How do you get a 4 1/2 month old to sleep through the night?

Question

4 and a half month old is awake every hour on the hour at night i need a good nights sleep how can i get him to sleep through the nightsome people suggested colic calm i tryed that and still didn`t work he doesn`t have colic i don`t know why he won`t sleep through the night please help !!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks

Answer 1

I am in a similar situation to you.  My son gets up every 1.5 hours at night.  The only way to calm him is to feed him.  He is being breast fed.  How are you feeding? If its by breast, may be your baby is not getting enough milk.  I think my supply is a bit low so I spoke to a midwife today who suggested Fenugreek tablets.  I have started taking them today to increase my supply.  Im not sure if it will work...but I'll give anything a try.  You are not alone...I feel alot better when other people say they are having problems getting their child to sleep.  At least it makes me feel like Im not the only one with a sleepless baby.

Answer 2

is he waking up to eat?  how much does he sleep during the day?  I started putting cereal in my boy's bottles and they immed started sleeping through the night. (they were a month old) you will need to open the nipple hole slightly with a needle. (my kids were over 9 lbs each and they were just hungry) let him eat until he lets you know he has had enough.

you cannot over feed your baby.

Answer 3

I wouldn't expect him to sleep through the night at this age, but he should definately have a better sleep schedule than that.

He is probably teething... not colicy.  Try a pain reliever.

Answer 4

ok im not a parent or anything but have you tried puttin on soothing music or the tv for children???? it might help i dont reallly know im jus 15...HOPE I HELPED :) and if not at least i tried

Answer 5

4 1/2 months is young to be sleeping all night-depends on the size of the baby too...Dr  Sears has written a great book on nighttime parenting-i think that is the title-a short easy user friendly read-you will find that things are happening as they should-good luck.

Answer 6

If newborn or young babies(infants) didn't wake up every hour, they would starve to death. They constantly need food to support themselves. The only chance you would have at getting a better night's sleep would be to feed the baby a thicker, more concentrated formula for about four hours before bed. It would keep him or her fuller so they would wake up much later for their feeding.

Answer 7

It may be asking a bit much for a child this young to sleep through the night.  Babies stomachs are very efficient at digesting milk, but their stomachs are very small--about the size of their two fists.

If they are very small, they can't drink enough milk to tide them over for the night.  Their stomachs empty, their bodies need fuel, and they wake up hungry.

Or it may be that he has his days and nights reversed.  If he is sleeping virtually all day, you might consider playing with him a bit more in the afternoon or early evening to keep him awake and stimulated a little longer.  He will likely sleep a little longer at night.

The trick with a new baby is to sleep when they sleep.  If you are home during the daytime, let the housework slide and nap when he naps.

If you work during the day, it might be worth trading off with his dad or another family member to get up with the baby for night time feedings.  You are right, you do need your sleep, even a couple of uninterrupted nights a week will be an improvement.

The good news is that soon, the baby will start eating cereals and solid foods will help him sleep through night in a month or two.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Read the book the Baby Whisperer. That worked wonders for us and my baby had colic and horrible reflux. Have you talked to your pediatrician about this? Waking that much at that age is a bit abnormal. I don't see how you've made it this long.

Answer 9

Try having him sleep with you.  If you're breastfeeding then it's less stress for you not having to get out of bed, if it's just comfort the you only have to half wake up to give him a cuddle.   Also make sure he's warm enough, there's no odd noises he can hear where he's sleeping (something brushing against his window, pipes clanking, etc), nice music can help - my kids love music like Jack Johnson, Sheila Chandra, Nitin Sahwney.  I'd give medicating him a miss - it's a really bad habit to get into and not good for your little one at all!

I think you're fighting a losing battle to want him to sleep through the night at this age though - for 2 whole loooooooong years I didn't get more than 4 hours sleep in a row.  I really truly know how badly you want to sleep, and I'm guessing you're too tired to try implementing and enforcing different routines and approaches?  Just accept what is and think of ways to make this period less stressful for you - even if you think you're being a lazy mum - it's only for a little while until you get your brain back!!

Answer 10

Get the book called "On Becoming Babywise" and all your questions will be answered.  It's a short read, don't worry.  Baby needs to get on a routine and realize that daytime is for being awake and nighttime is for sleeping!!  Best of luck to you...this book changed my life!!!!!

Answer 11

how do you het him to sleep? That is usually the biggest one to why they wake. Are you holding or rocking him to sleep? A baby needs to learn to put themselves to sleep. They have no concept of time and if they are being rocked or help to sleep then they are seeing your face but when they open their eyes again (no concept of time) and you are gone they are scared and don't understand. Teach him to go to sleep by himself. Make sure he is dry, fed and warm. Lay him in bed and pat his side till his eyes start to drift shut (not asleep) and walk out. If he gets upset, go back and do it again (never leave longer than a minute). It may take a week and a bit of crying but before too long you will be able to lay him down and walk out and he will drift off to sleep without patting. Then when he wakes in the night he will be able to just drift back to sleep without intervention. This does not mean he will sleep through the night. He still needs feeding in the night at his age. Do a rollover feed (wake him before you go to bed and feed him) so you get a few hours. Also look into sleep schools. I am pretty sure I am still in Australian questions only. If I am right and you are Australian then they are in nearly every state. It is fantastic. There are day stays and a weeks stay. They teach you the tired cues (you may be missing them) and sleeping techniques. Google sleep school and your state. This is a link to the one I used but it has refrences for every state. Just had a look. It is quite a good site with a lot of answers to those parenting questions

Answer 12

babies at that age dont!! trust me ...i have a lil bro

Answer 13

If a child that age sleeps through the night, there is usually something wrong.

ETA: I agree with Rudie on the Babywise Book. It was my bible when my son was that age.

Answer 14

waow Barbara, your boy definitely has some sleeping/crying issues. There are many reasons why he is crying and not sleeping. I think you really should spend a half day with a midwife to resolve and revert this issue, again by contacting your local community health centre. It sounds like he may be overtired and therefore finds very hard to sleep for long hours. It looks like he is doing the 40 mins sleep cycles only. You can't expect a baby of his age to sleep through the night. He will still need to wake up 3-6 hourly for a feed and that's normal. It is very important to keep a routine of sleep-feed and play. Is there anything that might be overstimulating him in the evening like a toddler, TV, loud noises etc? Babies are quick learners and there is a whole routine regime that needs to be put in place everyday. like quiet times, not toys or anything visible around his cot that stimulate him, a dark room etc. Also sometimes it takes a different face to put him to bed and restore the sleep pattern. He is associating you with cuddles so putting new rules may be more difficult. You can get some advise from Tresillian hotline or QE2. Good luck. Wishing you plenty of sleep.