Sleeping Problems in the Early Morning

does he go to sleep initially (in the eve) with a bottle? Sounds like he needs the sucking to fall asleep and cant get back to sleep on his own without it.

That is great sleep for a 3 month old! In another month or so he should be making it to 5 or 6 am! In the meantime, try and keep him awake long enough to finish his bottle. Sucking is very soothing and puts him to sleep, but if you gently stimulate him to get him to eat just a little more he may sleep just a little more. Try changing his diaper after 2 oz or talk to him as he eats, tickle feet, make naked (that always worked for my daughter), whatever it takes.

Sounds like you are doing a great job! Keep it up!

A.

Hi. I have a 2 1/2 month old boy that has the same problem sometimes. I'm breastfeeding him and he only likes to eat on one side then falls asleep. I can get him to wake up by changing his diaper. If that doesn't work, my mother-in-law told me to take his feet and clap them together (like you're playing paddy-cakes). I didn't think it would work, but it does. He wakes up and I tell him he needs to help mama out by eating some more and he'll eat on the other side and then fall asleep for another 2-3 hours. I hope this works for you.:-)
R. M

I had a similar problem at 4 months. My pediatrician recommended doing the 4:00 feeding, since 6 hours had gone by and he might be hungry, but not letting him feed hourly after that, because it is more of a waking/sleeping problem than a hunger problem. (The fact that he only eats 1-2 oz shows he's not really that hungry, even at that first feeding. I know its easier to feed them when they wake in the middle of the night, but you'll be creating a bigger problem for yourself if you keep up feeding him every time. When I stopped doing that, and instead soothed him back to sleep, it only took a few nights, but I did that in tandem with getting more naps in during the day. (Night wakings are a sign of overtiredness.)

How is he napping? Our wakings were tied to our son not napping enough. Try putting him to bed earlier, and try to get him down for 2 or 3 naps a day, before he is tired/rubbing his eyes. Even a growth spurt doesn't require them to eat every hour. I recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, which addresses these kinds of issues. Warning: it is a cry it out book. I haven't yet let my son cry it out, but it still had a lot of helpful advice that we've followed, with a lot of success. Good luck!

not to sound rude but my son was up ever 2 hours untill he was 11 months old wanting to be fed are you breast feeding or formula? this being said it sounds normal to me. try letting him cry it out-which is what we did in the end and he has slept through the night since granted max is now 22 months but try a binky he just might want to suckle.

lots of luck,
K.

It sounds like he isn't eating enough at 3:40 to stay asleep. This may seem silly, but you can try to tickle his feet when he starts falling asleep. If it works, he'll continue to eat. Good luck.

The 6-7 hours in the beginning of the night sounds pretty good to me! My daughter, same age, bottle fed, has similar pattern, but the first stretch is 3-4 hours...growth spurt, maybe? Can you get yourself to sleep during those same hours so its not exhausting at 3:00 a.m. ? (I know its hard when you want to do other things.) They're still pretty young...

This same thing used to happen to my daughter. She would sleep great from about 7:00/7:30 until maybe 3:30 (sometimes 4). Then she'd wake up again around 5 and go back to sleep. She is my second child (my first is turned 2 in November) and she is now almost 6 months. I hate to say this but, it's probably just a phase. Peyton (my daughter) did that for maybe a month (some nights better than others) and then she stopped.

Just when you think something is a set routine it changes, you'll see. It can be for the better or for the worse. My daughter started sleeping great (until at least 4:00 sometimes 5) and would go back to sleep until around 7:30. Now she wakes up at 2:30 on some nights. It takes a lot of time for them to get into a regular routine especially at the young age of 3 months.

I think that your son will probably either start sleeping later and then be up for the day or he'll start stretching out later and then go back to sleep until he wakes up. He's still really young.

Hang in there.
The only other thing I can think of (which we did with my son about 4 months old) is not feed him and try and hold him off. After a few nights of doing this my son started to sleep until 5am and then he'd go back to bed until around 6:30 or 7.
We've tried that with my daughter with very little luck.

Good luck. I'm sure by the time you read this you're son will be onto a different routine.
The good news is- you will sleep again sometime soon!!!!

