thread: When did your baby sleep through, and if not already how often do they wake

  1. #1
    Registered User

    May 2007
    3,220

    When did your baby sleep through, and if not already how often do they wake

    I am interested in knowing when your bub slept through.

    J was 13 weeks when he started sleeping through, although he was a terrible day sleeper and would often only sleep 20 mins in a day.

    Now he probably wakes on average once a week, and sometimes will not go back to sleep. For example last night e woke at 4:30am!!! (He is still up now)

    He tends to go in cycles. This will go one for a few months, then he will go back to being a great sleeper.

    Any advice of what to do wit hhim at 4:30am? this morning I went in and shh'd him a few times, then at 5:30, I sternly told him that it was not time to get up. He stopped crying, and just played in his cot (maybe dozing a bit) till I woke again at 7am.

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jun 2007
    Melbourne, ready to meet peeps IRL
    2,221

    well I am one of those mean mummys who believe if they have been sleeping through and then start to wake I will just let the cry themselves back to sleep after I make sure they havent go any legs stuck in the cot. I do not talk to them or give them any cuddles as I think this will encrouge the behavier I know this sound mean but I have found that with all 3 of my babies it will only mean a few sleepless nights before they get the idea and get themselves back to sleep. I think once a baby is over 12mth then they dont need anything through the night and therefore should be sleeping through iykwim. Good luck nothing worse than a early riser. He could be getting his tummy teeth this will alway make a otherwise good sleeper into a terrible one.

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Add fionas on Facebook

    Apr 2007
    Recently treechanged to Woodend, VIC
    3,473

    OK, officially the term "sleeping through" means 5 hours without waking so my DD was doing that when we left the hospital.

    She was sleeping around 9 hours per night (without waking) by about eight weeks and now sleeps usually between 10-13 hours per night at 5 months old.

    She did go through a phase lasting a few days where she was waking at 4am but it coincided with a time when she was getting much more interactive so I had a feeling she was just missing mummy. So I just popped her into bed with me and she went straight back to sleep. Easier than standing by the side of her crib trying to shush or rock her back to sleep. Then I put one of my singlets into her crib with her and she went back to waking a few hours later.

    When she was REALLY little, if she woke up in the middle of the night and clearly wanted to play, I didn't bother trying to coax her back to sleep because it was more tiring than actually just staying up and having her roll around on the bed with me.

    If she starts waking up during the night when she's a little older (I know I've had a good run so far but this could change), I guess I'd try to figure out why she's doing it. If she thinks it's time to get up, I would do what you do tali and just let her play in her cot for a while so she learns it's actually NOT time to get up yet. Different matter if she's starving hungry obviously. Hungry = feed. Or if she's upset. Upset = cuddle.

    Ok think I've rambled enough!

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Dec 2005
    Melbourne, Vic
    4,338

    Meg, Ash didn't start sleeping thru til about 12- 13 months. Now maybe 2-3 times a week she will wake really upset like she had a dream or something but easily is resettled with a cuddle and a back rub.

    I'm not sure what advice I can offer on that 4:30 wake-up, I think I'd go in and see if there was a prob, and do what you are doing with the sshh and go back to sleep and then maybe leave him for awhile, see if he settles himself. Is he crying really upset or more crying cause he wants to get up?

  5. #5
    Registered User

    May 2007
    3,220

    I think it is because he wants to get up. I have tried popping him in bed with me, but he wants to play!
    Cheeky little monkey!

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Oct 2004
    Sydney
    2,614

    Claire is almost 11 months and she has, only in the last couple of weeks, starting sleeping through some nights. Up until about a few weeks ago, she was waking every two hours at night. DH wouldnt go in to her (argh!!!!) so that meant I had to as she'd end up in hysterics if no one went to her, but, as soon as she sees me she wants milk. Anyway, DH is on holidays from work until next week, so he has been helping out over night and she is sleeping soooooo much better. Sometimes she sleeps for 10 hours without making any noise! I've closed the milkbar over night, and only reopen it if absolutely necessary. If she wakes at night, we can usually get her back to sleep with a bum-pat or back rub and shhhh-ing. There are times when she will wake at some horrid hour like 4am and want to play. I usually just put her down in her cot with a toy and she'll often just play on her own for around 15 minutes before falling sleep, but sometimes she needs a cuddle to fall back to sleep.

  7. #7
    BellyBelly Member
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    May 2004
    Brisbane
    1,814

    16 months and still waiting.....
    DD slept 11 hours solid at night from 10 weeks. Has done so ever since and is now 3.
    We've had sleep issues with DS since he was really little.
    I've done nothing different with DS so I'm now a very firm believer that it just comes down different temperaments.
    DS has also gone through cycles but I wouldn't call the better ones of those "good sleeping" - he's never been a "good" sleeper LOL - I'd call his cycles average, bad and really really horrendous .

    He's getting molars at the moment and wanting to start the day at 4.30 - I don't cop this anymore he has to stay in his cot, I don't care if he sleeps or not. When he was littler I would've either got him up or put him bed with me if I thought he might go back to sleep. Now he's older and noisier (!) he wakes up DD and I cannot cope with the two of them up from 4.30am now that DD doesn't sleep in the daytime. So I've put my foot down with him on this lately.
    Sorry that was a bit of ramble lol.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    May 2007
    3,220

    Tobily,
    Your DS is the same age as my DS. I wonder if it is an age thing too, as so many of the mums from my Mothers grp, and my Sept thread are saying the same thing!