My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

Can a 12-week old sleep too long at night?!

28 replies

louisdog · 16/10/2012 19:27

This is going to sound like I am quite crazy asking this rather than just enjoying it but I am an anxious first-time mum...

My baby is 12 weeks old tomorrow, and weighs 12lbs, she is bottle fed.

Two or three weeks ago she started "sleeping through" from say 11 or 12 until 5 or 6 or which was brilliant.

The last three nights though she has slept from 11pm until 830, when I have actually got up and fed her before she cried for food. (She was awake and smiled at me when she saw me.) Is she sleeping too long? Seems like an awfully long time to go without walking up, is it normal and I am just lucky?! She is fine in herself and feeding really well in the day, happy, smiley and active.

Any advice please, is this ok? Sorry to ask such a daft question!

(Baby sleeps in a bedside cot next to me, btw.)

Thanks!

OP posts:
Report
RancerDoo · 16/10/2012 19:29

It's fine.
And nice.

Report
louisdog · 16/10/2012 19:42

Thanks! Sorry for the stupid question, was just panicking that she is small to go that long!

I am sure this sleep phase will not last many more nights!

OP posts:
Report
Fuzzymum1 · 17/10/2012 09:36

My DS2 and 3 both slept 10+ hours in one stretch from around 8 or 9 weeks old. As long as they are healthy and gaining weight. Enjoy it :D I made the most of it after a hellish difficult first two years with DS1 who didn't sleep longer than 4 hours until he was 2.

Report
ArtyJennie · 17/10/2012 13:21

Yup tis fine. My dd2 is 8weeks and sleeps 11pm- 7ish since last week. (touch wood it lasts!) I'm intending to gradually put her to bed earlier each night. This worked well with dd1 who slept 7am-7pm by 4months. I am also bottle feeding.

Report
QTPie · 17/10/2012 13:37

God no - it is fine: if she s hungry, she will tell you so! ;)

By 12 weeks DS slept from about 9pm (whenever he finished his last feed) until 6am ish (he was BFd). As lomg as they are healthy and putting in good weight, then no worries at all - enjoy it :)

Report
Arcticwaffle · 17/10/2012 14:56

2 of my 3 slept longer than this by this age, they were mega-sleepers, and they were always fine.

You tend not to hear about the good sleepers (or people don't believe it), it was only after my first baby slept through the night at 1 day old that I heard that actually about 10% of babies do this.

enjoy it! my amazing sleeping baby dd1 is still one of the most chilled out easygoing children, aged 12 now.

Report
louisdog · 17/10/2012 23:06

Thanks for all the replies, it's so great to hear! I feel really daft asking the question but I worry so! And you do seem to only hear about the bad sleepers. I am sure my LO will regress sleepwise but I am so thrilled to just relax and enjoy this for however long it lasts.

OP posts:
Report
SparklyGothKat · 17/10/2012 23:10

My 21 week old sleeps through the night from 7-7. She started about 15 weeks she was 6 weeks prem. I'm loving having having a sleeping baby. All my others didn't sleep through till about a year old.

Report
NellyTheElephant · 18/10/2012 14:13

As others have said, it's totally fine. My DD1 slept 7-7 from around 8 weeks, DD2 from around 10 weeks and DS from around 12 weeks, all were BF. They didn't regress.

Report
louisdog · 18/10/2012 16:09

Ooh I remember you from the July 2012 thread SparklyGothKat! Glad your LO is a good sleeper.

Thanks Nelly it's great to hear yours didn't regress, I shall enjoy my baby's long overnight sleeps and try not to feel too guilty!

OP posts:
Report
Dogsmom · 18/10/2012 18:30

According to my parents I used to sleep around 18 hours a day, the only time i was awake was when they disturbed me to feed me, visitors used to come and cuddle me, I'd be taken out to the shops and slept through it all.

