Lisa, Pook, other sleep training peeps - question on length of night sleep

BabyBebe1

Walker nurses at 7:15/7:30 and then goes right to sleep on his own. He makes it to between 3 and 3:30 when I feed him and then back down until 6 (with some interruptions in that second window). We'd done some sleep training based on the Healthy Sleep Habits book which got rid of the wake-ups in that 7:30-3ish window. Here's my question though. That's 8 hours of sleep. Am I being greedy by wanting him to sleep 11 straight at this point? Are you guys getting the full 11-12 or are most people considering it STTN at this age if they get 8ish hours? We've tried to let him cry at the 3 wake-up but he gets so angry and worked up (think screaming not fussing) and then seems ravenously hungry when I finally give him to feeding him. But at 5 months and 18 pounds, I think he doesn't need that feeding anymore and just wants it for comfort/habit. Sorry, I'm rambling.

So basically, how long is everyone getting that is considering that their LO is STTN? Any tips for me on the one wake-up/meal time?  

Lisa Frank

How often is he nursing during the day?

I'm bottle feeding and as long as she gets 28-32oz of formula a day, I can usually expect her to sleep from 7:30-6 without interruption.  We dropped the dreamfeed a few weeks ago, hit a bump or 2 there, but that is a typical night for her right now.  

10-12 hours of nightsleep is normal, so it sounds like he's on the right track as far as going 7-6.  He may still need that 3:30 feed, but if you notice it's the SAME exact time every night that he wakes that could also mean it's habitual waking and not hunger waking. If he wakes at 2:30 one night, 3:30 another etc that usually means hunger. If it's 3:30 on the nose, every night? You could try to get him to drop that feed.  

(I also tend to believe that at 18lbs and 5 months, he's ready to go 10-12 straight hours. That's just my 2 pennies

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We are at 4 months (as of two days ago) and 14 lbs. She hasn't doubled her birth weight.

She sleeps from 7:30 and wakes up at either 4:30 or 5 to eat. That is 9 hours and I know she could go longer as she sometimes sleeps through it.  However, since I'm EBF I'm not in a huge hurry to get rid of it.  I don't think she absolutely needs the feeding, but if she gets it she goes back down until 7 or 8.  If she doesn't, she tends to wake up for the day at 6...so I'm selfish and want her to sleep a little later so I can get up and around before she is fully awake!

I'll probably start phasing it out mid-October.  DH and I are leaving this weekend for 4 days, then she and I are flying out of state for a two week visit with my family.  I like to wait until I know we will be home with a stable schedule before starting anything.  Who knows, in three weeks she might be sleeping all the way through by herself.

BabyBebe1

He nurses every 3 hours during the day. I started solids last week too as he acts so ravenous (and frankly I don't want to nurse more than I am) and he now is plowing down pears and peaches. It's so weird how every baby is different...my first son hated purees and never ate a single one.

I think from reading both your replies that he is ready. He weighed 6 pounds at birth so he's triple his birthweight. That, his age, and the fact that he nurses frequently during the day seem to say it's time. Of course, now the hard part...

Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. 

kewltif

My DD goes to bed by 7 pm. We dream feed her at 10:30 pm (we might drop this soon) and then she doesn't eat again until 6:30 am.  She will wake before that for her binky (which we are currently working on eliminating), but she hasn't consistently taken a night time bottle in about 6 weeks (minus 2 or 3 days where she got hysterical and I figured she must be hungry).

mlmclaug

hi there.  lurker here!

Since your LO is used to eating during that feed, I would try weaning him down by 2 minutes a night until you eliminate the feed all together.  So- time your next feed to see how long you usually feed for and then reduce by 1 min on each side per night until you are down to a 2 min feed and then eliminate it.  This way you KNOW for sure that he's not hungry and can make it through without it.  A good sleep training book that has been invaluable to me is The Sleepeasy Solution.  It talks all about weaning feeds and they go with 5 mos 15 lbs as the point at which babies are ready to sleep through with no feeds.  

My LO is still just 4 mos so I'm not weaning yet, but good luck to you!

PS- if you are formula feeding you would do the same thing, but reduce by 1 oz per night.

BabyBebe1

mlmclaug:

hi there.  lurker here!

Since your LO is used to eating during that feed, I would try weaning him down by 2 minutes a night until you eliminate the feed all together.  So- time your next feed to see how long you usually feed for and then reduce by 1 min on each side per night until you are down to a 2 min feed and then eliminate it.  This way you KNOW for sure that he's not hungry and can make it through without it.  A good sleep training book that has been invaluable to me is The Sleepeasy Solution.  It talks all about weaning feeds and they go with 5 mos 15 lbs as the point at which babies are ready to sleep through with no feeds.  

My LO is still just 4 mos so I'm not weaning yet, but good luck to you!

PS- if you are formula feeding you would do the same thing, but reduce by 1 oz per night.

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure how to get rid of that feeding and so I appreciate that plan. I think I'll order the book...yay for Amazon. 

amarriedbttrfli

We did sleep training a couple weeks ago. Now DS sleeps through the night 11 hours. When he wakes up, he is happy and not crying, so I know he is not starving. Also, the first few days he wasn't even finishing his first bottle of the day (only eating 2-3oz) after not eating all night. I never felt engorged when I woke up (I was BFing him at night) so I figured out he was just comfort nursing and not really eating.