Does Wake-to-sleep really work?

[meghan]

I have read all about Tracy's Wake to Sleep approach and want to start it tonight. My LO wakes up at around 3-4 am every night, even after a dream feed at 10:30. The idea of setting my alarm for 2 am is appalling, so I need some encouragement!! Does this approach really work?

[Katet]

I'm not sure that your baby doesn't actually need a feed at that time if it is waking up... at 3 months is still reasonable to expect a night feed after the df.

[Holly n Harvie]

My 3 mo old does exactly that same thing. I just go into his room and put his pacifier in and he goes back to sleep straight away. Unfortunately I have to do that 3 or 4 times till 7 am. But it is always around 3 am that he wakes... maybe its a 3 mo old thing and they will grow out of it... fingers crossed.  :wink:

Let me know if you did it and if it worked. I am too scared as I dont want to totally wake him and have a mad awake baby on my hands at 3 AM ! ! ! ! YUCK!

[meghan]

Well, I didn't exactly do it last night... she woke up herself at 2 am screaming. She tooted a few times and went back to sleep, so it must have been a gas problem. :roll: But I thought "Well, she woke up at two, so she probably wont wake at three". Wrong. She did. And I fed her, which is the only way to get her back to sleep. Her binkie wont tie her over until morning.

Should she still be needing a feeding at 3 am? I feed her at 10:30, so thats only 4 1/2 hours between feedings. I thought by this age they should be able to go 8-10 hours!!

I may try it tonight. I really think it is habit, b/c I could set my alarm by her waking at 3! ALthough, she does bf from both sides, so does that mean she IS hungry?

Anyone have any advice or experience with this at 3 mos?

[Katet]

All babies are different, my first rarely lasted 4 hours until he was 4 mo & then it extended to 6, but by 6 months he was then able to go 10 hours. Where as #2 has rarely done less than 6 hours overnight night. Both boys are/were very big top 1% of weight.
If they feed for more than 50% of the time of a day feed, then you have to assume they are hungry. So if a day feed averages 20mins & a night feed is 10mins or longer it would definitely be hungry & if she takes both sides, it is definitely hunger.
Harvies Mum, if you are giving the paci 3 or 4 time at night, I'd be feeding... you would probably only have to get up once & at 3 months it is unlikely it will become a habitual feed & it should move it's self later.
I used to offer the Paci once & the second wakeup I would always feed.
My ds was stuck on 3am +/- 1/2hour for weeks & has now moved it closer to 5am in the last few nights. At 3 mo it is common for bf babies to need to feed 2-3 times a night, no matter what the books say, infact research shows only 25% of babies are sleeping longer than 6 hours!

[Holly n Harvie]

Breast fed babies do take a bit longer to sleep through the night than formula fed ones. Harv is on formula cause I couldn't bf past 8 weeks 
Give it time, eventually she will sleep through. Harv does the wake and toot thing too. He is getting much better at self burping too. What a relief as he had troubles earlier on. Last night I gave him the DF at 10:30 pm and he slept till 5:30am. I could hear him in his room, but no cries so I left him. After he let out a 'real' cry I went in and put his pacifier in and he slept til 6:45. WOW. I was so surprised as it was only day 2 on the 3 hourly feed routine from Tracy's book. I just don't want to wake him to feed as I am really afraid that I will have an awake and MAD baby on my hands. he he he.

Harv and I go to grandma's today for the night, fingers crossed he does well.

And Kate, LOVE your boys names ! ! ! ! Liam was one of my choices!!

[Veronique]

Yes, the wake to sleep really works.  My DS is 9 months old now.  When he was between 3 and 4 months old, he would wake every night at about the same time (3:00 AM) so I figured it must be a habit.  He was eating well during the day and gaining weight very well.  I was BF him exclusively.  I set my clock for 2:45 AM, went in rubbed his tummy just a little put his pacifier in his mouth and ran.      He roused a little, but went right back to sleep.  The point is not to get him fully awake, just coming out of sleep so that it breaks the habit.  I did this for 3 days and a row and it worked like magic.

Hope this helps!

Vickie