When did you start training your baby to sleep through the night?

[Me2mommy2b]

Hello, ladies.  I hope you're enjoying your weekend.  I was just wondering, when should I start training my DD to sleep through the night?  She'll be 6 weeks tomorrow and my pediatrician suggests that I start early (like now), try and feed her every 4 or 5 hours during the night and not 3 like I do right now.  However, I don't need to use the clock with my little one.  She gets up every three hours on the dot (and sometimes earlier) to eat and I have a hard time getting up to entertain her to put off the feeding at night (since I'm half asleep myself) so I cheat and end up giving her the breast.  Any tricks you've used to teach your little ones to eat less often during the night?  Thank you for your advice.

[NataliesMommy]

I gave my daughter a bottle of formula before bedtime because it seemed to be more filling.  When you get up to feed your baby, try to make very little eye contact and no talking so that she knows it is strictly feeding time then back to bed.  It will be gradual but it will happen.  My dd was 5 months when she finally completely slept through the night.  Best of luck to you.

[Agiesmom]

I never did with my first (10 years ago) and won't with this one.  Ds wasn't on a nursing schedule in the day, either--I nursed on demand.  I know this isn't for everyone, though.  I'd just like to suggest that you find something you are comfortable with, whatever you decide to do.  When I had my first, I received all kinds of advice--some suggestions I wouldn't even think of trying and other things I tried and they just didn't feel right to me.  I hope you find something that feels right and works for you.

[pixijal]

I fully went by the saying 'you cannot spoil the child the first 6 months'.  I did everything the infant whined about the first 6 months....then I started weeding out the uneccesary ones.  Such as...crying at 1am.  Instead of running in, I would try to go back to sleep, and sometimes they would too.  If it got realy persistent, I would simply get up, feed, and right back to bed.  If they cried when putting them down, I'd walk out and close the door...go back to sleep....

I have created an amazing little sleeper with my son, but my daughter was first and I totally screwed that up!  The term 'sleeping through the night', is considered 5 hours of continuos sleep.  I wouldn't even work on it until 6 months. It is also a personal choice, this is just what worked for me and my family!  Best of Luck to you!!!

[babyhopes]

i have been soooo lucky my little guy was on a every three hour schedule from day one and then he slowly went four hours then five he is 3  mos and will go 6+ depending on his last feeding (we do midnight and then6 am) it is wonderful, I heard froma nurse once that it doesnt matter what or how much you feed a baby under 10 pounds will NOT sleep through the night and you should be a little concerned if they do. My little guy followed this as well he was 7 15 at birth and by his 2 mos check he was 13! i think you have to go on what your baby tells you - one thing that really helped me was he was in our room in a co sleeper, so he would wake I would change him right there (with a dim night light) then feed him burp and right back to bed - i have heard not exposing them to too much light helps them know it is night time. :) good luck it is wonderful when they skip the 3 am'ish feeding! you will feel like a new person

[kellym]

Hi Marianna,
How was your night? By the time I fell asleep it was about midnight, (with her in my arms) shame on me and we woke to feed around 5. That's the longest ever! I tried to let her cry it out at first but just got frustrated. I need to be careful not to keep her in the bed with me, I know it's extremely dangerous. My husband is out of town right now so the big bed is easy for us to share.

[ange800]

I just let my daughter have her own routine in the night she woke once every night between 3 and 4am I never woke her and at 7 weeks she cut out her night feed it was great but I was one of the lucky ones lets hope my next daughter will be the same fingers crossed. Good luck to you hope it happens soon.

[Me2mommy2b]

Hi, Kelly.  5 hours, huh? that's great...how do you do it alone?  My husband left the city today and is coming back later tonight b/c I was afraid to stay with Ariella alone.  She's just a handful at night.  Last night she fell asleep at 9 then woke up at 12, I fed her.  She slept from 1-3am and then she woke up screaming.  Luckily, she went back to sleep an hour later but she was up every 2 hours.  I hope that this trend is not going to continue for much longer.  I'm glad that your little one's doing better though :)

[duehring]

I think if you wait a few more weeks the feedings will spread out without you having to do anything. I always feed on demand and by around 8 weeks they suddenly start sleeping through the night.

I am on my 5th baby now and she isn't cooperating quite as good as my others did. I still get up when she wakes me and feed her. It is once a night now but can range anywhere from 1am-5am when I feed her that one time.

For me they always seem to make their own schedule that works out well for us.

[lawgirl17]

With the baby my husband and I care for, we were told to switch her to every four hours when she was one week old (she only ate every three hours for one week, but since she was such a good eater, the dr had us increase the amount and feed less often). She began sleeping 6-8 hr/night at one month and was sleeping 8-10 hr/night by two months. She is now nearly seven months and has the same sleep pattern. She has completely spoiled us since day one, so we are nervous about how our birth children/adopted children will be when we one day bring another child home. We like to think it is God having mercy on us for all of the legal battles that we are going through in regards to attempting to obtain custody of her. Either way, we love our sleep! My opinion ... the earlier you do it, the faster the baby will take to it, and the more sleep you will be able to get earlier. Best wishes!!!

[twinsmommy]

I didn't really train my kids. My daughter loved to sleep and by 3 months she slept 11 hours while her twin brother still liked his bottle. He did that until about 6m when I tried switching to water during the night. He would drink 1 ounce and go back to sleep, after 3 nights he didn't wake up anymore. My last son started drinking less during the night at about 6 weeks adjusted age. We went on a weekendtrip and I would get his bottle as soon as I heard the first cry because I didn't want him to wake the others but he would only drink 2 ounce, so that's when I decided to let him cry for 5 minutes and he went back to sleep. Does your DD sleep in your room? If she's in another room you won't wake up so soon and maybe she'll go back to sleep on her own. She might surprise you!

[Liza55]

I dont think you 'train' your baby at all- especially this young. If there's one thing baby's are good at it's letting you know they want the breast (either for food or comfort). As you can tell by her waking cycles, she'll put herself on a schedule and (like my baby) will slowly start sleeping thru those usual 'feed times'. At 4 mos. mine is now sleeping 7p-anywhere from 2:30 to 4:30. If you do want a little extra sleep you may try formula at night since it is thicker and takes longer to digest. Otherwise I would let baby do what's coming natural for it, not what we think should be a schedule. You'll see all over this site, people have all different kinds of opinions...good luck!

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I fed on demand and my kids started sleeping through the night at about 6.5 weeks.  I did not supplement with formula.  They are growing so rapidly that first year, that I nursed whenever the bebe asked.  It won't be forever, I promise, it just feels like it now!!

Good luck