Baby Sleep Help - Natalie's Response

Mum Zone's resident Sleep Expert Natalie of Sleep and Settle is available to answer some of your questions about settling your baby and more.

Topics include: Sleeping and settling, moving from bassinette to cot, cot to bed, breastfeeding/formula, solids, floorplay for babies and play for toddlers/children, wrapping/sleeping bags/dressing baby, behaviour/tantrums, what's normal? bedroom environments, music, lights, entertainment, mattresses, mattress protectors, sheets, unsettled babies and the 0-12 week afternoon arsenic hours, reflux/colic, teething, worms, toilet training, night terrors/nightmares, the older child issues 5-10 years and single parenting/separation/divorce.

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Reader's Question

My almost 5 month old still won't sleep through, at 9 weeks she did for 3 weeks but since then feeds every three hours at night. I'm breastfeeding and my first slept through from 6 weeks. It doesn't seem to matter if I top her up with expressed breast milk or give her a full bottle of Expressed Breast Milk. Am in need of advice. Thanks.

Natalie's Response

Hi,

I appreciate that you are tired but it is normal for your baby to wake overnight for feeds.

Consider the following:

• Every baby is different and as tempting as it may be to compare children even the same family no two are alike. Your children can have completely different metabolisms, feeding styles, body types and parenting styles.
  
  
• It is normal for babies to wake for feeds overnight until 9 months of age when their solids intake is enough for them to get their calories during the day and be developmentally ready to sleep through. Generally you may find your baby waking for feeds at 11pm, 2-3am and 5-6am. I encourage you to feed your baby overnight when they are hungry.
  
  
• Your baby's day affects their night sleep. Try to make baby's day as efficient as possible to reduce any unnecessary night feeds, uncluding not putting your baby to bed for the 'night' too early in the evening.
  
  
• Does your baby know how to self settle? If your baby cannot self settle they are more likely to wake and need assistance form you in order to go back to sleep. The easiest thing is to feed them, but she may not be hungry, just expecting a feed to go back to sleep. If she is feeding for only a few minutes she may be using you as a dummy to go back to sleep. If she is feeding for 10 minutes she is hungry.
  
  
• If you would like a gentle self-settling strategy I have Sleep Package for 0-6 months at www.sleepandsettle.com.au
  
  
• Babies commonly have an 'age of distraction' around 3-6 months. If she is distracted and not feeding well during the day she may be waking for missed day feeds at night.
  

Hope this helps,
Natalie

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The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Natalie Ebrill of Sleep and Settle are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.