4 month old still never slept through, still wakes every 2-3 hrs!!

[MummyOnTour]

Can anyone share any advice/experience - my 4 month old is still yet to sleep through the night and still wakes every 2-3 hrs every night like a newborn. I've noticed a lot of people saying that their babies have regressed at this stage but my LO hasn't ever even got to that stage in the first place, just doesn't seem capable of it! I'm exclusively BFing but tried a big bottle of formula before bed last night but even that made no difference. I had him settled inbed by 9 but then he was up at 12 (till 1), then again at 3, 5 and 7. He doesn't take long naps/sleep excessively during the day and we've even tried leaving him to cry it out several times but he gets himself worked up into such a state we always end up picking him up and I feed him again (we have a daughter so also reluctant to leave him too long not wanting to disturb her!). Any suggestions gratefully received!!

Along with so many others, my DS2 fed 3 hourly round the clock until 7 months at least -what yours is doing is not unusual.

My saving grace is that feeds got quicker, so although I was up in the night several times, I got to the stage where he was up and back down in 15 mins, which was much more manageable.

I don't think there is anything you can do at this age to magically make them sleep through. Once they're on solids you can feel a bit more confident as to how much they're having and so perhaps get a bit tougher, but until then yo ujust have to ride it out.

I used to feed DS2 lying down in bed so I could doze at the same time. Would that work for you?

I remember this well with DS, who never slept well then got a whole lot worse at this time! I'm not looking forward to next feb when I'll be at the same point with DC2. My MIL once said to me she would have been very worried if any of hers had not slept through from 6 weeks, and couldn't understand when I said that waking up lots at that age is normal. She BF too, so I'm not sure what she did, drugged them?!
My DS started sleeping through at about 8 months once he was crusing at speed. I still spend a lot of time each day wearing him out so he'll sleep well.
Good luck, it will end at some point!

My DS was exactly like this at 4 months.
BUT here's a ray of hope for you... he now sleeps 7-7 (goes to sleep on his own) and I'm just about to have to wake him from his afternoon nap - currently at 2 hrs 40 mins!

He is 20 months, and has been doing that (sleeping through properly) since around 15 months. All babies are different, but not many of my friends got a really good nights sleep until around 1 year.

I actually wish I'd known this and just accepted the waking until he was at least 9 months or so. HTH - I feel for you - co sleeping worked for me until I was ready to stop BFing.

For those whose babies didn't sleep for more than 3 hours since birth - did you have to sleep train or did things get better on their own? I'm not expecting DD to sleep through anytime soon but I would love her to do a long stretch. Was that when you weaned? They started to crawl? I know all babies are different but i need to know there is light at end of the tunnel.

With my two I've always found more sleep = more sleep. Have you tried concentrating on lots of naps and an earlier bedtime? 9pm seems late to me for a 4 month old. Mine sleep much better and longer the more they've napped and the earlier they go to bed.

haloflo- DS actually slept well from birth, then pretty badly from 3 months- 15 months. The thing that changed everything was stopping breastfeeding- DH would go in instead. From there he went onto a bottle before bed and then nothing. But others will have had v different experiences. There is light at the end of the tunnel! They all sleep well eventually- not much help now I know...

Yes there is definitely hope! I posted earlier as my 4 month old is making me v sleep deprived at the moment. However ds1 and ds2 age 3 and 2 both sleep 8-7 and nap 2 hours at lunch and that is in the same room!

My DD was waking every 2-3 hours for a feed until 8 months, apart from a period of two months where she slept for about 6 hours. She didn't nap in the day either and everything I read suggested that she needed to have daytime naps to help her sleep though the night. At 19 months she's still not a great sleeper, but things are much better.

An earlier bedtime is also supposed to help so maybe you could give that a try. We started co-sleeping when she was about 9 months and now she is sleeping through the night in her own bed more frequently.

I hope you manage to find a solution...sleep deprivation can drive you insane.

My ds didn't start sleeping through sometimes til 8 months, and at 11 months sleeps through often, but by no means all the time.

Is he waking up because he wants feeding or is he just waking up and not able to get himself back off to sleep? I read that it's normal for babies to wake up quite alot in the night but if they are not used to getting themselves back to sleep you find they wake you up more, wanting to play or be held/ fed back to sleep. My 4 month old goes to sleep in his cot on his own, usually wakes up once in the night for a feed and I know he wakes at other times during the night as I sometimes hear him gurgling to himself but because he's used to going to sleep on his own he usually just drops back off

My eldest was fed or rocked to sleep and woke me up loads in the night for two years before he started sleeping through