https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 18 May 2026 01:43:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766555 Tue, 07 May 2013 20:23:32 +0000 Smurfette 766555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oliviaoblivia: we have the elephant and she will sort of take it if I hold it in her mouth when we are in the car but that is the only spot. Annoying! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766551 Tue, 07 May 2013 20:21:21 +0000 oliviaoblivia 766551@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: the wubbanub really helped LO figure out how to use a paci. I used to sit there holding it in, but she could do it herself with the weight of the stuffed animal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766542 Tue, 07 May 2013 20:18:20 +0000 yerpie110 766542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: i should add she'll only take it when she's drowsy and she'll also initially cry when i pop it in, but i persist anyway and force her to keep it in there for a few seconds (like 3-4) and usually that's enough time for her to start sucking. if she's too awake, she'll spit it out. do i sound like an awful mom? haha, but again, i just really feel like she'd benefit from it and she has! </p> <p>hope your LO will too!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766529 Tue, 07 May 2013 20:13:34 +0000 Smurfette 766529@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yerpie110: ok, you give me hope. I keep trying. Or I am hoping day care will get her to take it.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766520 Tue, 07 May 2013 20:09:47 +0000 yerpie110 766520@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: that's why LO did too - every time i put it in, she spit it out. anyone watching would get a kick out of it because she could spit it pretty far! but i just kept trying, day after day, because i really just felt like she would benefit from it due to her intense need to suck, and one day she just took it - it was shocking! so unfortunately nothing magical, just pure persistence. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766500 Tue, 07 May 2013 19:53:28 +0000 Smurfette 766500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yerpie110: how did you get LO to take a pacifier? I know R loves to suck but I can't get her to take one. Or she will for two sucks and spits it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766482 Tue, 07 May 2013 19:35:09 +0000 yerpie110 766482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lantern: the only paci she will take are nuks! I certainly don't think it's the magical answer for everyone but even at close to 4 months, my LO's urge to suck remains strong so I think that's why it helped her. She refused every day and I just kept trying! I am also in the luck camp as well - some parents are just lucky to have good sleepers! No matter what, it will get better :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766326 Tue, 07 May 2013 17:38:46 +0000 runsyellowlites 766326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rainbow Sprinkles: Go W! P has occasionally since 11.5 months, it's definitely not every night though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766324 Tue, 07 May 2013 17:36:45 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 766324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have no advice because my daughter was EBF and is still BFed at twelve months and slept through the night for the first time in her life last night. Soo....it took a while. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766280 Tue, 07 May 2013 16:59:16 +0000 loveisstrange 766280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, my LO was FF too and I'm in the "It's luck" camp. I think some babies sleep really well and others dont. It all resolves itself eventually! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-766140 Tue, 07 May 2013 15:40:00 +0000 birdofafeather 766140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lantern: PPs are right and it totally helps to remember that it's totally normal for babies to be up that often at night to eat! i had to continuously remind myself of that. once DD showed she was ready to sleep longer, if she had some weird night where she woke up way sooner than usual, i would try to get her to fall back asleep without nursing but sticking a paci in her mouth did nothing for us, so if she didn't go right back down, i would nurse her.</p> <p>each kid will get there eventually. that's what i had to keep telling myself! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765953 Tue, 07 May 2013 14:26:07 +0000 autumn865 765953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly? My EBF baby didn't start sleeping longer stretches until she was maybe 5 months? Until then every 2-3 hours was the norm or worse some nights. Just chalk it up to a finite period of time and your LO will sleep longer stretches when they are ready. Can you nap during your LOs naps? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765816 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:42:13 +0000 chopsuey 765816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS started STTN at around 4 weeks old. The first 8 weeks of his life I pumped almost exclusively and would top him off by nursing.<br /> His bedtime back then was around 8pm. Now he passes out at 6:30pm.<br /> He gets a bath, eats and I put him down drowsy.<br /> Have you tried giving your LO a bottle before bedtime to make sure she's full? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765806 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:38:12 +0000 googly-eyes 765806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My baby is ff so take this with a grain of salt but I totally second the pacifier thing. Try it and see if lo will just go back to sleep with that. My lo is still soothie addicted but now she mostly replaces it herself since she has developed enough coordination at this age (close to 8 months.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765800 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:35:25 +0000 yin 765800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wish my LO slept longer stretches at night, but he was still eating every 2 hours during the day until he was 7 months old. I think that's also when he slept longer at night. He didn't actually sleep through the night until after he turned one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765786 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:32:48 +0000 autumnlove 765786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We got really lucky around 8 weeks and LO started sleeping through the night...8 hours a night. She always nursed a lot before her 9pm-10pm bedtime. