Sleeping - Maumelle,AR

A baby this age should only sleep a few hours at a time. He should still be waking at least once for a feeding at night. Adding rice cereal to the diet too soon can set him up for allergies later, and babies don't have the enzymes necessary to digest the cereal until they are closer to 6 months of age. He will begin sleeping more at night when he is ready...just like when he is ready to walk, he will walk. There is a great book called, "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley, that has alot of great practical tips to encourage sleep. I know this is an exhausting phase of parenthood, but it won't be long until you are waking up at night just to watch him sleep because you miss this time. :-)

M.,
That is completely normal. In fact, babies shouldn't sleep longer than that at this age because their tummies are so small that they can't hold much food, so they need to wake up to eat. The cereal thing is not medically proven, and usually pediatricians will tell you to wait until they are 4-6 months old before starting solids, unless they have bad reflux. They can usually start sleeping "through the night" at 3 months or older. But keep in mind that "through the night" is defined as 5 hours for a baby. Good luck and have fun with your little one!

I can only suggest a book that I wish I had read with my first child whom to this day is difficult to put to sleep at seven years. The book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". Good luck, and make sure to rest when you can!!!

i know it's getting frustrating going into the second month but it's completely normal for babies to need to eat every 3-4 hours for the first 3 months. then it slowly slowly, moves to more separate feedings and perhaps by about a year of age they may sleep through the night fairly consistently. careful with the rice addition, it has nearly no nutritional value, so it basically fills them up with junk.

My son woke up every 2 hours each night for the first few months. My daughter wasn't quite as bad, but close. Every child is different. You can use a guideline based on what other people say, but always remember that your child is his own unique individual. What works for others may not work for him. He may learn at a different pace, need to be taught a different way, and so on. Just use the guidelines with a grain of salt and consult a doctor if there is reason for alarm.

All kids are different, but 3-4 hours a night doesn't sound too bad for a 6 week old. I would check with the doctor about the rice in the formula at this age. He will sleep through the night soon, very soon. Try to get him to sleep during the day. They say "sleep begets sleep" and in my experience that held true. Also, sometimes getting the routine or schedule as regular as possible helps too.

Every child is different. My mom said I didn't sleep through the night until I was three years old. My son slept through the night at 2 months old. My niece is 9 weeks old and never wants to go to sleep. I wouldn't recommend to continue cereal at this time- maybe if he was older, but he's only six weeks old. Treasure the night time wakings because before much longer he won't like to snuggle any more and will only want to run around and bang on things. LOL!! There is no mold from which we are made and every baby has their own way of sleeping and eating.

Hi M.,
I have a 4 month old (as well as a 7 and 9 year old), and at six weeks, that amount of sleep is completely normal. (This is only from reading mounds and mounds and mounds of baby magazines, online articles, as well as speaking with my doctor about MY baby's sleeping habits..) What I wouldn't recommend however, is giving a six week old rice cereal or any solid food. "They" say that you shouldn't begin giving cereal etc. until the baby is at least 4 months old simply because his digestive system isn't ready for it yet. -And then at 4 months, only if your doctor ok's it. I believe it's between 4 and 6 months that a baby will begin to sleep through the night. With my older two children, I put them to bed at 5 months old and let them "cry it out" over about 3 days...(Day one: I only went in to the room 3 times to comfort, Day two: 2 times, Day three: once, and after that if they cried, I wouldn't go in. They were both sleeping through the night around 5 months... Of course, EVERY baby is different. I would just contact your doctor. God Bless and Congratulations on your baby!!!!

I'd be amazed if he slept more than this at 6 weeks. Cereal at his age is only going to cause digestive problems.

His sleep patterns will go through longer/shorter phases. When he hits growth spurts, he may sleep more. When he starts teething, expect him to sleep less - teething jusst plain hurts, and it makes them cranky and interfers with their ability to sleep (imagine how you'd feel if your gums had sharp edges pressing against them from the inside all the time).

Hi M.,
First off...congratulations! My son was the same way. His doctor put him on rice cereal when he was 2 weeks old because of acid reflux but it didn't make him sleep longer either. I think he was about 12-14 weeks old, he started drinking 6-7 ounces of formula with cereal every 4 hours, and that's when he started sleeping 5-6 hours at a time. I don't feed on demand either. I try to keep him on a schedule (but one that my son is okay with also)and that really helped. About an hour before bedtime (and his last bottle for the night), I give him a bath, feed him, then we rock in the rocking chair for a while. I have been doing that since I had him and he pretty much knows now that when this happens...it's time for bed. Well, I hope this helped a little! Good luck and hang in there!