I'm now in my 30's and still love to sleep, I'm keeping everything crossed my own daughther who is due in spring will take after me Smile

Report
minesapintofwine · 18/10/2012 19:03

Don't feel daft I asked the same question at 12 weeks here on mumsnet!!! It is fine and it is nice enjoy those lie-ins bet you thought it would never happen!

Report
blacktreaclecat · 18/10/2012 21:49

I wondered this too when DS who is 18 weeks (4 weeks early) went 8-7 the other day. He is doing it every night at the moment.
Just enjoy, he is obviously getting enough milk during the day.

Report
catus · 18/10/2012 22:09

It sounds absolutely lovely. Enjoy that good night sleep feeling!

Report
Loislane78 · 19/10/2012 11:41

Livin' the dream louis enjoy! :)

Report
RunnerHasbeen · 19/10/2012 11:48

You are lucky - I was too, and sleeping didn't regress until we started weaning and even then was back to huge sleeps after a few weeks (she just wasn't eating enough calories in the day when it was mostly fruit she could manage, it was simply a 10.30pm feed and back to sleep not serious regression). DD is 10m now and sleeps 12h at night and 3.5 in naps each day.

I think she is happier and more active than the babies I know who don't sleep well, but obviously I am a little biased anyway! If I am in a group of mummies complaining about sleep, I do keep quiet, so you might not here the good stories as much as the bad ones.

I'm impressed you didn't wake up in a panic in the middle of the night to check on her, it took me a few weeks to kick that habit and just enjoy it!

Report
OTTMummA · 21/10/2012 03:20

DD is 13 weeks and has slept through since 4 weeks Shock not that i tell people that often, the handful of times i have i got this look Hmm or this one Envy

Report
Hyperballad · 21/10/2012 03:22

That sounds dreamy! I'm jealous!!

Report
Pembers74 · 05/03/2015 17:07

I have a 12 lb, 15 week old who we wake up to feed and then she doesn't properly sleep after. We do this because health workers said to. She is bottle fed and takes a bottle at 6.30pm sleep by half 7. Woken at 2 to feed and then that is about it as far as sleep is concerned. People keep telling me I shouldn't leave her longer. Could I extend it a bit each night?

Report
squizita · 05/03/2015 19:51

Mine was a bit like this but got HUNGRY about 18 weeks. Well, 3 feeds a night and sleeps immediately after each one ... so not hellish.
With the wakes though she sleeps 12 hr a night 7-7 - so take out an hour (3 Ã? 20 min feeds) that's still hefty sleep! Mind you she only naps 3 x 30 min by day (though that's still pretty much the 12-14 hr average).

Report
omama · 06/03/2015 19:22

My ds did 7-7 at 13 weeks. DD however, is technically 'sleeping through' but is doing her long stretch from bedtime feed at 6.30pm to anywhere from 12-2am, then we are up again at 5-6am most nights. She is 15 weeks (12 adjusted).

So I say enjoy!!!

Pembers who has told you to wake your dd at night to feed and for what reason? Unless there is a bloody good reason, I would be inclined to leave her to wake if/when she is ready.

Report
ch1134 · 06/03/2015 21:04

I hate you all!Smile

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

RetroHippy · 07/03/2015 22:25

And that is why I don't brag about the fact that DS (11 weeks/6 adjusted) sleeps All. The. Time. Or is awake and alert and delightful. He's just super chilled. From birth he's slept from 11pm to 6am with two or three hourly wake-ups for a quick feed and straight back down. We're now going from 8pm to 9am with four hourly feeds. Just make the most of it :) I can't wait till he properly sleeps through.

Report
ch1134 · 07/03/2015 22:54

So glad you're enjoying it retrohippy. I was only joking! My ds was such an easy baby but woke regularly for feeds. Never a problem going back down though. Still, it took 11 months until he finally started sleeping through without waking. That was tiring!

Report
Robinsonjam · 07/03/2015 23:00

You are soo lucky! Just enjoy it xx

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.