J.,

Want to phone me at those hours? My daughter and I are living your lives :-). I also feel that a 7 hour stretch of sleep for a 3 month old is pretty good--you're doing better than you think!

I attribute these awakenings to age, growth spurts and plain hunger.

I'm not offering much to you other than "me too" and the belief that we'll get through it!

Good luck!

A.

This could just be a growth spurt. My son would have trouble sleeping, or sleep more than usual during his early growth spurts. If it is a growth spurt he will settle back into his routine (or create a new one) within a week.

try adding a spoonful of baby cereal to his bottle. my mom taught me this she used it on me and i used it on my son it really works it makes them feel fuller and more satisfied.

Dear J.,
When I read your concern, it brought back memories of my son. Since birth, he was an eater. After a month or so, breast milk was like giving him water and did not satisfy him, so I began supplementing with formula. At about the same age as your son, formula was not satisfying him either. I began adding a few flakes of cereal to his bottle to fill him up and keep him satisfied, especially at night. Since the cereal thickened the formula slightly, I opened the hole in the nipple with a sterilized, thick needle. He immediately began sleeping from 7 pm to 6 am.
As an infant, he took to food with enthusiasm. I introduced foods to him much quicker and sooner than I had my daughter. By one year old he was eating pork chops, spagetti, and everything the family ate. The important thing is to listen to the needs of your child. At that time, the "experts" advised not to introduce food until 6 months, but by that time my son was on baby food.
Another word of advice, passed down by my Mom, and it worked. Introduce vegetables before fruits. Fruit is sweet and they will like them regardless. By introducing veges first, they will develop a taste for them and you will have less of a struggle later on.
I wish you good luck and much success.
W.

A 3 month old isn't ready to sleep through the night, so you should expect him to wake up a few times. But do make sure he eats enough at each feeding or else he's going to be hungry again quickly. If he falls asleep while eating, jiggle him to wake him up so he can finish. You may have to do it several times. It's very normal for young babies to fall asleep while they're eating. I have 3 kids and they all did that in the early months.
Good luck! The first few months are the toughest -- things will be easier soon.

you're lucky to have a 3 month old that sleeps 8-3 or 4 am...i didn't get that til around 6 months. but at this time she was going to sleep around 9 and waking around 1, then 3 or , then up for good at 6 until around 9-11. when it got to the point of being ridiculous to me, i talked to her dr. and she said to give her formula with some cereal to fill her up a little more. i'll admit that it did work, but only about 2 nights of the week if i did it every night...not that big of a change really. i just really had to wait it out. by 5 months she was eating solids (puree's and cereal) and THAT is when she started to sleep more through the night, only waking once or twice instead of 3 or 4 times.

talk to his dr. and see if they suggest cereals, or fruit purees...my daughter only really liked the fruit, the cereals had to be really liquidy or she'd gag a little after chugs (yeah, she was a chugger with her feedings lol). well, good luck, if nothing works now like with my daughter, i'm sure it should pass in a month or two. they do go through many different sleeping patterns usually. though there are some lucky parents out there that get their babies sleeping through the night early on, but we get through the changes when we have to. gl.

sounds like he's trying to sleep through, but just not able to make the stretch. does he get a good feeding just before 8pm bedtime? he might also be waking and not know how to get himself back to sleep (common problem)....try not taking him out of the crib and rubbing his back, using pacifier, etc. I had the same problem with both of mine and it somehow worked itself out.(was never able to put my finger on an exact remedy) it is a hard time b/c your sooo ready to get a solid nights sleep. at least he's giving you a solid 6hrs, you just have to go to bed when he does. more importantly to remember, when they go through growth spurts, they can wake more and seem like they are having a run of a few days where they're eating nonstop and then things calm down again...very normal and common. sometimes you'll never know exactly why their doing what their doing and just trying to keep the patience to deal with it is the hardest thing. it will get better just try to rest as much as you can to try to keep yourself from getting exhausted. a rested brain functions better than an exhausted one.

