eating and sleeping habits - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

cat1317 · 10-06-2007, 06:40 PM

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this board, but have been reading everyone's comments and been finding them extremely helpful.
My daughter is 6 weeks old and is bottle fed 4oz every 3 to 4 hours. I plan on moving up to 5oz soon. My questions is - What do I need to do to get her to sleep through the night longer than 4 (hours) which she is doing now. Is this normal? Should she be going longer? I am going back to work in January and I want to get her on a good routine by then. Thanks for any advice.
--Cat

neshee · 10-06-2007, 08:08 PM

Well, unless directed by her doc, she is too young for cereal. So, bascially just upping her intake, especially at night should help some. My DD was up at least once a night until she was 6 months. My DS is only 4 months (2 months adj) and he is sleeping pretty much all night!! I am so blessed that he does that for me. So, pretty much it is up to her. She is very young to do that and to hope to keep on a schedule. I pray that you get her into a routine, but really you are lucky it is only 1x per night!

Cookiem26 · 10-06-2007, 08:51 PM

First of all, your daughter is totally normal, it may be months before she sleeps through the night. I think as you increase how much you feed her like giving her 5 oz. instead of 4 eventually she'll be able to go longer stretches at night. My daughter was pretty early as far as sleeping through the night, she started at 3 months and has been a wonderful sleeper since, she is now almost 16 months. Just be patient, it will happen eventually. What I feel helped me the most was a book that a family member gave me, "Babywise". It's all about getting baby on a consistent routine/schedule which in turns helps them to sleep better. You should check it out. I have several friends who have read it and swear by it too. Good luck!