6 month old waking for feeds at night

[Liv316]

Hello! So my 6 month old is still waking every night for 3-4 feeds and I am knackered with it. I was hoping it would start to get better by itself but it doesn’t seem to be. Ever since 4 months his waking at night has been worse. We sometimes get the odd 2 wakes a night but even that I feel he doesn’t need. I’ve not helped things because every time he wakes up I feed him as it’s the only way that gets him back to sleep now. If I don’t it takes an hour to settle him back and I usually end up feeding him just to get some sleep myself.

I really don’t want to go through the whole sleep training route or leaving him to cry (I just can’t do it). But has anyone got any advice or solidarity maybe? Reading that it gets worse at 8 months terrifies me as I feel like it can’t get any worse.

[Cannotgarden]

I was going to say, spot the mum who didn't have a velcro baby

When your baby is up every 20 mins then co sleeping can be the only safe way of caring for them

[FolkSongSweet]

Lol at breastmilk isn’t superior to formula @Liverbird77. Even the formula companies say that it is. But this is derailing the thread.

OP it’s really hard. My first was like this and most of the “feeds” at night were just him trying to get back to sleep because he was used to feeding to sleep - he wasn’t actually taking much milk. Perhaps choose when you will feed (say 1am and 4am) and if they wake more often than that see if your partner can settle them. That worked for mine eventually!

[jimjamjoo]

@Liverbird77

The LLL is vile because they support bed-sharing.
I am not going to get i to another debate about that. My position is it is dangerous and I would never, ever do it.
The LLL, with their pathetic "Safe Sleep Seven" are putting babies' lives at risk.
The anthropological angle presumably refers to Dr McKenna? Not a medical doctor. All of his statements can be refuted.

I said sounds like lactivism because it did. Breastmilk is not magical and it can damage teeth.
It is not superior to formula. It's a personal choice.

Anyway, my two children (one breastfed one formula fed) are both happy, healthy and good sleepers. I was trying to help the OP, not get into a debate with others.

Eh? Breast milk is undoubtedly superior to formula? I don't know how you could even argue that it isn't. Whether a mother chooses to BF or FF her child is a different discussion though.

OP, it is really hard but like PPs have said, it will get easier. I co sleep with my 5 month old ( shock horror!) as I was so sleep deprived with my first being up all night that I didn't want a repeat of that. It's much more manageable when he falls asleep next to me.

It does get easier!

[daisyjgrey]

@Liverbird77

It'll get better soon, hopefully. My second child is almost nine months and sleeps from 7-6.
I think she started sleeping through around six months.
She's breastfed.

How is weaning going? Is your baby getting plenty of calories from food? Don't be afraid to purée stuff and feed them yourself, despite what the now militants will say.
Also, I know you said you'd struggle with CIO, but it's developmentally fine after four months. Night feeds are no longer necessary. Also, unless you are going to brush teeth after every feed, it is very bad for teeth.

Hang in there, it will get better!

🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

[daisyjgrey]

@Liverbird77 You are actually crackers!

[SoloJazz]

Hi OP, I suggest posting in this group www.facebook.com/groups/1844822782469496/?ref=share
They give excellent advice!

[Liv316]

@Avacadoandtoast we moved him into his own room and it did help so if you feel this is right for you I would say go for it.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers he hasn’t even taken to a bottle unfortunately to try it and I think it is a bit late now!

@Heepers I think I will pm you if you don’t mind thank you!

[Covidwoes]

I can highly recommend the Blissful Baby Expert routine (she's on Instagram). BF (also takes an expressed bottle in the evening) two month old is woken at 10.30 for a dreamfeed, then wakes again around 3/4am, then sleeps til 6.30/7. We had the same with our older daughter!

[KitKatKit]

@Liverbird77

The LLL is vile because they support bed-sharing.
I am not going to get i to another debate about that. My position is it is dangerous and I would never, ever do it

LOL at the white, western privilege coming through - you do realise that the vast majority of the world bed shares out of necessity, because a separate sleeping space/room for children isn't economically viable. Miraculously, their kids don't die as a result of being squished by mum in bed.

[HeatWaves]

@liverbird77

So it's OK to leave your 4 mo to CIO but it's vile to safely co-sleep with a baby

[Avacadoandtoast]

Thanks @Liv316 - I think I might give @Heepers method a shot too, seems sensible and worth a try.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

The American Academy of Paediatrics, the gold standard for baby care and health

Is this like the 'World' Series? American maternal care is shocking. 56th in the world in maternal mortality. 47th in infant mortality.

[Babyboomtastic]

It's pretty standard for that she I think, bottle or breastfed.

And yes, it might get worse. But it might not. Or most likely it'll get better, then worse, then better then worse, and vary erratically until you eventually get a cold that sleeps through.

They do usually get there though, even though many take their sweet time about it. My nearly 2 year old has started sometimes sleeping through in the last 2 weeks, device I never thought would happen, as she was in double figures for wake ups for a long time.

Tbh, I blame society for giving parents there false impression that newborn = the worst sleep, and it just improving from there, rather then the chaotic, one step forward, two backwards that it often is in reality. It's not linear.

[WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo]

[quote Liverbird77]@ElphabaTheGreen "Christ more guff"??? Unbelievably rude.

You are entitled to your views, however I think you are wrong.

The American Academy of Paediatrics, the gold standard for baby care and health, states that bottle fed babies can sleep seven hours without feeds at four months, and breastfed at six months.

You sound like a lactivist. Are you talking about Dr Palmer's research into human skulls? Or is it the La Leche League (vile). There is evidence that breastmilk also causes cavities, but, again, you do what you want. I am ensuring my children have healthy mouths.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, but no need to be so rude.[/quote]
Christ. I can't sleep 7 hours without waking for a drink. I'm 36. Obviously I don't wake for breast milk, but always have a bottle glass of water by the bed to drink in the night.

@Liv316 its perfectly normal for a 6 month old to still wake for multiple feeds. Their stomachs are still so tiny. And milk is both food and drink.

[daisyjgrey]

@WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo

I always think this, I don't sleep through, I either wake up for seemingly no reason, or because I need a wee or because I need a drink. Why on earth do we expect tiny babies to? Madness!