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Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

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Original poster

Sleeping through the night? When?

63 replies

Firsttimemum777 · 31/12/2017 08:50

Sick of family members sounding shocked that my 8 month old still doesn’t sleep through the night when asked over the festive period. Makes me feel like there is something wrong with him. I know most of the babies in my family were formula fed and slept through quite early on.

My 8 month old is breastfed and doesn’t take in that much solids, and still wakes 1-2 times a night. But I see no improvement anymore.

What % of babies slept through by 8 months or a year old, does anyone know? I am one of the unlucky few as it feels that way.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

MountainVista · 31/12/2017 09:43

Try to ignore the comments, they are probably just making conversation. My family keep saying DD is teething even though I know she isn't. It made me realise I shouldn't take their comments to heart - they just want to be involved.

You know what you're doing and you are doing a great job.

flumpybear · 31/12/2017 09:45

If you think it's huger you could try offering porridge at supper time

JoeMaplin · 31/12/2017 09:47

Just we were quite young, no idea about bedtime routine. We fussed around putting him to sleep- he would only sleep if one of us stroked his back till he went to sleep (why did we do this??). Took ages to get him to sleep, he never learned to self settle. Didn't use a sleeping bag (to be fair they weren't recommended for newborns then). Fussed around him too much during the night, did his last feed downstairs with too much going on. Lots of other things that I now realise contributed to him not going down well or being able to self settle which is the key.

It is funny, he is now almost 18 and I have just had to listen to his 4 alarms going off for the last 20 minutes and he still hasn't woken up....

flumpybear · 31/12/2017 09:48

Mountain - teething happens well before teeth show, they move under the surface of the gum and you can't fee them so your family may be right

melissasummerfield · 31/12/2017 09:49

DS1 slept at 11 weeks, DS2 was nearly 2yo 😩 and DD slept through at 3 weeks old for some unknown reason! All formula fed on a four hour feeding pattern.

AnnaT45 · 31/12/2017 09:50

My first only started sleeping through at 2.5 she dropped night feeds (bf) completely at 6 months but still woke a lot!

DD2 is 16 months and has at least one feed sometimes two. I had to switch to formula at nine months as I keep getting thrush, I thought formula would be a miracle cure for night waking. It is not!

In my experience with friends and people I talk to most children don't sleep through consistently till they hit two.

MoodyTwo · 31/12/2017 09:51

My 1 year old EBF can wake once a night to every 40 mins if he is teething.
Generally I am seeing a improvement as time goes by, last night was 4 wake ups and the night before was 2.
I once read this website and it was really interesting x

MoodyTwo · 31/12/2017 09:54

Sorry this is the link:
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/sarahockwell-smith.com/2017/07/24/the-rollercoaster-of-real-baby-sleep/amp/

Foggymist · 31/12/2017 10:40

1-2 wakes at 8 months old is positively brilliant! Ds1 is 3 in March and is only just managing to sleep well now, he usually wakes once or twice now if he gets no nap during the day, if he naps it's either hugely late bedtime or back to broken sleep. He woke every 1 to 2 hours until he was about 22 months which he then stretched out to 1 to 3 hours He was breastfed until 2, but night weaned before that, and only woke half the time to feed, he always woke every 1 to 2 hours no matter how tired/how full of food/who he was sleeping with etc.

Ignore them. Adults don't sleep through the night either, we just have learned how to get ourselves back to sleep, babies are still new. Sleeping through the night is also considered to be sleeping 5 to 6 hours straight, not the 12-13 hours many seem to expect.

ClinkyMonkey · 31/12/2017 10:42

Try not to listen or to worry. Every child is different. Some people seem to assume it is a failing on the part of the parents when a child doesn't sleep through. It's just added pressure that you don't need. My eldest didn't sleep through until he was about 2. It was tough going, but it wasn't my 'fault'. Once I accepted this, it was less stressful, even if it was tiring and frustrating.

I remember my dad (a man of few words) saying that maybe DS1 was just feeling a bit lonely and thinking that helped me to just go with the flow.

My youngest was sleeping through much younger, but decided when he was about 3 to make up for it and now, at 5 years old, still wakens 2 or 3 nights a week! Oh well ...

sprockercrazy · 31/12/2017 10:45

You're doing nothing wrong , every child is different.

DD slept through at 3 months , DS1 at 12 months and DS2 is 7 years and I'm still waiting for him to sleep through !

GreenRut · 31/12/2017 10:54

Mine were 10 weeks, 6 months and my nearly 4 yo still doesn't...

BobbinsBoo1 · 31/12/2017 11:04

Dc1 slept through reliably from around 12 weeks. Dc3 is 3 months old sleeps pretty well and wakes up once a night but only wanting his dummy back or a cuddle. Dc2 however didn't sleep though until he was over 3 years old. He would sleep 2-3 hours and that was it. I think all babies are different and often it doesn't matter what you do or don't do they will sleep through when ready. I do think establishing a good routine helps though and there are ways we can help them sleep but with some babies it's just pure luck. Ignore the comments and just go with the flow

MountainVista · 31/12/2017 11:42

Flumpy, it's not impossible she is teething. I wondered the same but watching her closely I'm pretty sure she is just exploring the world with her mouth and her mouth with her fingers! And like me, she gets two very rosy cheeks if we've been outside and then immediately go into central heating.

I just want to reassure OP that just because well-meaning relatives make comments about your baby, you don't have to jump to action, even if they are experienced parents. Sleeping through is the next 'milestone' for your LO, so they naturally focus on that. I'm sure they also are saying this because they care about you and want you to get your rest!

If you want to make sleeping through your focus, then go for it. If you were getting along fine and would have been content for LO to lead the change when ready, please don't feel pressured by whether or not you should have achieved an arbitrary milestone.

SpottyGecko · 31/12/2017 13:23

My ds only started reliably sleeping through the night when dc2 was born. He was 4.

Microwaved111 · 31/12/2017 13:25

My formula fed 6 mo still wakes twice everynight...

Smallpotatolove · 31/12/2017 13:42

My eldest was 2.5 when he slept through. DS2 is 19 months and doesn't sleep through. They were both formula fed. They sleep when they're ready.

eastlondoner · 31/12/2017 13:45

Mine had been sleeping through since she was 12 weeks. I think we've just been lucky.

SprogletsMum · 31/12/2017 13:48

My dc4 is 8 months takes a decent amount of solids but still wakes between 3 and 5am for a bottle.
He'll sleep eventually, my bf dc were much older before we were down to only 1 night feed.

Desmondo2016 · 31/12/2017 16:33

In the interests of a balanced argument, all 4 of mine (breastfed) slept through 99% of the time by 6 months and 3 of them did it by 3 months.

TammySwansonTwo · 31/12/2017 16:34

I wish my 15 month old twins only woke 1 or 2 times a night! Tell them to get stuffed

Desmondo2016 · 31/12/2017 16:34

By sleep through I mean 12-13 hour stretches.

Marcine · 31/12/2017 16:39

Mine slept through at 3 years, 8 months and 6 weeks (11-7).

The 3yo was night weaned and self settling by 9 months and still woke twice a night!

Friendsmentalhealth · 31/12/2017 16:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

halfwitpicker · 31/12/2017 16:45

Nearly 1 year old DD nowhere near sleeping through. Minimum once per night. Five times when we were at the in-laws.

DS slept through from 5 months, 12 hours per night.

It's totally exhausting.

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