to want my 5 month old child to sleep through the night?

[TheCalvert]

Or at least longer than 2 hours at a time? .

Answers on a postcard purleese.

My 4 year old doesn't sleep though the night.

Mine doesn't either jjones although it is easier once they can say 'Look I'm just not tired' rather than crying indiscriminately!

You have my sympathies TheCalvert, hope your baby sleeps more soon!

Have you started weaning yet? My daughter did not sleep for long periods until 6 months when we started introducing soilds. Now she is a very good sleeper.

I agree with SM. Once mine were over six months and weaned they slept a lot better after a filling tea.

Not unreasonable to want it... Whether you'll get your wish without time, tears and lots of blips is another matter entirely though, sadly.

I have in the last few weeks (although my health visitor would probably shoot me if she knew!). NOT WORKING!!!

Am thinking that this won't go on when he is 18, so just got to get through it, but boy is it hard and I am soooooooooooooooooooo knackered.

All mummies deserve medals for having to get through this stage for sure!

It's not unreasonable to want them to, but maybe unrealistic to expect them to. It kind of depends on your baby - they all have different sleeping patterns (doesn't help us though).

Can I ask you a question? Do you have lots of friends who talk endlessly about how their DCs sleeping through? If so, please ignore them, they are probably being economical with the truth. I had this, it drove me mad, and when I accepted that it wasn't going to happen until they were getting on for 12 months old, and that they (the other mums) were possibly not being entirely honest, I found it bearable.

Babies are supposed to wake up lots, but as strawberrymummie says weaning can work wonders - or giving your baby something like a rice/porridgey breakfast at bedtime can help, and increasing full fat milky products in their food can work wonders too (eg putting custard into fruit puree).

Also, have you tried baby massage? Used to make mine flake out for a while.

YABU

Babies wake up at night - it's what they do. They have tiny tummies and need to eat. The more you stress about it, the worse it is. Accept that this is how things are at the moment and tell yourself that your baby will sleep through the night eventually.

Don't listen to everyone else - I have found that the mother who boasts that her baby slept through at an early age finds it all going wrong later down the line - at age 2,3 etc.

Mine didn't sleep through till after 12 months but I'm happy to say that ages 9, 6 and 3 they are all brilliant sleepers. Far more important to have a child sleeping through than a baby.

Good luck. I'm still waiting for my 17 month old to sleep through the night. That's why I am posting at this time of night; he has woken up 3 times already this evening and will wake up again at 5.30am with another episode between now and then.

It is amazing how you learn to function on so little sleep.

I don't think your asking for too much op. My ds now 3' did sleep thru the night from 5 weeks, apart from some nights when he was teething or poorly we've had a pretty smooth run. I think once your lo gets to a good age you could try controlled crying, I know some people won't agree with it, but it worked for us for daytime naps, and for a fair few other people I know. Surely if no ones sleeping properly, the next day must be hell with tired mummy and children.

YANBU.... Weaning is the answer. You can leave it until 6 months but if you want to get some sleep, try bringing it forward a little. It's heresy to say it around here and I'll get flamed for sure but you have needs as well as the baby... good luck

My 6.5mo DS still wakes once or twice despite having been being weaned since 4.5 months. I think it's just the way he is- I'm lucky insofar as the wakings are quite short though. Getting him down in the first place is another matter entirely though! It can't last forever...

dd got a bit better when i started weaning her too at 6 months. then around 7 months she went back to waking around 4 times a night. now 8 months and miraculously is only waking once or twice. her big brothers both slept through at about 13 months. it'll come, and eventually you'll look back on those sleepless nights as only a very small part of your life with dc.

Everyone told me that DD would sleep through once I started giving her solids. She's nearly 2 now and still not sleeping through. I've night-weaned her as well, that didn't work. I think some children just need to do it in their own time.

Yanbu to want it.

Yabu to expect it!

My dd is 2 and still doesn't sleep through the night.she gets me up at 5am aswell

My 2.2 year old has just started sleeping through, I have continually repeated to myself he will do it when he's ready and eventually he has! I had a lot of pressure to do CC or similar from HVs/friends but wasn't prepared to do that.

DS2 is now 6 months and normally wakes twice for feeding and maybe once or twice just for a cuddle, also comes into bed with us around 5.30am for an hour.

It is hard but as others have said take other peoples views and experiences with a pinch of salt! Some are just lucky, others think sleeping from midnight to 5am is sleeping through, or will say their babies are sleeping through with the exception of waking for feeds which they don't mention....

I am finding the sleep deprivation much easier now though, have had a lot of practice!!

If it's one thing I've learnt since becoming a parent, it's that you can't force a baby to do anything if it's not ready, especially sleep. It's pretty much like trying to hit a moving target, things are changing constantly!

I would try and go with it for now and in a few weeks you may well find she sleeps for longer periods. Developmental leaps are said to be partly responsible for broken sleep. There's a very interesting book called 'The Wonder Weeks' which I found useful for getting me through the difficult periods.

Sorry, not much help. Go with the flow is my advice.

Thanks all, its good to know that I am not alone in this!

FWIW, I do have a lot of mummy mates whos children all sleep through. It doesn't bother me too much, its more the HV asking if I was OK (no REALLY, are you OK, you're not getting depressed are you. Are you sure you're OK now?)!!!

I don't expect DS to do it, but boy do I want it!

Weaning made things worse here because he then started getting constipated (with-holding) so also had a sore tummy to contend with!

You are not alone, and it is really tough when you feel like you are sleepwalking through the day.

''its more the HV asking if I was OK (no REALLY, are you OK, you're not getting depressed are you. Are you sure you're OK now?)!!!''

oh rofl, I can just hear this in a Barbie from Toy story voice

Ask her if she 'moonlights'