Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 months – Night Waking

My 4.5-month-old son still wakes twice in the night. How do I start the routines?

My son is 4.5 months old and he is still waking up twice in the night; how do I get him to start sleeping through? I have not used the CLB schedule, but would like to now. Where do I start? At the moment, our normal day is below; however, I need help on how to get him to sleep through. His nap times are not consistent; what should I do with my son of this age?
He feeds at 7.15am 5oz, 11.15am 7oz, 2.15pm 5oz, 6.30pm 7oz, 10.30pm 6oz, 2.30am 5oz, 6.30am 5oz. He will also take 2ozs of water at 11.15am, 6.30pm and 2.30am. He weighs 16lbs 2ozs.
My son sleeps at 9.45-11.15am and 2.30-3.30pm. He settles at 7.15pm.

The feeding pattern your son is following in the daytime is very similar to that laid out in the routine for a 4-5 month baby. At his weight your son does need about the 40ozs of milk he is having in 24 hours. To get him to take this amount between 7am and 11pm will mean you will need to increase his daytime feeds at the same time as decreasing the amount he receives in the night. At his age he has learnt to expect to receive milk when he wakes in the night so this eliminating of the feeds must be done gradually to help him learn how to sleep one long stretch.
Use the “core night” method to do this. Once your son has had his 10.30pm feed and settled well you will be trying to get him through longer in the night than 2.30am. Once he has begun to sleep a longer stretch you do not feed him before that time again and this length of time becomes his “core night”.
To do this offer him cool boiled water rather than a feed when he first wakes in the night. Try to settle him back to sleep with this, even if only for another hour or so. You are gradually encouraging him to go longer and longer in the night without a feed. At the second waking offer him a feed but try to give him the smallest amount possible to settle him again. If he has already had some water earlier this may help him take a smaller feed. As a consequence he should begin to take 7-8 ozs at 7am. For more a more detailed account of this method see p42 of the Complete Sleep Guide or p148 of the Contented Little Baby Book. Once the first feed has been dropped you work on the second waking in the same way. Be aware that your son will need to increase his feeds by day so he is taking 7-8 ozs at each one to make up for the dropped night feeds.
To get your son into a better sleeping pattern by day you will need to always wake him by 7/7.15am regardless of how he has slept in the night. At his age he will be able to stay awake for about two hours before needing to sleep again. If he stays up longer he will get over-tired and may fight going to sleep. You will need to keep trying every day to settle him by 9am and then wake him after 45 minutes. Your aim is to get him to have his longest sleep in the middle of the day which coincides with his natural dip in alertness at this time. It may take time to establish this but try in the same consistent way every day. After his 11.15am feed and short spell of sitting in his chair take him to his room, draw the blinds and curtains, then settle him using the same words and actions every day. He may need to sit quietly with you for 10 minutes or so to help him “wind down” so he is asleep by 12 noon. He will come to know these signals as a time to sleep. Tuck him in and leave him with the door shut.
At his age, if he settles well at lunchtime and sleeps for a good two hours, he may not need another nap in the afternoon. If he does, make it a “catnap” and keep it short: 15-20 minutes. Make sure that he is always awake by 5pm so you can put the bath and bedtime routine into place, knowing he will settle well by 7pm.