Sleeping FAQ: 0-8 weeks – Night Waking

The amount of sleep my seven-week-old son takes by day seems to affect his nights

I am struggling to keep my son on the 1-2 week routine, as he is unable to stay awake for more than one hour. He will then fall into a deep sleep wherever he is and nothing will wake him. This throws the routines, as I don’t know whether to stick to your waking times (which means that he is getting longer than the recommended nap times) or keep him to the recommended length of nap times (which means that I am waking him earlier). At night he goes down very well at 7pm. I wake him at 10pm, but he is so sleepy I can rarely wake him up properly. He then wakes around 3-4am, then again at 5am, 6am and I have to wake him again at 7am. He goes back down fairly easily at 5am and 6am if I give him 20mls of milk or water.
I know his night time wakings are probably due to him sleeping too much during the day, but I can’t force him to stay awake, however much I try! Also, I know his 7am feed is small because he is having a full feed at 4-5am. I have tried giving him water before the milk, but he is not happy about that and really wants milk. Is it advisable to dilute the milk by putting half the formula in? I read that tip on the message boards.

At present he feeds at 7am 90mls, 10am 90-100mls, 2pm 100mls, 5pm 80mls, 6.15pm 60-70mls, 10pm 100mls, 2am 20-30mls water, 4am 70mls and 5am 30mls after 20-30mls water. He weighs 10lb 9oz. He naps from 8.15-10am, 11.15am-2pm, 3-5pm and is asleep by 6.45pm.

The sleep needs of individual babies can vary, and some do need more sleep than others. In the early days it can be difficult to try to keep to the routines if your baby seems to need more sleep. Have a look at Gina’s article ‘Structure Without Stress’ on the website, which will help you to see how sometimes you need to gradually work your way into the routine. Structure without Stress

The best way to deal with your sleepy baby is to allow him to settle to sleep when he is ready, even if it is straight after a feed, and then wake him at the next feed time. This may mean he will have more sleep than the recommended amount, but you will be able to keep to the feed times. Keep trying to keep him awake for short spells in the day and, little by little, he will become more interested in the world around him.

To help you with the night time waking, and also the 10pm feed, bring things a little earlier after 5pm. As he seems to have a long afternoon nap at present, begin to wake him at 4.45pm and give him the first half of his feed by 5pm. Put him in the bath at 5.45pm and then feed by 6pm. This should make it easier to give him this bottle before he settles for the evening.

Being sleepy at 10pm is a common problem with very young babies. Begin to wake him at 9.45pm. Put on the lights in his room and remove him from any swaddle or coverings. You may even have to undo the poppers on his sleepsuit so that he feels air on his skin. Stay near him as he is coming round, tidying his room and talking to him now and again. It can sometimes take 20 minutes for a baby to be fully awake at this feed. But by being awake for more than an hour at this time, a baby is more able to sleep a longer stretch in the night. A good way to do this is to split his feed. Once he is really awake offer him 60-70mls of his milk. While he is feeding make sure he does not get too warm, as this will make him sleepy again. You may need to take off his sleepsuit so he is more able to stay awake. Feed him in a well-lit room with some background noise. If he becomes sleepy while feeding, remove the bottle from him and lay him down away from the warmth of your body. The safest place to do this is the floor, so put a mat or sheet down first. Leave him until he is fully awake again and then resume feeding. You may need to do this several times throughout the feed, but it will help him to take a good feed at this time. When he has finished the first part of his feed, encourage him to stay awake until 11.15pm. To do this you may need to take him somewhere cooler, such as his changing mat in the bathroom. Continue to keep him in a bright atmosphere. Let him have some kicking time on his changing mat with no nappy on. This is a good way to encourage a sleepy baby to stay awake, and most young babies do like to have some free kicking time. At 11.15pm change him and then offer him the second half of his feed. This can be done in his nursery with the lights dimmed so he will settle to sleep as soon as he is winded. By splitting the feed in this way you may find that overall he takes slightly more, in the same way that he does at 5/6pm. It is best to prepare the two parts of this feed in separate bottles, as there is a chance that the teat could become tainted with the milk first used at 10pm.

As your son has shown he can get to 3-4am without the need for a feed, by all means settle him with water if he should wake earlier than this, but by 4/5am he will be waking through hunger and will need a feed. At this age he will only just be starting to have less need for a middle of the night feed. See p149 in The Contented Little Baby Book, which explains how to cut back very gradually when your baby is ready. Diluting his feed at this time is not advisable. This method is only used with a baby who is over 6 months and is well able to go right through the night without the need for a feed. (A full explanation of it can be found in The Complete Sleep Guide p 44.)

Getting your son to sleep nearer to 7am before needing a feed will come gradually. Until it happens you will need to offer him the small top-up feed. Try doing this at 7.30am, especially if he has been fed between 5/6am and he may only need 60mls to get him through to 10/10.30am. As with his sleeping in the day, keep working towards the routine, but also take into account the individual needs of your son. Also, take a look at the questions and answers found on p 82 and the bottom of p 86 in The Contented Little Baby Book, which address the problem of sleepy babies.