Getting a Baby to Sleep Longer Through the Night.

Updated on January 16, 2008
M.H. asks from Argyle, TX
23 answers

Just wondering if anyone had any tips, techniques, advice on getting a baby to sleep longer through the night. I have a 7 week old who was sleeping 5 to 6 hours through the night but now is starting to only sleep 3 hours. He does wake up sometimes because he has gas (any advice on that would be helpful too - I think if he didn't have gas he might be sleeping longer too). I breastfeed him and he sleeps in a bassinet right next to me (and every sound he makes tends to wake me up). Thanks for the help.

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M.A.

answers from Dallas on

You may try to put a couple of the baby anti-gas drops in each of the bottles you feed him. One of the boys I babysit did this. It worked WONDERFUL!!!

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K.H.

answers from Dallas on

Have you tried swaddling? I used the "Miracle Blanket" (found at www.miracleblanket.com) for my second - what a difference!!!! Hope this helps. K.

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L.F.

answers from Austin on

If they go without feeding for longer than 4 hours, babys that young can become dangerously dehydrated, and lowered blood sugar can make them too lethargic to feed.
Therefore letting them sleep through the night is not recommended. (refer to La Leche League's website [www.llli.org] and your pediatrician)
It's unreasonable to expect them to sleep through the night.
Most breastfed babies nurse every 1 to 2 hours. Breastmilk is made for babies, therefore it is very easily & quickly digested.
If your baby is gassy, try eliminating dairy products. Milk proteins are the main offender in upsetting baby's tummies.(Remember, it takes as much as 10 days for milk proteins to leave your system, so give it time.)
One way for everyone to get more rest is to share a family bed, following recommended guidelines. Again, refer to LLL's guidelines, or Dr. William Sears (www.askdrsears.com). This practice is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Lastly, it takes about 2 months for your milk supply to regulate, so not nursing regularly at this age will adversely effect your milk production. Nursing-on-demand keeps the supply up to the demand, and babies demand more when they go through a growth spurt, the first of which is at around 6-8 weeks.
good luck.

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

You may want to record everything you eat in a food log to determine what it is you are eating that is causing his gas.

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B.W.

answers from Dallas on

Your diet may be contributing to his gas. I couldn't eat broccoli while breastfeeding my second.

C.R.

answers from Dallas on

Hi M.,
I agree, it sounds like a growing spurt. Try putting an extra feeding in during the day. You'll have to feed more often during the day for a while but hopefully you'll get more sleep during the night. For gas, I would burp more often than you are doing during feedings and try some infant gas drops that you can get at the drug store. It helps and is harmless since none of it is digested but helps to break up the air bubbles.
C.

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S.W.

answers from Longview on

you could try putting cereal in his bottle at bed time.
maybe he's waking up because he's hungry
I have 5 kids and not a one of them ever slept through the night until about a yr old..
but my children are add & adhd so they just have alot of energy
my twins are 10 now and they don't go to sleep until around 2:00 am but they have always done this, and I can't get them to stop

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E.

answers from Dallas on

Watch the dairy products you eat but also do you swaddle him? We didn't at first but when we started, it helped so much and makes them feel secure and stops the hands flying out and frightening them like they do with their reflexes.

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B.C.

answers from Wichita Falls on

Here is what our pediatrician suggested right away - MOVE the BABY to his/her own room. He said we were probably waking to his every noise unnecessarily. Also, Gripe Water did the trick for my son for gas; it seemed to work better than Mylicon, at least for us.

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M.S.

answers from Houston on

I can't eat cheese or it gives my baby bad gas.

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

I have four little ones (the oldest will be 5 the end of January) so I know how important sleep is. However, babies do go through growth spurts. My baby (9 months) was up every 1-2 hours during her last growth spurt. And since my cycles have not yet returned I am more then happy to help delay it by frequent nursings. It happens for such a short time before she starts sleeping well again. I sleep train her by letting her fuss a little before picking her up. Often she'll go right back to sleep.

S.

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A.O.

answers from Sherman on

It sounds like he may be having a growth spurt. After a few days to a week he will probably get back to his "normal" pattern again...until the next spurt.

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L.S.

answers from Sherman on

Read "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by Tracy Hogg. It will solve ALL your problems!

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C.G.

answers from Dallas on

Excellent, wonderful advice from Heather H! I agree, 100%, with every word.

This is normal sleep behavior for a breastfed newborn. The average baby does not consistently sleep through the night until 12 months or so. Try the swaddling technique suggested by several people; please do not introduce cereal at this point, as the current recommendation is to wait until 6 months to introduce ANY solids.

As to the gas, consider eliminating dairy from your diet, as the proteins are passed through your milk and bothers some babies. Be sure to eliminate all dairy, both hidden and obvious for 2 weeks before you decide if it's the culprit.

Have you considered co-sleeping? It takes some getting used to, but, with practice baby can sleep with you in your bed. When he wakes, you can latch him back on and dose back off. There are safe ways and unsafe ways to co-sleep, so please do the research should you choose to try it.

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J.D.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter had breastmilk and formula...she did get gassy and we used gripe water. You can get it at The Vitamin Shoppe, but Target pharmacies will also order it for you...you give it to them straight or in a bottle with their "food".
Also, try moving him into his room and using the monitor...maybe it won't disturb you so much? I know that helped with Eva...

