we should go with that. I was feeling sorry for all the poor parents who got that bad advice all those years and followed it! The nurses were actually laughing about that! My baby had slept through the night in the nursery at the hospital and the nurses never woke her. My kids have all completely slept through the night since they were about 4-6 weeks old and we never looked back.

8 weeks is really, really way too early to worry about any sort of sleep pattern...this coming from a very pro-'sleep training' mom!

When you swaddle her and put her back down and she falls asleep within ten minutes, unless she is crying, you should probably think to yourself "Wow, I just did such a wonderful job of nourishing her belly and body with my milk, comforting her at my breast, making her feel all warm and snuggly with the swaddle, that she feels so happy and content that she gently and peacefully falls asleep." She needs the sleep for proper growth and development and if she isn't fussing, she's most likely fine!

What you are experiencing is absolutely normal. Heck, some moms even go into the nursery and put a mirror under the nose or by the mouth to make sure the baby is still breathing. While it is true that babies need bonding, they also need food, stimulation, and lots of rest/sleep...so let her get her rest and you get some too!

The sayiong goes "never wake a sleeping child." Let her sleep and she will wake you when she is hungry.

I am on baby number three and they have all had very different sleep patterns...my first two were boys and were NOT good sleepers...i never had to wake them up to eat because they always beat me to it...my little girl on the other hand was a wonderful sleeper from the beginning...I was given a TON of advice, but what seemed to make the most sense is that by eight weeks they are capable of starting to sleep through the night so let them sleep at night...then during the day make sure they are eating (or at least offered a feeding) every three hours or so...what I did was every three hours I would pick up my (usually sleeping) daughter and change her diaper and talk to her...that usually was enough to wake her up and she never refused food! :)~ She is now three mos old and a very good sleeper for the most part...so I would say as long as your little sweetie is eating regularly during the day, the nights are for sleeping:)

I've had three. I'm now 41 years old and my youngest is 38 weeks. Me personally, I never wake mine at night. If they sleep, mommy sleeps. Of course, my first was 8lbs 14oz, the second was 7lbs 3oZ, and the last 8lbs 15oz. Not sure if it really makes a difference in how big they are to start or not. My second actually slept better than the other two. Seems like the bigger they are the hungrier they are. My last still gets up two to three times a night to eat...I'm going crazy.

If the baby's weight is fine and still has 5 to 10 wet diapers in a 24 hour period I wouldn't worry about it.

Oh- don't wake her! Be happy and get some sleep yourself :)

don't wake her, if her weight is fine. At that age she could be sleeping up to 7 or 8 hours at night straight through.

I think if she has the required wet and dirty diapers within a 24 hour period, you are fine to let her sleep at night. As for putting her back in her crib when she's still awake--you have a model child!! That is exactly what should happen. If you get into a habit of putting her to bed while she's sound asleep, it's going to be very hard later on to get her to go to bed because there will always be those times when she won't be sound asleep. Dr. Weissbluth, the sleep expert, says that it's best to put them to sleep when they are still awake so they can learn to put themselves to sleep. By doing this, you will avoid the need to eventually have to let her "cry it out." No, don't stop doing what you are doing!! If you want more information about infant and child sleeping, check out Marc Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" or his website at www.sweetbabies.com.

Count your blessings she is a good sleeper I was also blessed with two great sleepers. Your baby is healthy when she wakes feed her otherwise never wake a sleeping baby. When you put her to bed let her fuss she will be fine and you will be thankful as she gets older that she does not need to rely on you to sleep. Especially being a working mother it is very important that you and her get into a routine. Don't feel guilty about missing on bonding time I was a full time working mother of two girls I completely understand the struggle between work and home life.

I'm a first time mom as well. My son is almost 6 months old and to be honest... we only woke him up to eat for the two weeks or so. When he's hungry he had no problem letting us know. I'm assuming when he is hungry his tummy hurts and then he wakes up crying. He started sleeping through the night at about 2 months. And after about 4 weeks he was only waking 1 to 2 times a night. I do formula feed so I don't know if that makes a difference or not. My fiance and I live with my parents and my mom has given me some good advice. In the hospital they said to only feed so much and at certain times. But I found that when he's full he stops eating and when he's hungry, he lets me know. Let her tell you when she's ready. I say don't wake a sleeping baby.

