5 month still not STTN

jtzbaby · July 2010

Anyone else's 5, almost 6 month old not sttn? I am getting so frustrated and obviously tired. She goes to sleep just fine around 8:30, but continues to wake up between 2:30 and 3 to eat. We have tried to let her cry in her crib, and just rocking and not feeding her, but she always wants to eat. We have started solid food so she'll have baby food and nurse before she goes to bed. I thought maybe the solids would help her stay full longer, but I guess not. She's not much of a napper in the day so she should be tired. Just wondering if anyone else is going through this and if anyone has any suggestions for helping her to sleep through the night.

Oh by the way, we have tried CIO a few times and she does fall asleep fine. When she wakes up in the night should we be letting her do that then too?

bbowie · July 2010

That's very normal. She sounds hungry. Feed her.

murfygirl · July 2010

Ask the poster below how to use benadryl

gwennec · July 2010

My pedi said that some babies still need at least one night feeding until about 9 months...

SweetSpikette · July 2010

We still have at least 2 night feedings.
She goes down around 7 and eats at 12:30ish and 4ish before getting up for the day around 6:30 - 7am.

Neen33 · July 2010

Sounds like your baby is just hungry. I don't understand why everyone seems to think babies need to STTN so young. Many children just aren't ready until almost a year.

Ciconrad · July 2010

Is she taking a good feeding in the middle of the night or is she just sort of messing around with the bottle? If she's taking a good feeding, she's probably hungry. Both my pedis (we've moved across country so I have seen two different pedis during my children's infant days) have told me a 6-8 hour stretch at this age is completely normal and you should not be resorting to CIO if they are going that long and taking a good feeding when they wake. (BTW, I am pro-CIO. We did it with DS at 5 months because he was waking every 2 hours and again at 10 months when he was ready to drop the 3 am feeding).

DS isn't quite 5 months but he's still waking for a 4 am feeding. Our pedi said we could try doing a dreamfeed around 11 and then that should take him until 6 am. We go to bed early so 11 or 4 disturbs our sleep and I just prefer to let him eat on his natural schedule so we are still just getting up at 4 am. I know it's hard, but it will get better soon.

GreekyPie · July 2010

It is 100% fine and normal for a baby that age to need to eat once during the night.

Don't take this the wrong way, but consider meeting her schedule instead of making her meet your schedule. She will STTN eventually, but 5 mos. is very early to expect that. Waking once to eat is completely reasonable.