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K.W.

answers from Dallas on

M.,

you have had some good advice here (heather is on the money) and some old wife tales have been passed along, and some things that pediatricians try to help moms with. I would like to take a page out of Dr Karps research which says until about 3 months of age babies are unable to self soothe, combine that with a moro reflex (you know the startle thing) activated at the top of thier hourly sleep cycle and you have a baby that wakes too frequently and then is upset because of lack of sleep and overstimulation. Dr Karp ran into this frustrating cycle over 30 years ago and as a pediatrician just didn't know what to offer his parents and babies until doing the research. The 5 s's really work for every baby I have tried them on since learning of them. Seriously I have not personally experienced any babies that it didn't work with if the parents really stuck with it. It begins with a tight swaddle. (I prefer the Miracle Blanket over all of the others because 1 size fits all from premie to about 8-12 months and it can't ever ride up around the babies face)Then progresses to swinging or rhytmic movement (how about sleeping in a swing) and includes a white noise that is similar to the sounds in the Uterus (about the decibels of a vacuum cleaner 24-7) This recreates the safety that babies relate to for them.
This combined with feeding on demand will result in a baby that does indeed sleep well between growth spurts and wakes up more frequently during a growth spurt, but eats and goes right back to sleep.
good luck,
K. @ The Nestingplace

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S.D.

answers from Houston on

My son had/has (now to a lesser degree) colic/a lot of gassiness. As others have suggested, try laying him on his back and rotating his legs like he's riding a bike. We have found that Mylicon has been a saving grace. It is symethicone (which is like Gas-X for us), which is what has worked the best for us. You are probably already doing this, but let him nurse until he's full/quits/falls asleep, just be sure to try to burp him afterwards. Some people pat and some rub to get the burps out, but I found that a mixture of the two work for us. Good luck.

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A.S.

answers from Lubbock on

Mylicon is great for gas.Also you might try substituting a bottle at night it might help him stay full longer.This helped me a lot.Also I did the oppisite of what most people will tell you.Insted of moving my baby out of my room i moved him in my bed.Now this is purely a personal choice and doesnt work for everyone.My baby slept longer and when he did wake up I didnt have to get up to feed him.I would just do the sidelaying position where you lay on your side and let your baby nurse.Now this may not work for you but for me it was great.My son is now 6 months and sleeps all night in his own room.He sleeps about 10 hrs a night.I had zero problems with the transition from our bed to his crib in his room.Also those teddy bears that make the womb noises are great.YOu can get them at walmart or babies r us.Good luck and hang in there it will end soon.

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D.G.

answers from Lubbock on

I give my baby anti-gas drops at every feeding and that seems to help her a lot. We also found out that she was lactose intolerant and have been using a soy-based formula since she was two weeks old (Simulac Soy Formula Advanced; comes in a maroon container). As far as your baby sleeping through the night, I started feeding my daughter baby food with cereal at four months and this helped her sleep up to ten hours each night. Plus, I made sure that her last feeding took place around eight every evening. Good luck!

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H.H.

answers from Houston on

Honestly, for a good breastfeeding relationship, waking every three hours is totally normal for this age. Don't let people tell you differently. "Sleep scheduling" is not recommended for newborns, nor is it good for breastfeeding. If breastfeeding is important to you, feed on demand. Babies also go through growth spurts at 3, 6, 9 weeks and 3, 6, and 9 months (or anywhere around there!). He may be trying to get your supply up for that, and grow some more. He's the age for it. Adding cereal to his diet right now is NOT recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics says you should wait until 6 months. Cereal in the bottle at night making them sleep longer is a major myth anyway. As for the gas, they say bicycling the legs and pumping the legs helps that.

Do you swaddle him? Swaddling tightly may help him feel more comforted and allow him to sleep longer instead of seeking comfort from you. He's only been in this rough world for 7 weeks, and he was cramped and comfy inside you for 40! I used the SwaddleMe and it worked well for us. But I say if he needs to eat (which, at 7 weeks, is totally normal) or needs comfort, give it. I know it's hard. I have an infant and a 2 year old, but at this age he needs to know you're there when he needs you - whether grown ups think he needs you or not! If you feed him before he's totally awake, he will go back to sleep much easier too.

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J.P.

answers from Austin on

Try the puppy thing (it worked great with my son). I would wear a maternity shirt all day and night and even sleep in it. I would wear it the next day too, that night, I would take it off and slip the whole shirt over his bassinet mattress and let him sleep on in. At 7 weeks, they are all about smells. You should hopfully get an extra 2-3 hours maybe more of sleep out of him. Replace the shirt every couple nights. It sounds kind of gross walking around in a shirt for two days, but you would be suprised how well it works.

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J.H.

answers from Killeen on

M.,
If you are breast feeding the gas my be cased by something you are eating. Stay away from things like brocolli and peanut butter and other foods that will be case gas for you and the baby. For the gas, I know that there are drops that you can by to ease gas discomfort.

As for the sleep issue, if this continues to be a problem, you may want to consider a night bottle. Breast milk only stays with the baby for a few hours while formula will stay with him for possibly six hours. Just an idea! Hang in there, and try to work in a nap when you can.

L.A.

answers from Dallas on

I agree with Allison!

One thing that helps me get the gas out of my son is to lay him on his back, and slowly push his legs into his stomach. It seems to work out the bubbles.

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