DON'T WAKE HER AT NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! :)
How wonderful she is sleeping for you at night...My pediatrician said wake them during the day to make sure they get all of their calories. He said this helps to set a pattern so they don't wake at night for the sole purpose of trying to catch up on their missed feedings. Doesn't always work as some babies wake naturally every 2-4 hours at night but in your case...how blessed!

Congratulations on your new baby!

I was always told (and I listened to this advice) never to wake a baby in the middle of the night to feed them. If they are sleeping soundly then let them sleep. During the day however, I would most definately wake my kids up to feed them. At first, I was feeding about every 2 hours but as they got older, I would stretch them time out between feedings.

Jennifer,
I nursed my three sons (8,6, and 4 mos). The 4 mo old is still exclusivly breastfed. The rule of thumb I have always gone by is, if after their 4 week check up everything was going good growth-wise (and it always has been) then I let my baby dictate their feeding schedule during the night. During the day I try to set our schedule for eating every 3-4 hours. I have always been very lucky to have great sleepers. You should take advantage of her wanting to sleep. Most doctors will let you come in without an appointment to have a weight check; so if you are nervous about her growth that may help put you at ease. As long as she is consistantly having wet diapers you will know that she is drinking enough to stay hydrated. Good luck!

bond during the day, not night. A well rested mom makes for a better bonding, trust me!

You don't have to wake a baby to eat after they are a month old, and even then it's only if they have gone more then 7 hours at night (4 or 5 during the day).

why would you wake her? I have a 10 week only and some nights he'll sleep 7-8 hours straight. Our doctor said "great". He's fed breastmilk on demand.

HI Jennifer,
I am a labor and postpartum Doula, so I help support and inform new mamas about many questions they have during this time. Usually, once a baby is gaining weight well and is not in a premie or other unusual situation, you can be confident to let them self-regulate sleep overnight. At 8 weeks it is common (although not a promise) for babies to be sleeping 4-6 hour stretches at night. As you get used to their cycles, you my find that they go back to sleep more easily when they dictated the feeding time. I work with many new moms who are similar in situation as you (not much experience with babies, new to area with no family around), so if you feel the need for a little more support, please let me know. I provide breastfeeding and sleeping support, as well as taking over some household duties while I'm there to help you feel less overwhelmed and more empowered. Take care and I hope all goes well!! Trust your inner mama voice!
L. Koop ____@____.com

Hi Jennifer,

I laughed a little to myself when I read your issue. I had the same problem with my little man when he was just a few weeks old. I was breastfeeding and would stand at the door after he was asleep for 6 hours, trying to send him some signal that he needed to get up, because I needed him to! I also called the nurse because I thought he was sleeping too much and she just laughed and said "No, honey, count your blessing that he sleeps and NEVER wake him up. He will let you know when he is hungry."

I hope that helps....sure helped me ALOT.

Thanks,
C.

The only time I ever woke one of my children to feed when they were newborns was during the day. At night - sleep while you can!!!!!!
And, as for putting her in here crib wide awake. Keep doing this and let her fall asleep on her own. You want her to learn how to fall asleep on her own. Later down the road when she wakes in the middle of the night, you will be very glad that she can put herself back to sleep.

When I had my first (she is now 3) my ped told me to wake her every 4 hours to make sure she ate and things. I did that at first, but then I thought why am I waking her in the middle of the night? If she is asleep than I can sleep. If she is hungry she will wake up and let me know and I can feed her. I fed her about every 4 hours during the day, and only on demand at night. I was lucky and had her sleeping through the night at 8 weeks old (I think 10 to 6?) I didn't get quite so lucky with my second. He was still waking up at least once a night until he was about a year old.

I have four girls, ages 15 to 21. All the girls were different. My 16 yr old slept from 930 or 10, until 5 in the morning. She didn't starve, believe me. When your daughter gets hungry, she'll let you know. I really don't like to give advice, but try to let her go for a couple nights, just to see if she will wake on her own, or if she sleeps all night.