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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

5 Month old still waking for milk in the night.

23 replies

magicphotos · 12/05/2011 09:01

The problem I have is that i keep hearing... she should be sleeping through!?
She goes down at 6.30 and usually wakes for a feed (between 1.30 - 3.30) of around 4-5oz. She is eating food at around 4.30pm

I have tried to break the habit of the night feed and she just goes crazy! Also he is still in our bedroom as we are in a 1 bedroom flat!! Is it normal and will she grow out of it???

Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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lots33 · 12/05/2011 09:05

Erm....don't want to scare you but your DD's sleep routine sounds amazing. My DS was still feeding 3-6 times a night then! Now weaned and 8 months old his night routine sounds similar to your DD, ie, he feeds once. I think that some babies do grow out of it and others needs assistance! I plan to night wean my DS quite soon as he is now not very hungry in the mornings so I don't think he needs the feed. I wouldn't have done this at 5 months but obviously it is your call! Good luck.

matana · 12/05/2011 09:12

Are you crazy??? That's bloody brilliant! Enjoy, you will make many MNers

'Sleeping through' means different things to different people. Medically, a five hour stretch is 'sleeping through' though others will class sleeping through as from 11pm till the morning feed, and others will say it means 12 hours. Five months is certainly very young for a baby to go 12 hours - though some are extremely lucky.

Remember also that some babies just don't demand an 11pm feed (my DS is one of them). If they did, they'd actually be going from 11pm till 6-7am which, in my book, is 'sleeping through'. My DS has never demanded an 11pm-ish feed so started going from 7pm till 1/2/3am. While this is pretty inconvenient for my own sleep, it's still really good when you read about others waking every hour or two. My guess is your LO still needs that night feed and will drop it on her own when she's good and ready, probably when she's fully weaned.

Have you tried introducing an 11pm dream feed? Works for some and not others. It didn't work for me, but might be worth trying?

Alibabaandthe80nappies · 12/05/2011 09:14

You do not have a problem :)

RobynLou · 12/05/2011 09:15

as other's have said, she's doing brilliantly!

Knofje · 12/05/2011 09:17

I was expecting to read that she was waking several times and was going to say 'normal'. But, waking just once is just plain excellent! Mine were still waking to hourly until much, much older.

You could try giving her a dream feed at 11ish, before you go to bed, she might sleep through, but TBH she's already doing amazingly.

newbroom · 12/05/2011 09:18

I agree that your night time routine sounds pretty good. However, maybe you could try giving a dream feed around 10pm, to replace the night feed? (this is what we did about this age). It might not make any difference, but might be worth a try ...

Knofje · 12/05/2011 09:18

Mine were still waking to two hourly until much, much older. (although hourly did happen quite a bit too)

Original poster

magicphotos · 12/05/2011 09:20

Thank you! I did try the dream feed and It made no difference... I'm quite happy waking to feed her as she goes straight back to sleep but its the health professionals that tell you you should be doing this, that and the other... oh and my mum ;-) HAHA! xx

OP posts:

wolfhound · 12/05/2011 09:22

Ignore anyone who tells you they should be sleeping through at 5 months! Babies are all different, and they let you know when they are hungry!

lukewarmmama · 12/05/2011 09:22

Normal normal normal, you're doing brilliantly

Milk is the main source of food throughout the first year (gradually reducing once you introduce solids, but still very significant even at a year old).

A night feed is totally completely and utterly normal at this age. Its normal even towards a year old, although many babies have dropped it by then (and if they are still waking at a year, I think that's the time you could try to address it if you wanted to). My DD1 dropped it by 7 months, DD2 not until 11 months. I've got friends who have babies that slept though from 12 weeks (!), and others who still had a night feed well past a year old.

Ignore what other people are saying - focus on what you and your baby want. If your baby wants the night feed, and you are happy with that, then carry on as you are. If you want to try to manipulate the time she wakes up for a feed, then tell us and maybe we can suggest ways to help.

lukewarmmama · 12/05/2011 09:23

X-posted

You're happy, she's happy, no problem, hooray!

Longtalljosie · 12/05/2011 09:26

Parents tend to mis-remember... is a health visitor also suggesting he should be sleeping through at 5 months?

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 12/05/2011 09:27

very normal.
and to give you hope, dd2 was waking twice nightly for milk at 5mo. On her 6mo birthday she just started sleeping though until 5.30-6.30am. Just like that. Plenty of babies do get their on their own.

Original poster

magicphotos · 12/05/2011 09:51

Longtalljosie - yes a health visitor and I got an ear bashing about weaning at 5 months!? xx

OP posts:

lukewarmmama · 12/05/2011 09:55

Your HV told you she should be sleeping through at 5 months? Barmy.

Tigresswoods · 12/05/2011 11:25

NORMAL!

CinnabarRed · 12/05/2011 11:28

DS2 still wakes for a night feed at 4 AM - and he's 13 months.

At 5 months he was still waking at 10 PM, 2 AM and 5 AM for feeds (and that lasted until he was about 11 months, when he suddenly dropped the 10 PM and 2 AM feeds without any warning). I figure he'll drop the 4 AM feed when he's ready.

You're doing brilliantly.

bonkers20 · 12/05/2011 11:52

My 25 month old still wakes for milk (BF) at night. His cot is in our room as we have a 2 bed house and 4 people. We co-sleep when he wakes.

My 12 year old sleeps through though so I'm hopeful DS2 will follow suit in good time.

Seriously, do what you need to do to get enough sleep (including telling HV and Mums that you're all sleeping fine at night thank you very much).

mejon · 12/05/2011 11:53

So I shan't worry that 14 week DD2 woke last night for quick feeds at 11.45, 1.30 and a bigger one at 4.45 having been asleep since 8pm?! Bit of a shock to my system as she'd been sleeping 8/9pm until 5/6am from around 8 weeks until the last week or so. I'm hoping it's down to the jabs she had on Monday but it's probably the norm and we were extremely lucky for those precious few weeks!

lukewarmmama · 12/05/2011 13:01

Mejon - growth spurt? (Hopefully!)

mejon · 12/05/2011 13:53

I was wondering about that too lukewarmmama. I'll try and get her to take more milk during the day. Sorry for the hijack OP!

Octaviapink · 12/05/2011 13:54

Lol. 5.5 mo DS woke for feeds last night at 9.15, 11.45, 1.15, 3, 4.47 and 5.15 - at which point I gave up trying to sleep as DD was also insisting that the day was ready to start.

tortilla · 12/05/2011 14:01

Best bit of parenting advice I got re feeds/sleep: if the baby is happy and you're happy then ignore what anyone else says about it.

My DS had a night feed until 9mo (luckily for me usually before midnight), and DD is still has one or occasionally 2 at 7.5mo (less luckily it is usually anywhere from 1-5am). But both of them are actually good sleepers - they tend to only wake for a feed and tend to go back down quickly afterwards - so I really don't mind. If I had fussier babies I might do, but I'm usually only up with DD now for 10 mins a night.

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