How to lengthen night time sleeps?!

[Liamsmummy]

DS is 12 weeks old and sleeps 1 hour in the morning, 1 to 1.5 hours around lunch time and 2 to 2.5 hours in the afternoon. Will go to bed around 7 pm after routine play, bath and bottle but will wake at approx. 10 pm, 2 am and 5 am for more bottles. Does anyone have any advice on how we can get him to sleep through or at least wake less frequently? Does he really need all that milk during the night or is he sleeping too much during the day? Tired mummy would appreciate your comments!

when ds was 4 months i had this as well, a freind told me to try just picking him up and soothing him back to sleep, if that dosnt work try giving a drink of water and not milk, soon he realized he wasnt getting milk and withing a couple of nights he stoped waking.
I hope this might help you.

liamsmummy he may still need those night feeds, dont be alarmed that night feeds go on for longer than "the urban myth" that says a baby should sleep all night at X number of weeks.
how does he take his last feed 10pm esp? how mcuh? and his first day feed, start by reducing the amount in the night, ie 2 and 5 am and then over 4/5 wks it may go to nothing. dont stop it suddenly, not fair to the little mite!
how many feeds in the day btw?

Thanks BABY2 - I read about soothing yesterday so last night when he woke at 1 am I stroked his face and held his hand for a few minutes and hey presto he went back to sleep till 3.30 am! I did the same at 6 am and he fell asleep again straight away till 7.10 am!

Thanks also hermykne. He was 9lb at birth and now at nearly 13 weeks is 16lb! He is hungrily drinking 6oz every three hours from 7 am till 10 pm and the same when he wakes in the night. It does worry me a little that he is drinking too much but I suppose he will do at that weight. Today I have started at 7.10 am with an 8 oz feed which he drank completely. I am hoping this will last him till 11 am. I will definitely reduce the night feeds - do you think to around 4oz at first? What does anyone think about slowly weaning a big baby at 13 weeks?

I think it's too early to wean. A baby's gut is not mature enough to cope with solids at this age. If you do a search, there are lots of threads about early weaning which will give you loads of info. WHO advice is 6 months.

Please don't wean yet, he is no where near ready. Ds was enormous and wasn't weaned until 7 months. His digestive system simply isn't ready for food yet. Some babies sleep through at 12 weeks but many don't. I know it's very hard when you are so tired but hang on in there, he'll get there in the end.

liamsmummy
my ds was 11lb 2 at birth and totally breastfeed. he didnt stop night feed til 8mths and was on solids at 24wks , very small amts, as i am of the school of thought about not weaning til 6mths but he just got some baby cvereal and pear at that stage for about 3 wks.

its v important not to give solids too early , you have to remeber how small the systems are and they are not ready for solids, and you'll be surprised it does not make a baby any more content or settled.

continue with the night feed , redcuing to 4 as u say and in a week to 3 and maybe to 2, but remember he is only 12wks and a big boy, he needs the nourishment of the milk to get him off to a good growing start, you ll see around 6/7 mths he wont take as much or as often, nor need it with his solid intake.

must dash ds causing mayhem upstairs - 18mths!