Sleeping FAQ: 8-12 weeks – Night Waking

My daughter of 11.5weeks has slept through the night but now wakes again and needs a dummy to resettle her

My daughter has been following the routine since she was 3 weeks old and since 9 weeks, started sleeping through from 11pm to 6.45am (when I woke her). The next time she woke in the night, I settled her with a cuddle and some water and she went back to sleep 10-20mins. This had only happened a few times but generally she slept through on most days. All of a sudden, for the past 4 days she has started waking again at around 4am but not really looking for food, we have settled her with a dummy but consequently, she is very tired in the mornings when we wake her and I am also concerned about using the dummy. She sleeps in her own cot in her own room and has done so since 4 weeks. We also have blackout curtains in her room.
Secondly, we have a problem with the 10.15pm feed. We wake her at 10pm and allow her to kick around for at least 15/20mins before we start feeding her. She will only manage to take a 3-4oz at a struggle and by 10.45/11pm is ready to go back to sleep no matter what we do. We were not too concerned as she was able to go through the night with a feed but wonder if this may be the reason for her waking early again (although she doesn’t want a feed!)
We have tried keeping her awake longer but it has made no difference and she doesn’t take anymore feed really and only ends up getting very frustrated and agitated with us and herself. The other thing is that she is never hungry in the morning, I wake her at 6.45am and start feeding by 7am at which point, she will take 3-4oz but then can’t really be bothered. It seems like she is not actually hungry.
Am I following the routine correctly? Can I do more for her to take a bigger feed at 10.15pm? What is her reason for not being hungry at 7.00am – I thought she would be starving!
She is generally a very contented baby and I always make sure she has some fresh air everyday at the 4.15pm nap and ensure that she has plenty of kick about time during the day. I would really appreciate your help as I am completely baffled by what I’m doing wrong!

 

My daughter feeds at 7am 6ozs, with a struggle, 10.45am 6ozs, 2.30pm 6ozs, 5pm 4-5ozs, 6.30pm 2-3ozs. I have tried to make her wait until after the bath but she just cried. She will never take more than this although I have tried numerous times.  My daughter weighs 13lbs.

 

She naps at 9-9.45am, 12-2.15pm and 4.15-4.30pm. She is settled at 7pm.

Your daughter’s sleep cycles will be changing and she will be more aware when she comes into a light sleep around 4am. To help her settle back to sleep alone when this happens, check she is firmly tucked in with a sheet or lightweight blanket placed lengthways across the cot. Secure this using two rolled towels wedged down the sides. The Moro reflex may still be strong at this age so by tucking her in firmly she is less likely to startle herself awake.

If your daughter is in a sleeping bag check she is not cold at this time in the morning. On cold nights she may need another layer such as a thin cardigan, or a long sleeved body suit under her sleepsuit.

When your daughter wakes, give her 10 minutes to settle herself and then go in and offer her a cuddle and, as she does not seem to be hungry at this time, a drink of cooled boiled water to settle her.

Keeping your daughter awake at 10.00pm could help this early waking. It can be hard when a baby is sleepy at this late evening feed but it is worth trying. Start to wake her at 9.45pm as a baby may settle into a deeper sleep after 10pm if she has gone down around 7pm. It can take 15-20 minutes for a baby to wake fully at this time so she should be ready to have the first part of her feed around 10pm/10.05pm. Give her 2-3ozs before her break. To help her stay awake until 11pm/11.15pm make sure she is in a lighted room with some background noise. You may need to help her stay awake with some gentle stimulation such as a spell under her play gym or looking at some rattles. If she begins to look sleepy take her to be changed. Encouraging her to have a 10 minute kick with no nappy on will help her stay alert. She should be ready to take another 2-3ozs by 11.15pm. If you can spread this feed out over the space of an hour or more it should help her settle for a longer night.

When a baby of your daughter’s age wakes in the morning she will not be as starving hungry as she may have been when younger. You can either split the 7am feed, offering her 2-3ozs when she wakes and then the rest after a break of 20-30minutes. Or you could wait until 7.20/7.30am to feed her and see if she is more willing to take her bottle once she is properly awake.

If your daughter is happier to take a split feed at 5pm/6.15pm then keep that routine in place.  By having a smallish feed at 6.15pm she is more likely to take a good 10pm/11pm feed which should see her through the night.