Any tips for encouraging sleeping thru the night?

amy.dunkley

I'm sure STTN will happen naturally at some point, but my son is 12 weeks old and we still do 2 overnight feedings (I give much less during the 2nd feeding in hopes he won't need it anymore, but no luck so far). Any tips or advice for encouraging him to sleep thru the night or is it just something that he'll do on his own at some point? Thanks!!

WillyBean

They will start doing their nights on their own. You can encourage it by making sure they get plenty to eat during the day. Some people cluster feed before bedtime, others dream feed. No solution, sorry, only takes time.

harmonicbabe26

Haha... Mine is 7mo and JUST started STTN... For real, give it time! 2 feedings at 3mo is amazing!

FunnyGal18

WillyBean said:

They will start doing their nights on their own. You can encourage it by making sure they get plenty to eat during the day. Some people cluster feed before bedtime, others dream feed. No solution, sorry, only takes time.

I second this advice. In addition, I would try to keep him up during a good chunk of the day. I also put him to bed at the same time every night and sing him a goodnight song. Just be consistent.

Knottie41207278

What is the difference between cluster feeding and dream feeding?

WillyBean

Cluster feed - lots of little feeds within a short period of time
Dream feed - feeding baby about an hour after they go to sleep, idea is to fill them up I think

We never did either of these. Like @FunnyGal18 said, be consistent with your routine then it's like they expect bedtime.

SLGILL1978

No tips. Follow your babies lead/cues. Your baby will naturally develop a loose routine. Never cut out any middle of the night feedings for the first year. Breast milk and formula are their primary source of nutrition. Sleeping is developmental. It doesn't matter if they are full or not. Babies will sleep through the night when they are ready whether it's 3 months, 8  months, 16 months or 2 years old. It's normal for babies to wake frequently during the night especially the first 2-3 years. 

djluschen

This is something they have to do on their own. Although, my pediatrician always told me to keep late night feedings as uneventful as possible. Try not to talk too much to baby and keep the room as dim or dark as possible when feeding and changing in the middle of the night.

karee15

The way I have my room is with a blue light because I need to make sure my child is breathing etc... and I have my daughter swaddled. She is 7 weeks and sleeps about 3-4 through the night and makes up again for feeding around 2:30-3:00 and again around 5:40-6:00.