Night wakings out of control

[cmckenna]

Hi,

My DD has added 1 to 2 night wakings for the past 6 weeks.  It started with a 3 month growth spurt, then rolling.  She used to feed twice but now she is up 3 to 4 times to eat.  I am trying to figure out what is waking her and if I am feeding her when I shouldn't be.  Last night, I got her down at 7:00, she woke at 9:00 at which time I did patt/sush and she went back to sleep for 45mins.  Fed her at 9:45, 1:00pm, 3:30pm and then she was up at 6:00.  We just started a 4 hr easy because she was not hungry all day.  This has improved her daytime feeding.  I keep thinking she has hit her 4 month growth spurt early but if so it just doesn't seem to end. I have tried tanking up with her but she refuses an extra feed unless she is very hungry.  How can I reduce these nighttime wakings.  What is normal for this age?


How old is your child? 1 week shy of 4 months
What’s his/her daily routine?
7:30E, 9:30S, A, 11:30E, 1:30S, A, 3:30E, 5:00S, A, 7:00E, S, Bedtime, 3 to 4 night wakings (anywhere from 2 to 3 hrs apart)

What’s nap routine? 2, 2hr naps - 9:30 and 1:30 and 1 1hr nap 5pm
How long are naps? 2 - 2hr and 1 - 1hr
What's bedtime routine? Time? 6:30 bath, naked kick time, feed, cuddle, bed
Do you bottle or breastfed?? BF
How much? or how long? Very quick 5 - 10 mins
If breastfed.. one side or both?? (at each feed) 1 side during day, both before bed
How many wakes per night? 3 or 4
What’s your LO like when waking at night? How long is he/she up? 10 to 15 mins.  Sometimes, will got right back to sleep, most times needs to be fed.

When you go to him/her is she fussing or crying? Or is it a mantra cry?  Crying
What have you tried to settle??  patt/sush
What do you do for A time and how long is it? Tummy time, Activity center, peek a boo, Swing, singing, making faces, lots of people face time, kicking, etc
Are there developmental issues such as teething or milestones?  Just got over rolling and 3 month growth spurt
Have you introduced cereal? Why, how much, and how many times a day? (for LO’s under 6 months)  NO
Do they have a prop? If so what is it?  NO
Do they have a lovie?  Yes, a small teddy but no that important to her

[Colin Macs Mom]

It sounds to me like your DD has gotten into the habit of eating at night rather than during the day. You'll need to teach her that daytime is eating time, not night. As far as what's normal for her age, that's hard to say. All LOs are so different... but, it wouldn't be at all unusual for her to still need one or MAYBE two night feeds at her age. So, I would expect one or maybe two wakings still, but I think we can help you get to that from the 3-4 you have now. 

I have no BFing experience though so I'm not sure if feeding in 5-10 minutes is normal. I'll assume it is, but correct me if not! Anyway, I think the best way to switch her around is to wean those feeds she's having at night, one at a time. You can offer her fewer minutes every couple of days until it's zero, or you can try expressing and then bottle feeding by fewer ounces. There's a sticky in the FAQ section called How I Stopped the Night Feeds with a 9 Mo. Old - check that out, it goes into detail and has more info for BFing moms. As you reduce those feeds, you should see an increase in what she takes during the day.