When did your baby start sleeping more than 2 hr stretches at night?

[Lizbiz89]

Just out of curiosity. My ds is 3 weeks and so far only sleeps 2 hrs at a time at night. I know he's very young but just wondering when there's light at the end of the sleepless tunnel.

When I switched to formula at 6 weeks.

From birth. She's breastfed and I do last feed around 11 and then she sleeps 12-4 almost every night. Sometimes longer. Then she'll sleep for 2-3hrs after another feed. My first baby was more regular with three hourly feeds at night from birth.

I use a red light head torch for the night tome nappy changes and don't talk or make eye contact, which might help keep her sleepy.

Ds1 was I think about 2 years. Mostly he woke a lot more frequently than 2 hourly though!

Ds2 would do at least one five hour stretch from birth. Slept much more soundly and slept through far, far earlier.

Did nothing different except that I never even attempted to get ds2 into a cot/Moses basket. Just coslept from the beginning, whereas I spent a month or so —awake— trying to get ds1 to sleep somewhere other than on me.

They are seven and five now and both sleep fine. It all evens out in the end.

I still remember the first time DS slept for a full five hour stretch - my sister was visiting so I know he was five weeks old. I was formula feeding and my sister encouraged me to put him on a three-hourly schedule. That night was the night! I have never been so grateful for anything in my life I actually remember feverishly thanking DS when he finally woke up!

He didn’t do it consistently but from that point we were on an upwards trajectory.

@MsMoppet I use a red light head torch for the night tome nappy changes

I am in awe of your initiative and dedication to sleep! If I have another, I’m doing this

13m when I went cold turkey off the boob because I couldn't handle it anymore!!

DD1’s 1 and 2 at about a year old. DS is 16 weeks and does a 6 hour stretch every night (11-5ish). He did a 4 hour stint from birth.

@FartnissEverbeans what's the 3 hourly schedule? How does it work with day and night feeds? At this point I'll try anything!

About 4/5 weeks.

He’s 13 weeks now.

He’s EBF and sleeps from 7pm until about 3am, quick feed and back down until about 7am.

My son is 6 weeks and is on a 3 to 4 hour feeding schedule. His late feed is 11pm, night feed is between 3am and 4am and then he wakes for his morning feed (If he has gone back asleep after night feed ) at 7am-ish.

I do follow the advice from the Blissful baby expert and also LOOSELY follow the advice from she who shall not be named on Mumsnet... I have both of their books. I love them, they work for me.

@Lizbiz89 - I just fed him every three hours during the day - at night I fed him when he woke up naturally. I let him eat as much as he wanted. It made life a million times easier!

I just fed him every three hours during the day

What did you do if he was hungry before the 3 hours were up?

DD slept 7pm-7am (sometimes 8am) from 11 weeks. Breastfed with a bottle of expressed from 6weeks at 7pm - we called it knockout juice!!
DS fed every 2 hours throughout the night for 9 months and never took a bottle (we tried from 6 weeks as per DD), it was hell.

Well if you feed on schedule you generally wake the baby to feed at the time in the schedule so unlikely they would wake hungry anyway. Mine didn't have a dummy so would walk the baby round (although would allow a half hour leeway anyway so if within half hour of expected time would feed), change bum and I imagine if they have a dummy offer the dummy.

Mine were always hungry more often than every 3 hours so wouldn’t work for us.

And they never just fed and slept either, from birth they had long awake periods.

About 4 weeks he would sleep for 5 hour stretches. He slept through 12 hours from 6 months. Hang in there!!

Don't listen to horror stories, most babies get a lot better around this age.

If you're struggling then access support wherever you can find it.

19 months
Mostly sleeps through now at 2. Though we seem to be in another leap atm (25 months). So. Freaking. Tired.

About 4-6 weeks for the first one and much less for later (chunkier) babies. Routine for an easier life here.

DD1- 6 weeks when I switched to formula- went through 10pm-8 am after downing a massive bottle of milk.
DD2- 8 months - slept from 8.30 pm until 5 am. Didn't sleep any longer than that until she started school 😫 Super early mornings suck.

DD sleeps through about a third of the time and she's just turned 5. That's a new development though - a month ago she was up 1 to 3 times a night.

10 weeks.

She'd go from about 10 til 7, which suited me. But she was a big, hungry baby.

My health visitor told me I should be waking her up, and I ignored that advice. She's 11 now, still loves her sleep too.