4 month old still feeding every 1 1/2 hours overnight

[tina_k]

My almost 4 month old is happy to go 3-4 hours during the day, but overnight, needs to feed every 1/2 to2 hours. I've tried having her in the same room, in her own room, co-sleeping.. To no avail.. She just needs to feed and won't settle back to sleep till she does. Most of the feeds only go for 5-10 mins, fall asleep, then she's hungry again an hour and a half later'!
We've been doing this for months now and I'm exhausted!

[ShootingStar]

Is she BF or FF? If breastfed, is she actually feeding or just comfort sucking? Have you tried offering a dummy? Sounds to me like she is only feeding for comfort and something i think you need to break. It may take a few nights of not much sleep but i would try not to give in and just deal with the crying and try other methods to settle her.. rocking, patting.. dim lighting.. dont talk to her or make eye contact.. a "shhhh" if needed.. dont change a nappy unless you really need to.. ive also found soft music really got my kids to sleep. Id even try offering water before you offer a feed unless its been at least 2-3 hours(BF) or 3-4 hours (FF).
Thats all i have to offer im sorry. Hope you can work something out.

[Danielle_NZ]

Sorry I don't have any advice as I'm a newbie to breastfeeding. But I just had to say you must be super woman to have been doing this for the last 4 months. Hope you get more sleep soon.

[*Sparklez*]

It not easy having to work yourself around unpredictable babies, Have you tried stimulating her a bit when she starts to drift off?
Maybe play with her feet? wiggle her around a little.. I cant think of much more atm sorry..
I hope some lovely ladies here can give you some tips and help you get a good well deserved night sleep!!

[sloane]

i agree with sparklez - do you gently try to keep her awake to feed for a bit longer? is she feeding both sides or just one? could you maybe feed more often during the day or at least during the late afternoon to try & encourage her to fill up then?

depends how far you want to push it - my DS never took a dummy & was still feeding frequently overnight until he was about 18-20 months.

[MantaRay]

Tina, that must be exhausting for you. Some babies do seem to need such frequent feeds for a while longer. Have you tried squeezing an extra feed or two in during the day to see if that helps? Sometimes by feeding them more often during the day you can get a bit longer out of them at night. Also encouraging the circadian rhythm might help - exposing her to light as much as possible during the day, and keeping it dark at night. Hopefully it will settle down soon for you

[aussienic]

It is exhausting when you have a baby that prefers the night feeds.. I went through this with DD. She would easily sleep and go without feeds for long periods during the day but come night time it was like I was up all night feeding. I finally took control of the situation at 9 months (yeh I left it to long) I actually dropped the night feed but obviously your little one is a little young for that

Can you offer a cuddle or even a sip of water instead of a feed? With DD I would get DH get up to her (on his days off) he would try and settle her without the smell of my BB's
it can be a little tiring at first because you are awake longer but after a few nights she might stop waking up or learn to resettle herself..

I hope she starts sleeping longer for you soon..

[onthefly]

Hard work!
I'd be trying to feed 2-hourly during the day and see if that helps a bit. Hope you get some rest soon

[MamaPan]

I have to admit BOTH my boys fed at least every 2 hrs until they were about 9 months... and 3 hrly til 12 months... it sux but it does end eventually.
i never used dummies - so maybe that would work?

[PTinsydney]

Not sure if this is still an issue but have you checked the temp in the babies room? I had a similar issue and it was because the baby was cold. At 17 deg he would wake regularly, at 20 deg and with a few extra blankets he sleeps through. Might be worth trying a few more blankets if nothing else

[deletedit]

Now try a 13 month old who wants feeding every 1/2 hour to 1 hour.

Turns out the problem was just that he was in the room with us, now he has his own room he wakes up 1 or 2 times a night, which is bliss. I couldn't get out of bed before 9am before, I just wasn't getting enough sleep.

[~Raven~]

Hard work!
I'd be trying to feed 2-hourly during the day and see if that helps a bit. Hope you get some rest soon

This is exactly what I'd do! Perhaps he's playing catch up because he is hungry but if you feed him more frequently during the day hopefully he'd have had his fill so will sleep better.