Forum Nice chat

Baby 5 months old won't sleep through the night

9 replies

Roosje
Hi mamas and papas,

Our baby is big and healthy, a cheerful little one. But at night, he doesn't want to settle down. He goes to bed around 7 PM because he's completely exhausted, wakes up around 11 PM for his last feed, and then goes back to sleep. Until he was 3-4 months old, he always had one night feed because he needed it. After that, he sometimes woke up, but I'd just give him his dummy and he'd quickly fall back asleep until 6-6:30 AM. Today he's 5 months old, and for the last week he's been waking up at 3 AM every day as standard (he's fully awake, babbling a bit, playing) until 4 AM. After that, he's awake again around 5 AM. Then I change his diaper, and it's the same story, but often until 6:15 AM. Does anyone have a 'golden tip' on how I can try to get him to sleep through the night? This is taking a huge toll on our exhaustion. Thanks in advance!

Greetings from a sleepless mama

Replies

  1. Anonymous Guest #2

    Go ahead and get your breasts wet. Here’s a baby who’s almost a year old. Still wakes up at least 3 times a night. Often wants to play for an hour too. Just leave him in his crib.

  2. Anonymous Guest #3

    By the way, I always find it so strange that people think/assume young children sleep through the night. Do you always sleep through?

  3. skullie #4

    My oldest didn't sleep through the night until after 1 year. Very exhausting, but there was nothing I could do. My daughter used to sleep through the night earlier. Unfortunately, I can't give you any tips. Some babies just sleep through the night earlier than others. Apparently, it's completely normal for a baby not to sleep through the night during the first year.

  4. Justme1990 #5

    Here's another late sleeper, I think he was only 1.5 when he really started sleeping through. And now at 2 years and 3 months he still wakes up sometimes. We give him a bottle then and cuddle for a bit. Usually he's asleep again within 15 minutes. If we don't give him a bottle, he keeps partying (he always did that) and doesn't go back to sleep until after 1.5 hours. So we just give him the bottle, otherwise it's really not doable. He gets something warm in his tummy again and sleeps on nicely. Good luck!

  5. Roosje started this #6

    Hey everyone! Thanks for your quick replies. I don’t find it that surprising that he’s not sleeping through the night yet, but people around us keep saying: ‘he’s already five months old, he should be sleeping through the night by now.’ Do you think letting him sleep in his own crib (own room) would help? He’s currently sleeping in a co-sleeper next to our bed. Thanks!

  6. Anonymous Guest #7

    You can always try that. He'll have to go soon anyway.

    Oh, everyone always has an opinion. Just follow your baby's lead.

  7. skullie #8

    I put my oldest in his own room after 3 months, as recommended by the midwife. So I wouldn't wake up immediately at the slightest sound he made. It did help a bit with my sleep. Otherwise, I'd wake up at the tiniest noise he made. I only got up if he was really crying.

  8. Roosje started this #9

    Ok, thanks ladies for the response and your good advice!

  9. Mopy Guest #10

    Our daughter is 2 and still doesn't sleep through the night. Waking up 1 or 2 times a night is pretty standard. She gets a bottle with warm water then. We quickly stopped giving her milk after she turned one. After that, she goes back to sleep.
    Our son already slept through most of the night after a few weeks.
    That just shows you, every child is different, and unfortunately, I don't have a golden tip either.

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