3 month old multiple night wakings PLS HELP!!

[kriskibble]

my 3 mnth old usually settles to bed around 730 ish after a nightly routie of bath time and feed. Usually wakes up at 1030 - 1100 for a dream feed, and easily goes back to sleep. my problem is that she wakes up every couple hours after. i usually feed her and she goes right back to bed again on most occasions. can i eliminate these night feedings til morning and how do i go about doing this? we have been forced to take her into bed with us on the second feeding, usually around 4 am so we can get some sleep before starting the day again in a few hours. She likes to be swaddled tight in the beginning but she usually manages to get her arms free thru out the night. we use a paci sometimes to help her sleep but she usuallly cries and wakes up whenever it falls off.
So as you can see, i think i need a lot of tweaking in my routine.. so please help!!! AND TIA!

HERES SOME INFO...
How old is your child? 3 MONTH OLD
What’s his/her daily routine? UP AROUND 7 AM WITH BF EVERY 2-3 HRS
What’s nap routine?USUALLY 3X1 HR NAPS
How long are naps? ANTHING BETWWEN 30 MIN TO 1.5 HRS
What's bedtime routine? Time? START BEDTIME ROUTINE AT 630, WITH BATH TIME , MASSAGE THEN SWADDLE, IN BED BY 730-800 PM
Do you bottle or breastfed?? BREASTFEED
How much? or how long? USUALLY AROUND 10-15 MIN
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed) ONE SIDE EACH FEED
How many wakes per night? 3 WAKES INCLUDING DF, 2 AM 4 AM 6 AM
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? USUALLY UP JUST TO FEED ON THE 2 AM FEED, BUT NEEDS MORE TIME FOR THE 4 AM TO GO BACK T SLEEP
When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry? SHES USUALLY FUSSING,
What have you tried to settle?? TRIED TO SWADDLE HER BACK, OR USE A PACI, SHH/PAT METHOD. SOFT MUSIC
What do you do for A time and how long is it? USUALLY1- 1.5 HR OF SINGING, DANCING, TUMMY TIME
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months) NO SOLID FOODS
Do they have a prop? If so what is it? PACIFIER, SWADDLING, MUSICAL TOY

[tanna83]

Hi, its definately the pacifier....i my lo went until approx 12weeks without it being a problem then all of a sudden it was the bain of my existance - woke every hour after his last feed (generally before midnight) after much research I found that babies sleep cycles are lighter in the AM hours and this is why he would go down fine and not wake up before the feed and then after the feed he just couldnt get into a nice deep sleep as whenever he came back towards the end of a cycle he wanted his dummy. Anyway long story short we weaned approx two weeks ago and I have done nothing else to his routine (except wean swaddle at same time) and he is now sleeping almost 12 solid hours a night. Maybe someone else can answer why they get to 3months and realise they cant sleep without it??? Your case sounds soooo similar to mine that I couldnt dismiss the paci problem xx All the best

[aidenmc]

Can't offer much help I'm afraid as my lo is doing similar things. I wonder if this is a developmental thing. Or a gs? Ly lo comes into bed at 4 as well - by then I am just so tired I can't sit up any more. He is often restless then as well so while I get to lie down I am not always able to sleep.  . Anyway I hope things improve for you soon and that someone has some ideas on how to improve things.

[aidenmc]

Ugh. Really hope it's not the paci  .

[RK2010]

My LO is 12 weeks old and does the same thing. He goes to sleep around 7.00 pm and sleeps well and doesnt wake until 12.00 or so and then 3 wakings after midnight. His night sleep has become more erratic in recent weeks. Don't know if its coincidence but I also introduced (I know!) the paci a few weeks ago. it was great - he fell asleep faster, it was a great sleep cue and keeps him happy in the car and when we're in places where we need him to be calm. Not sure I'm ready to wean him yet from it (more a prop for me than him! ). So I hope the erratic sleep is developmental rather than paci-related! Any opinion from moms of older babies?  Thanks!
P.S. we co-sleep and while that saves me the trouble of getting up and going to him, it doesnt seem to lessen the NW frequency nor the fitful sleep in the early am.

[aidenmc]

I was just reading some research on infant sleep. Basically during the night they have a 3-4 hour cycle (on top of the shorter ones) in between which they come to almost complete wakefulness and get very restless. If they can't soothe themselves to sleep then they need help to get them back down (they can usually do it themselves for the shorter cycles). So, it sounds like whatever they needed to fall asleep in the first place they will need at this point. For me this means starting shush pat soon - I am so dreading it and keep putting it off  . Also, I'm not sure where the paci would fit into that.