6 week old always wakes between 1-2 and 4-5!

[LittleMunch]

I have a wonderful six week old little boy but he always wakes between 1 and 2 in the morning and then again between 4 and 5, it doesn't matter how much food or sleep he has had, when he goes to bed etc he always wakes at these times. I have been following the Gina Ford routine for 4-6 week olds. Also his lunchtime nap he sleeps for about ten minutes then wakes then another 10 minutes and so on, any ideas to help. It would be great if he could just wake the once during the night.

I think that's normal tbh. You could try waking him for a dream feed at 10.30pm but if I were you i'd just go with the flow and hopefully he will drop one of the night feeds in his own time.

Nice to know it's quite normal, have been waking him at 10.30 for a feed but makes no difference. Feel reassured though, thanks.

Yeah and...

Sorry that bit is totally unhelpful. My DD used to wake up at those times and I thought it was brilliant because with DS we were lucky if he was asleep by 1 so its partly down to expectations.

You can either persist with the dream feed and hope it eventually starts to work or carry on as you are and hope the times start to push forward a bit. Actually I think Gina would advocate the dream feed. Has he been properly awake for the dream feed or too sleepy to take much milk? Are you breast or bottle feeding?

I think this is not too bad for such a young boy - DD was waking 3 or 4 times at this age, and certainly twice even up to 20wks. I didn't follow Gina, though, went with the flow, so maybe it is an expectations thing. Does he settle well after a feed/cuddle? If so, I think it's not too bad and it will get better, I'm sure. I counted myself lucky that DD settled back well and we weren't pacing up and down for hours on end.

Sorry, not very helpful! I'm sure it will get better - you're probably over the worse of the early months!

Racers you sound the same as me with DD. Was so relieved after the hours I spent pacing the floor with DS.

LM... ive got a 6 week old who refuses to sleep much at all at night! She has been awake since 6am this morning and only had about 40 mins sleep..... count yourself lucky!

Bozza we didn't pace the floors but I thanked my lucky stars for it!

LM it can go in phases too so it might get better then go back to how it was before. I don't know anything about GF routines - do you feed him in the night or are does the routine expect him to sleep through without food? DD only manages without food from 20wks! Though we had a few days grace at 15wks.

littlemunch - I think i recall gina ford saying if they do that you should wake them at 10pm for a feed then a top up at 11.15pm and hence they should wake at 3am and then sleep through!

This worked with my dd1 but with dd2 has no affect, she too is 6 weeks and I have decided to give up with the routine as it does not work with a toddler in tow!!

good luck and if it gives you any comfort, I am also up during those times so you are not alone!

This is about normal for a tiny baby, isn't it? They only have a stomach the size of a walnut, so they are hungry every 3 hours or so.

He will probably grow out of this so quickly you will barely remember it in 6 months time, it is probably just him being his age.

little munch, i would think this is totally normal and may go on for anohter few months,
dont feel that ginas routine means they should/will sleep, using it loosely will set a pattern for your littleone, but remember a 6 wk old tummy is quite small!

DREAM FEED! IT WORKS!

We started dream feeding Rebecca 3 nights ago at 11pm, and she is now only waking once! HOORAH!

I think this is pretty much normal for a 6wk old - though it is pretty frustrating! DS is 12 wks now and over time his sleep patterns have changed a lot - sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse - he's a baby afterall . But for the past two nights, he's managed to sleep through from 11pm till 6am, with only a few drowsy wakings in the night when we've just given his dummy rather than the 3oz bottle that we used to give him. This has been a revelation!!! Fingers crossed he'll get used to just settling himself back to sleep without the feed or the dummy and we can have a proper nights sleep - the holy grail of parenthood! But if he doesn't, then so what - he's a baby and he know not what he does! It will get easier - it may take some time, but it will. BTW, what is a 'dream feed'?

very normal, give it time x

dream feed is when you lift them at a set time (usually before you go to bed) and feed them while they sleep. Rebecca takes 3oz at 11pm each night and she stays asleep.

Her night routine has gone from every 1.5-2hrs to just one 2oz feed at 3am. THis is her sleeping from 6.30/7pm til 7am!

Thanks for all the advice and reassurance , little munch is approaching 8 weeks now and still waking at the same times. I think 5 o'clock is just his natural wake up time as he doesn't really take any milk at this time. The feed about 10.30, he is usually fully awake but after he's had 2oz sometimes 3oz from the bottle he usually falls asleep completely. Have tried delaying feeding during the night with the use of a dummy, but this works for about 20 minutes only. Think I was probably expecting too much based on GF routines