5 month old STILL will not sleep through a night.?

Question

Since he was born he has only once slept through the night. He is 5 months old and no matter if he goes to bed at 730pm or 10pm he wakes up at 2am 4am and then up for the day at anytime before 6am. Everyone that I know that has a baby said oh well mine sleeps through the night and they has since they were 3 months old. The only sleep schedule he'll get on is waking up at 2 4 and 6 it varies everyday on when he feels he is ready to go to sleep. I have tried letting him cry until he falls asleep but 15 mins later he is still up and crying. I have thought about not letting him take as many naps through the day but you cant stop a cranky baby from napping. I just dont know what to do. He's not waking up to eat at 4 and 6 I feed him 6 oz at 2am and when i try to feed him a 4am and 6am he doesnt want anything to eat. Its just getting so annoying knowing that he should be sleeping through a night by now but all he is doing is waking up earlier and earlier everyday! What are my options!

Answer 1

When babies wake up at the same time every night and it's not to feed, then it is quite often just out of habit.  Sounds like that's what's happening here -- you've got to help him break the habit!

One "trick" I've been taught is called 'waking your baby to sleep' which sounds very odd and it's going to take some work on your part!  Choose one of the wake-ups first (ie/ either the 2am or the 4am but not both) to eliminate.  Maybe the 4am would be best as once that's sorted you can get some good sleep from 2 - 6!    Set your alarm clock for about 20-30 minutes BEFORE he normally wakes up. Tickle his cheek very gently to start the wake-up process and then stick a dummy in his mouth. He will suck himself for comfort and put himself back into a deep sleep. It takes practice to get it right and to not wake him totally (but if he was going to wake anyway you've not lost anything).  It may take a few weeks of doing this before he will stop waking on his own.

Once one of the habitual wakeups is tackled you can start on the next one.

I've learned this from The Baby Whisperer, a fantastic and very popular book in baby sleeping, eating and playing habits in England.  There is a website with a forum that has fantastic moms who use Tracey's methods and you would get lots of support over there on "wake to sleep." Good luck.

Answer 2

Every baby is different and there is no "norm" for when they sleep through the night.

My son did not sleep through the night until he was 3 years old (sorry to scare you) and his now 6yrs old and still has horrible sleep habits.

My middle daughter on the other hand only woke twice a night from birth to 3mths then went to all night.

I would maybe try to take away one nap during the day or shorten his last 2 naps of the day. Do a nice warm bath before bed and then feed him right before bedtime.

Answer 3

What is your bedtime routine like?  Have you tried a white noise machine, like the Sound Sleeper or Sleep Sheep?

My son is almost 6 months and has only started to STTN in the last month (and not consistantly).  Usually he still wakes up at 1am to eat.  I know it's annoying and tiring, but it will get better!

Answer 4

I feel your pain!!!! My daughter is 5 months old and she is still not sleeping through the night.  Some days I am desperate for some sleep!  She has never slept completely through the night, but we were down to one waking.  Recently, she has thrown me for a loop!  Our nights vary as to when she will wake up.  Most of the time it is 11:00, 2:00, 5:30.  She is not hungry either!  I know that teething may be playing a part in the sleep problems.  Try putting your little one down earlier.  My little one goes to bed between 7 and 7:30.  We have a very consistent bedtime routine.  I have taken everything that may be destracting out of her crib and we use a white noise machine.  I know that things will get better for you and I.  Do not let the rude "suck it up" comments get you down.  To be a good mother, you must be rested and it is very hard for this to happen.  Good luck!

Answer 5

"Its just getting so annoying knowing that he should be sleeping through a night by now "

Ummm...no he shouldn't be, He is only 5 months old. Most babies do not sleep through the night at 5 months. He wakes up cause he's hungry.

My daughter is 21 months old, and guess what? She still wakes up, she has had a few nights here and there where she actually slept through, but mostly wakes up.

All babies are different. Be patient.

Answer 6

Some good advice - I generally agree that it is more normal for your child not to be sleeping through the night (or 5 hours or more) - my son didnt until he was about 10 months.  It takes time for them to establish a good sleeping pattern so unfortunately just bear with him.  I wouldnt be stopping him from sleeping in the day - it just made my son overtired and actually made him sleep WORSE at night so I think you are doing the right thing with that - if he is tired then let him sleep during the day.  The other think I found wiht my son is that if I let him cry himself to sleep, when he was younger, he also woke up a short time later crying again - it is better if he goes off to sleep nice and relaxed if that is possible. I would be putting him to bed regularly at 7.30pm for a week or so and see how that goes.  