Ah, the life of a newborn. Your sons stomach is still the size of his fist, and breast milk is easily digested. You are actually quite lucky to have him sleep from 8pm until 3 or 4am.
My son (my 4th child and 3mth old also) eats every 2-3 hours- even during the night. It was different with all my babies. But I have never had a child sleep thru the night until 3mths old when my oldest found her thumb. I know it is exhausting, but there is nothing you can do. Formula will not help him sleep longer, neither will cereal, so try not to waste your time. Just enjoy your baby now, because the first time he sleeps thru the night you will wake up in a panic wondering if he is still breathing. Take this from an old pro, your child will find his niche soon and rest assured he will sleep thru the night.
Congratulations! and Good luck!

My sons both did this. After they would fall asleep I would change their diapers to wake them up so they would eat more. They would fall back asleep but would have a good 5 or 6 ounces in them first. They didn't wake up again for abother 3 or 4 hours. Hope this helps.

no solutions here, but my 5 1/2 month old does the same thing!

If he is sleeping more during the day then he has his day/night mixed up. Keep track of when you are feeding him and you'll see the pattern. Try to feed him smaller amounts more often during the day, keeping him away during the feeding, until bedtime, and then he will probably only wake up for a night feeding, after that it is just the sucking action that he wants to do if he is only taking 1-2 oz. Give him a pacifier instead and try some calming music without words. The music also stimulaed the brain development. DON"T put cereal in the bottle because he is still young and it causes tooth decay, not to mention the harm it caused to the stomach and potential allergies involved! Sleeping through the night takes atleast 6 -8 months so hang in there. FYI. boys tend to eat/nurse more. For both my boys nursed 4 oz on each breast then 4 oz of formula, I was exhausted so I always pumped and kept a supply in the freezer. Good Luck, it does get better, enjoy the time while he is small.

J.,

This all sounds very normal. Both of my children woke up every 2 hours at night to feed. I was and am a full-time working Mom, so I was a zombie most days. Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, at 10 months, they both started sleeping through the night. Hang in there, it will get better.

Maybe if you could postpone bedtime for an hour at a time it might help as to duration and time of awakening.Bed at nine up at 4or 5. Bed at ten up maybe 6am. That might be more doable. The baby sleeps very well for such a long period of time. You then could get more sleep since you most likely go to bed later than the baby.

I would try to break the habit of feeding him in the middle of the night. Try a teaspoon or two of rice cereal (consult your doctor first) in his last bottle of the night. Then if he wakes up before 5am, give him a hug and a kiss, put some crib music on and put him back to bed. At around 5ish (if he is up) give him a "breakfast" bottle. I hope this helps!

Congratulations, J.! I have two boys, and I can tell you that boys are so much fun! They're absolutely wonderful. It's been years since mine were that age. The best advice I can give you is that he will grow into sleeping later and later. Right now, I'm sure it seems like an eternity for you, but this, too, shall pass. In another month, this will be a memory. You might want to ask your pediatrician if his waking is a sign that he's ready for a little more substantive food. Both of my boys started eating cereal and baby food a little earlier than the average. We didn't wait until 6 months. My pediatrician had us starting earlier. I think we started with a little cereal first . . . by about 4 months; one may have even started a little earlier. It didn't harm them one bit. Their weights were perfect at their annual visits, and today they're both thin; one is very thin. I think baby boys need to start on the solids earlier. Best of luck and enjoy your baby!

I have a son, now 9 months old and he was the exact same way until i said i had enough and changed some things around. I hate pacifiers but decided to invest in one b/c he was not hungry that often he just needed to be soothed. He finally learned that i was not feeding and holding him after 3 am every night. I also switched his bedtime which was hard but worked. Instead of 8 he goes at 10 and what an improvement. Its late i know but some kids are just weird. He now sleeps til at least 6 sometimes later only waking up once now. Sometimes i dont even feed him and just give him the pacifier and he falls right back asleep. Its that first feeding that throws everything off so i try to avoid it if i can. He wont starve to death.. It lasted for a few months with him and finally i had to make some changes. By giving hima later nap and making him go to sleep later, he sleeps much better and actually wakes up better. Some people say its too late but they arent the ones having to wake up every half hour and i couldnt take it anymore. Besides i was waking up a disaster every day and felt worse every day so once you switch his schedule around it will get better for the both of you.