I think it is normal. In fact, I think it's wonderful. If you can get 3 or 4 hours of sleep for the next several months, you are blessed. Cereal doesn't really help like people say it does and may actually cause tummy aches because a newborn's digestive system just isn't ready for it. Be encouraged-sleeping more will come later. This is temporary.Take care and get rest when you can.

its normal for them to have this pattern as a baby will be energetic after 3 hrs sleep. time changes it all.

Okay, 6 weeks old and is sleeping that long, God bless you. My daughter only slept maybe 1-2 hours and NEVER in her own bed. She didnt' start sleeping all night until she was 8 months old. Give it time, all babies are different. My experience, putting rice in the formula never helped. Alot of rocking and singing and sleeping with mommy and daddy was the only thing that did the trick. May he has a gassy belly? Alyssa suffered endless nights with that, it seemed like it would never end, then one day no more screaming. Have you tried mylicon? For gas? It seemed to help a little. Good luck and God bless. Let me know how it goes.

I thought the same thing about my baby and all the sudden at 2 months she slept for 6 hours. Don't give him cereal in his bottle. It really doesn't help and could cause health problems later. Just wait it out and put him back to sleep after his bottle. Keep your room or house dark at night and light through the day to help the baby develop a sense of night and day. My daughter is sleeping 7 hours now. Sometimes she will still wake up, but she usually stirs a little and then falls back asleep.

I was blessed with a wonderful baby girl and she sleeps through the night from 4 weeks on only after I took her off breast milk...what we did was get her a lullabye cd from wal-mart in the baby section and we play it for her every night and she is 10 months old now. It is very soothing and we also enjoy it ourselves, you can also try giving him a warm bath with the Johnson's lavender bath soap it is designed for nighttime...also try putting him to bed around the same time every night this is what works for me and it also works for her. Even if your son cries when you put him down let him cry a little...it is the hardest thing ever to do, but it works, she is my first one, too, and it DOES work, just let him cry no longer than maybe 10 mins. if he doesn't stop then go in and let him see you soothe him and then pick him up after he quits crying a little so he knows that when he stops crying and not asleep you will be there to get him...hope this works for you...

My daughter had basically that same sleeing pattern. If she slept longer than that I would wake up to check on her. It is when they are older when it is a little more of a concern. When she was 1 year old, we found out she has bad allergies. The doc put her on D'Allergy and she basically sleeps throgh the night.
And congratulations on the baby. I had mine 10 days before I turned 41 People thought I was crazy but I wouldn't change a thing.

M.,
At 6 weeks that is excellent.He is sleeping the right amount.Adding rice to his cereal is not needed it will only add unneeded weight.Bottlefed babies sleep four hours at a time before they wake for a feeding I breastfeed and my guy wakes more often...Be happy you get 3-4 hours when he was that young I sometimes got 2 hours or less...lol...But he is doing fine I know it is hard with the first one I have 4.Mine is 6 months and There is a 9 year gap so I kinda forgot what getting up and losing sleep was like....It will get better!
Good Luck,
H.

This is completely normal. I would not put rice in his formula at this age, as they don't reccommend it until much older, but some pediatricians will okay it.

It takes USUALLY several months for a baby to sleep more than four hours at a time. Some babies sleep two hours, wake for one, sleep for two, etc. Many times, though they are hungry when they wake, they may simply want to play or feel secure. If the baby wakes and isn't fussing, or "rooting" for food, just leave him to entertain himself, but don't stimulate him. If he is fussing but doesn't appear hungry, just try to soothe him back to sleep for a little bit before offering food.

I have four kids, and they all followed pretty much this same pattern. It can be exhausting. The best thing you can do is sleep when he sleeps, even during the day, take naps when he is sleeping. You NEED that rest. Also, perhaps, take turns feeding the baby or comforting the baby at night, so you don't become sick with exhaustion. Extra sleep also helps ward off the baby blues/postpartum depression before it starts.

It's okay to need a break. Ask someone to watch the baby for you for a while one day per week so you can have YOU time. And don't use it to go to work, or to clean house, use it for a hot bath, or a walk in the park, or to work on a project you enjoy. Go to the library, where it is nice and quiet. We ALL need quiet time and adult conversaation. Make sure you don't neglect your own needs. You can take care of the baby and still take care of yourself. Trust me. It took me three out of four to figure taht one out.

Good luck and congratulations!