My 5month old baby just won’t sleep right through?

[KLD95]

Hi guys, I’m after a little bit of advice and guidance if possible.
I’m wondering how I encourage my son to sleep through the night as I’m wanting him to be sleeping through before he goes into his own bedroom.
He wakes anything from 6.20am and we get up. He has an hour nap around 8am until 9am. He then has a bottle of 8ozs. He then has a yoghurt/rusk at 11am.
He’ll nap around 12 for about 15-20 mins.
Again he’ll cue for a feed at 1. He’ll have a bottle and some puréed veg.
We’ll play until he’s tired and hungry. He will then nap around 4.30 until 5, hell then have a feed.
We’ll play or go for a walk and bath at 7pm-7.30pm and then I’m trying my hardest to keep him awake past 8pm. We even had him awake past 9 one night this week and he still woke up.
I have tried him with a rusk before bed which seems to help him go that little bit longer but he’s still waking at 3-4.30. I’ll feed him and put him down and then he wakes at 6.

I totally understand that sleeping from anything past 8 until 6 is brilliant but it’s not right through? I don’t mind getting up at 5am if he sleeps right through as I can expect him to sleep for long periods of time. Thanks x

Sorry, should have read better, you're doing 3 naps already

All three of mine needed a night feed until about 9 months.
I gave them a bottle at 11pm so they didn’t wake hungry at 3am.

Wow your baby is sleeping well. Both mine woke up hourly at that age! He’s little, give him a feed at night

Another one wanting to say it is normal for a small baby to wake up. You need to adjust your expectations not your baby,

Also ditch the rusk. If you want to wean then stick to fruit and veg before 6 months.

I've just reread your OP, is it right that he is only having three bottles during the day? 9am, 1pm and before bed? Or does he also have one at wake up? I see he also has three or four snacks/meals too (yoghurt/rusk, purée, rusk). If I were you I'd try swapping some of the food for milk. I know lots of people are very keen to get their babies onto food but at this age milk will be much more filling and nutritious than any of the foods he is having. You don't need to have him on food yet as he isn't 6 months. Given that you've started it probably won't hurt to keep going but I would cut down the food and increase the milk, or always offer milk first and then give him the food after.

Also agree to put him to bed earlier and then try a dream feed around 11ish and he might make it through to 6am which will feel more like a full nights sleep for you. But like others have said, it's totally normal for them to wake in the night so being full up won't necessarily stop that.

It sounds as though your baby is doing a 7 or 8 hour stretch, then waking for one feed before sleeping until past 6am? Maybe you could try going to bed earlier - 10pm or something - so you can enjoy 5 or 6 hours uninterrupted.

He sleeps very well for a 5 month old baby.
My 16 month old has a similar pattern. He isn’t fed in the night but still wakes once or twice just for a cuddle/reassurance.

My 12 month old doesn’t sleep through and never has. I’m lucky if he wakes less than every 2 hours. My eldest was the same, he made it to what your baby is doing now at around 18 months or so.

I think you’re doing really well for 5 months to be honest! I know it’s frustrating but I would try to go with it if you possibly can. In the end they do all sort themselves out eventually!

Oh, and I’d try putting him to bed earlier for a week or so. I doubt it will affect the night waking but you might find he still sleeps until 6am and you get more of an evening.

My DS is 5.5mo and I definitely do not expect him to sleep the night through ; I would presume he was unwell if he did!
He wakes at 7.30am (ish) and naps around 9am, 12.30pm and 3.30pm then bed between 7-8pm (though this is still variable).
He wakes briefly maybe 2-3 times between 8pm and 9pm and I cuddle him back to sleep, then he wakes at 11pm for a feed and 3.30am for a feed.
I'm happy with this and wouldn't have even though to do anything to change it as he is so young still.

Sounds like he's not getting enough sleep and is overtired. At 5 months my lo had 3 naps a day and each one was 1-1.5 hours long. My lo didn't sleep through all night until 11-12 months and even then it wasn't consistent until nearer 18 months. He was still waking twice a night at 5 months so I think you're doing well to have 1 waking. I think you're expecting too much too soon I'm afraid.

Sounds like baby is only waking once in the night, then going back to sleep until 6. That's really good for 5 months.

I would say it does t look like they are having enough daytime sleep though. Between 9am and 8pm, they are only sleeping 2 X 20/30 min naps? I'd try to extend these to an hour or more if you can. Overtiredness can make nighttime sleep awful (though TBF you aren't doing badly at all at night). I'd also not be trying to keep baby awake at bedtime, again to avoid being overtired.

Also looks like quite a lot of food for a 5 month old, many don't have any at all until 6 months. I'd cut out the rusks and yoghurt, too sugary. Up the milk and stick to veg for food for a bit.

I’d put him down for bed earlier. And if he’s a cat napper try for 4 30 minute naps a day. He needs at least a couple of hours sleep during the day.
Sleep promotes sleep.
DS has gone to bed at 6.30 since about 4 months.
That said, it’s normal for babies to still feed in that night at that age.
Don’t give him rusks. They’re hideous.

Oh gosh - there's one of these every few weeks and all it ever does is show how babies are all different! I think 5 months is too early to expect sleeping through though. Mine didn't sleep through til 2.5 years.

It's very exhausting but some babies are worse sleepers than others. I honestly don't think you can do anything to change sleeping patterns other than waiting for the baby to grow up a bit more and hoping for the best. It is absolutely exhausting though, I feel for you, my DD slept for 5 hours nonstop for the first time when she was 2yo.

Think about it this way: suppose an adult asks you to help them to sleep through, what can you possibly do? People cannot help themselves sleep through, much less anyone else, so why would it be different for a baby?

Totally depends on the baby. DD was sleeping through at that aged but DS was turning 2 before he slept through.

I agree with everyone else, but the other thing I would say is that, like most things with babies, sleep isn’t linear nor is it consistent. You say you want him to sleep through before he goes into his own room, but even if you achieve that it doesn’t mean you can tick ‘sleep’ off the list of things to achieve. Sleep regressions, teething, colds, changes in temperature, daylight and just about anything else can affect their sleep. It’s important to get into a good routine, but you just have to accept that sleep is likely to always be something you’re dealing with.

Normal to wake for a feed, he is still very small.
My youngest took until four to sleep through, and my oldest until two and a half. Most children do not sleep through at five months.

Exactly what @Foldinthecheese says. It doesn't work that your child sleeps through and that's it forever. My DD is 14mo and has gone through various stages of sleeping through. She's sleeping through now and has been for a little while, but she was still having a night feed up until a year, and went through different phases of sleep patterns for that first year. At five months old, one wake-up is not just normal but very good! I wouldn't be meddling with it.

I think your expecting too much. DS still had a night bottle until 10-11 months

Additionally I think your bedtime is too late. We had a 7pm bedtime with 3 naps a day at that age. DS would sleep until 7am with 1 or 2 night feeds

I would stick with more milk and less food. DS was having milk feeds every 2-3 hours during the day and 4 hours at night. I think it's really early to sleep through the night. It sounds like he is doing really well to me.

I don't know what rusks are but it sounds like milk is better.

Oh and when DS went into his own room at 6 months he’d typically wake for a feed at 10pm and then another about 2/3am

How much milk is he having in oz a day? I read somewhere that when they’re small they should take roughly 2.5oz for every lb of weight (up to a certain point obviously). DS was on about 35-40oz a day at that age

He sleeps more than my 3 year old currently. Lower your expectations.