My son is now 15 months and still doesnt have a sleep schedule either and never has.  He will wake in the am sometime between 5.15 and 7.30.  I then let him stay up for about 3 hours now and when he shows his tired signs he goes to bed.  He will then sleep anywhere between 45 - 2 hours and then in the pm he also stays up for about 3 hours.  In the pm i always make sure he is up by about 4 and then he goes to bed again around 7.  Dont stress about not have a rigid sleeping schedule - some mums are lucky that their kids have their naps at set times for set periods every day.  Your child and mine (and many others).  Just look for his tired signs and then put him to bed.  If I get it wrong and my son lies in bed talking, making noises or crying I will get him up after 20 minutes and try him again 20 minutes later.  Just follow your son's cues. Thats all you can do.  

Answer 7

Sleeping through the night according to experts is 5 hours straight. Some babies jut will not sleep through the night until they are a year or so.  They need the comfort when they wake up....

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_sle...

Read the last line under How long do most babies sleep  

Answer 8

My son is also 5 months! I have nights where he sleeps until 6/7am. Then i have other nights where he wakes like about 3am. Usually when he wake Through the night its for a bottle.Some nights he is fidgety, He would toss n turn (maybe this is a tummy ache or something) But my son uses a pacifier, so most of the time he sleeps well....I guess your little one is develping different, All babies arent the same. I'd give it another month or so before he starts sleeping through the night.  Sometimes when my son takes CAT naps through the day he sleeps extra long at night. Anyways Good luck..It wont be so bad. This is my first child

Answer 9

no baby is like another, but many babies don't sleep through a night. keep calm, be patient, maybe he is thirsty or wants to hear your voice, feel your touch.

Answer 10

"What are my options!"

Suck it up and be a mother. Sorry. It is completely normal for babies to wake at night, and you can't just leave them to sob while you watch television.

"The researchers surveyed 3269 parents, with a 96.5% response rate, over a one week period. The parents had to report on their child's sleeping habits over the past 24 hours, plus answer a few questions related to their perceptions of their child's sleep behavior.

What did they find?

There is a wide range of normal childhood sleep behavior.

Circadian rhythm is not well established until four months of age.

Daytime sleep becomes less regular with increasing age, the most marked reduction in length occurs around 3 months of age. However, a surprising 11% under 3 months of age don't have a daytime sleep every day.

Frequent night waking that disturbs parents is common from 4-12 months (12.7% disturb their parents 3 or more times every night).

Night time settling requires more parental input from 18 months.

Nearly a third of parents have a significant problem with their child's sleep behavior.

Sleeping through the night: 71.4% did this on at least one occasion by 3 months of age, but many of these relapse into more frequent waking in the 4 to 12 month period. It is not until after 24 months that regular night waking (requiring attention) becomes much less common."

http://www.kellymom.com/parenting/sleep/...

"America's "let them cry" attitude toward children may lead to more fears and tears among adults, according to two Harvard Medical School researchers.

Instead of letting infants cry, American parents should keep their babies close, console them when they cry, and bring them to bed with them, where they'll feel safe, according to Michael L. Commons and Patrice M. Miller, researchers at the Medical School's Department of Psychiatry.

The pair examined childrearing practices here and in other cultures and say the widespread American practice of putting babies in separate beds -- even separate rooms -- and not responding quickly to their cries may lead to incidents of post-traumatic stress and panic disorders when these children reach adulthood.

The early stress resulting from separation causes changes in infant brains that makes future adults more susceptible to stress in their lives, say Commons and Miller.

"Parents should recognize that having their babies cry unnecessarily harms the baby permanently," Commons said. "It changes the nervous system so they're overly sensitive to future trauma.""

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/...

You might find a good book or two would be more helpful than "everyone that [you] know" given the frustration this has caused you; Sears and Sears' "The Baby Book" is a useful read.

Answer 11

It's not abnormal for your baby to not be sleeping thru the night by now. All babies are different. Mine finally slept thu the night at 7 months, and has consistently done it since. It's heaven! :) Before that, she was waking at 2 am as well. It will just happen one day. I know someone whose baby was 13 months when she finally did! I know it is frustrating, but hang in there. Things could be much worse!