16wk old waking every few hours for small 'comfort' milk feed, help!

[buttershy]

Hi

My sisters 16 week old son has in the last month started waking every 1.5/2hrs in the night for small comfort feeds of milk. He takes a few sucks, never more than 20ml and then goes back to sleep. Although he isn't hysterical, it's very disruptive for her and she's exhausted. She has tried all sorts of other things to calm him down to help him break this routine of waking frequently for milk which nutritionally he doesn't need..like giving him his dummy, cuddles, stroking him, singing etc but he won't settle until he is given milk.

She has a 2yr old in the next room so is reluctant to sleep train incase it causes distress for the whole family but she is at a loss as to how to help him connect his sleep cycles again and have longer chunks of sleep. She is wondering about offering water instead?

It's worth mentioning it was around the time he first rolled over than he stopped sleeping well.

Thanks

When you say he 'wakes up' but isn't hysterical, how awake is he? Babies do make noises - including crying - in their sleep. Has she tried doing nothing at all, just listening to see if he really does need her or if he does drop back off? I'm not saying leave him to get hysterical or anything, but is it possible he's rolling over, waking himself a little, having a bit of a cry and then waking more because she reacts. If not disturbed in any way would he actually still be asleep enough to enter the next sleep cycle on his own?

Sounds like the 4 month sleep regression. I'd just ride it out (although my 16 month old is still in it I think!)

It's quite unusual for a 16 week old not to need night feeds.