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765762 Tue, 07 May 2013 13:25:54 +0000 Mrs. Lantern 765762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for your input and letting me know that it's normal. I keep thinking if there was something I was doing wrong, if I didn't have enough milk so she waking up at night to eat. Sometimes she seems hungry, and sometimes she falls asleep as soon as I start nursing her.</p> <p>@yerpie110: LO used to take it, then stopped, then takes it sometimes now for naps. That's so great to hear that it worked for you! Which paci are you using?</p> <p>@hilsy85: hope moving his bedtime up helps! what time is he up for the day?</p> <p>@runsyellowlites: that's a really good way to think about it. All babies are different, and she will sleep longer periods when she's ready. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765264 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:55:49 +0000 yerpie110 765264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>does your lo use a pacifier? mine just started taking one 2 weeks ago and it has changed her sleep! she is almost 4 months old and previous to the pacifier, she would wake every 3 hours to eat. out of the blue, she started taking it and now she sleeps 9 hours, wakes once to eat, and goes back down for another 2-3 hours. if she wakes outside of the time to eat and her pacifier isn't in her mouth, i'll generally stick that in first and see if it will satiate her. 7/10 times it does, the other times i'll leave her be and sometimes she can put herself back to sleep, other times i need to rock her. i do my best to make sure she gets enough calories in the day and i let her cluster feed before sleeping so she's on a full tummy. dream feeds never really worked for us, but i would suggest trying that as well to see if it would help? </p> <p>hang in there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765257 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:52:16 +0000 hilsy85 765257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It sounds really really normal for her age!! A LOT of babies are still waking up every 2-3 hours at 12 weeks...don't be disheartened by tales of amazing babies sleeping 12 hours at 2 weeks old (or 12 weeks old). Of course they exist, but I don't think they're the norm. </p> <p>I would give it some time, especially if she's truly hungry when she wakes during the night. If she's NOT and just wants to play, or doesn't really eat, that's another story. </p> <p>My LO is 6.5 months old and waking every 2-3 hours still....he's EBF. He goes to sleep at 6:30, but I'm debating even moving it up to 6! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765255 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:51:39 +0000 mrsjyw 765255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i'm also a believer that it isn't a matter of ff or ebf-- more LUCK! ds is 5.5 months now and sleeps 7-5/6</p> <p>we were lucky... his 3-4 hour stretches stretched out around wk 8 and we got one long stretch 6+ hours... then for a couple wks he was back to every 2-3... then miraculously around week 11, he was back to two long stretches. </p> <p>week 12 -- he nightweaned and sttn on his own.. we used a paci a couple of times when he woke up at night but didnt seem hungry. </p> <p>we have a set bedtime routine and didn't have to CIO-- it just kind of happened (THANK THE SLEEP GODS) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765250 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:49:58 +0000 runsyellowlites 765250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>P is 13 months &amp; still wakes occasionally through the night. But, it's totally NORMAL for babies, whether ebf or ff, to wake through the night by biological &amp; physiological design, so don't fret. =) </p> <p>As for longer stretches, P started probably around 6 months only waking 1, maybe 2 times on a normal night (no wonder week, teething, or sickness) &amp; at 11 months she started sttn on her own most nights.</p> <p>Since it's considered normal for infants &amp; even toddlers to wake through the night we don't sleep train. My oldest is just a few months of 9 &amp; sleeps fine on his own so I don't worry about it *always* being like this, I know P will sleep longer when she's ready. =) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765240 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:47:09 +0000 sorrycharlie 765240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am firmly in the camp of sleepers being luck. I think some formula fed babies are great sleepers, some aren't - same with EBF babies. </p> <p>My baby is EBF (7m) and slept through the night (well, 7h stretches) til 3 months. since then, she's been up every 2 hours every night. It's exhausting. solids did nothing to help.</p> <p>I wish i had better advice...but i stopped killing myself over it once i realized she just may not be a great sleeper :/</p> <p>eta - i've been told that a set bed time, routine, doing the same thing every night would "make" her a better sleeper. we do all that. haha. I've tried everything, except CIO - I won't do that. I've kind of accepted it at this point, sadly. lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765239 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:46:57 +0000 petunia354 765239@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 18 weeker is still waking up every 2-3 hours so no advice here. He was six weeks early though and is still trying to catch up with his weight gain. He also has no set bedtime, so we are probably not doing ourselves any favors. I'm interested to hear what others have to say! The only reason I'm not a zombie is that I pump so DH is able to give bottles during night wakings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/advice-on-how-to-get-ebf-to-sleep-longer-through-the-night#post-765232 Tue, 07 May 2013 10:43:45 +0000 Mrs. Lantern 765232@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 12 week old is EBF and wakes up every 2-3 hours to feed at night. It seems like most babies are sleeping for much longer stretches by now. I don't know how to encourage her to sleep longer!</p> <p>She falls asleep without too much trouble and her bedtime is at 7:30-8pm. We've tried dreamfeeding and it didn't make a difference. Recently I tried to pat her bum to get her to sleep a little longer and it works 25% of the time. Her naps are good (I would be a zombie without them!!) and she has 2-3 naps that are 1-1.5 hour long usually.</p> <p>When did your EBF babies start sleeping longer stretches?<br /> What is their bedtime?<br /> Any advice on what to do when they wake up in the middle of the night? </p>