https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 17 May 2026 17:13:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137938 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:40:04 +0000 JoJoGirl 1137938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Modern Daisy: Eeek, he's only 7 weeks! His schedule is totally normal if not GOOD! We started getting our first 5-6 hrs stretches shortly after that and things got much better around 13 weeks. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137900 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:27:58 +0000 Modern Daisy 1137900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, I was just logging on to write almost this exact question! My son is a lot younger though, he's only 7 weeks. He is over 10 lbs though and getting enough to eat every day, no health issues. I know he needs to eat every 3-4 hours, but his night wakings are very similar to your son's - he has one long stretch at first (usually from 7or8pm - 11 or 12pm), then wakes up 3 hours later usually around 2-3am then is up for the day 2 hours after that. Waking up for the day at 4 or 5 am, only 2 hours after feeding him his last bottle is not cool. I know he doesn't actually need it since he'll only eat a little bit, then refuse the rest. But he's awake and fussy regardless of what we do, even holding him doesn't work. He'll fuss until it's really time for his next feeding when he'll finally eat for real. So we were thinking of trying to teach him to sleep longer for that stretch if it's at all possible, since there are no needs to be met and we need sleep! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137811 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 09:36:40 +0000 blackbird 1137811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went through a rough patch at about that time, too, babe. Two wake ups a night was rough but that was what i was willing to wait through. Once we hit 3, 4, 5 wake ups, i was like, WTF NO. </p> <p>So he's waking 3 times to eat, but possibly out of habit. You never know unless you try, right? 3 times to eat seems like a lot to me (but i FF and I know that is different), so I'd try to change that. I'd work on cutting down the time he nurses and try to top him off GOOD before bed. I'd try a dream feed (sometimes E took to one, sometimes not). Does a pacifier help at all? At 5 months, we had transitioned E to a Merlin Sleep Suit and it was amazing. The 4.5 part made me want to die. But I'm not sure it would work for your situation. </p> <p>We *just* sleep trained E (with some CIO and it wasn't massively traumatic) a little before she turned 6 months old. She took to it really, really well at this age. </p> <p>You are at, literally, THE WORST PART OF IT. The good stuff is around the corner (I hope. I know for us it was) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137528 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:58:15 +0000 JoJoGirl 1137528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Trailmix: I could have written this post myself (and did last week)... and at my LO's 4 month appointment, she was only 12.5 lbs. :( I've basically resigned myself to the fact that if she's up, she needs to eat, as she's never been one of those "eat for 3 mins and fall back asleep" MOTN nursers. She goes to sleep on her own at bedtime so I don't know what else we can "teach" her at this point. I keep waiting for signals that she's getting up out of habit instead of out of hunger as my cue to do some kind of MOTN sleep training, but I haven't seen any yet. Coffee-filled hugs! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137522 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:50:14 +0000 Silva 1137522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Trailmix: No advice, but just wanted to say- hang in there. Some babies, man. My kid is just a crappy sleeper. All the moms in our groups keep talking about sleeping 8 hours without waking up - I get excited for 5. I can't imagine doing it with two. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137518 Tue, 08 Oct 2013 06:42:55 +0000 Trailmix 1137518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks very much everyone! I should've added that he takes about 4oz of formula after nursing to try to help him sleep longer, not sure if it works or not. I've tried the dream feed and it hasn't seemed to make a difference in the past, maybe I will try it again. I might try oatmeal cereal too, see if that helps. He does go down on his own no problem, it's just staying asleep.<br /> Seems like the general consensus is that if he's waking up to eat, sleep training CIO isn't right. Ugh, I'm so tired. Oh well, guess that's what coffee and diet coke are for! I just don't understand though, I keep seeing people whose babies are sleeping 10-11 hours, why aren't mine doing that?!? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137367 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:59:00 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1137367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Trailmix: now that i think about it, i'm not sure if i would sleep train because i couldn't do it myself the second time around. olive woke up a lot and didn't sleep through the night until 16 months! but she was a small preemie and i didn't have it in me to sleep train her until then even though it had been so easy with charlie, but he was a really big baby.</p> <p>you know how i survived? i literally slept in the glider for months. i was so tired i would always pass out with her on the boppy! she never dropped the night wakings on her own and she knew how to put herself to sleep (she did it for naps), so we had to sleep train. but again she was easy to sleep train.</p> <p>one thing to keep in mind is that a lot of babies' sleep improves after 6 months. if you can make it that long and he will be a little chubbier then, maybe you'd feel more comfortable with the idea of sleep training if his sleep doesn't improve?</p> <p>i just can't imagine how tired you must be with twins! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137366 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:58:45 +0000 skibobrown 1137366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would probably tough it out for a while longer before doing a CIO method of sleep training. One thing that worked really well for us though was introducing the pacifier, and giving it to DD when she woke along with white noise. That usually put her back to sleep for a while, and she'd wake again later when she was really hungry. The pacifier trick allowed us to stretch out her night sleep to the point that she was only really waking up when she needed to eat in the night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137363 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:55:04 +0000 lepamplemousse 1137363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd pick option #1. We did Ferber around 3.5 months and DS slept through the night at 4 months (although not consistently). But DS was a hefty kid so I never had to worry that he was not eating enough. The dream feed never worked for us.</p> <p>I know it's kind of controversial to sleep train so young but it worked for us. Everyone is going to have an opinion of what you should or should not do no matter what so do what works for you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137341 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:39:26 +0000 PurpleUnicorn 1137341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Doodlesmama: oh right, I tried a dream feed too! although it didn't work for us, I have heard it works for other babies. My LO wouldn't wake at all to feed even a little when I tried to dream feed. It was totally on his terms, lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137337 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:38:01 +0000 PurpleUnicorn 1137337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i would try a million things before CIO. so my answer is #4. And then I would wait it out.</p> <p>There are tons of questions I can ask, but instead I can tell you what I did. When L was around 8 months (because his sleep went to crap fro 5 - 8 months). We put an air conditioner in his room and still use it now on the fan setting for white noise. We put crib bumpers because he had been rolling into the sides of his crib (too soon for a 4.5 month old though). We got a better quality mattress - and his sleep drastically improved with that change alone. We stopped using sleep sacks (not really sure if this made a difference, but he sleeps fine without them). Can you try feeding him more before bed, like supplementing with a bit of pumped milk? I never tried that idea for a long time because I didn't want to keep up with the pumping. There are other methods outlined in the book "no cry sleep solution", but I haven't finished reading it yet! good luck with whatever you decide. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137333 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:35:50 +0000 Doodlesmama 1137333@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>First off, I would do what feels right in your gut! Since I don't know your gut, I think I would try out a dream feed. Adding in a dream feed before you go to bed will help LO sleep longer for the first stretch and will help him not get into a habit of waking up to eat. I wouldn't worry too much about him being on the smaller side (my little guy was the same size). He will make up the calories during the day if needed. </p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137324 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 21:25:55 +0000 Elderberrygin 1137324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found the series on sleeping through the night at Troublesome Tots really useful. Part one is here <a href="http://www.troublesometots.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-sleeping-through-the-night-part-i/" rel="nofollow">http://www.troublesometots.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-sleeping-through-the-night-part-i/</a></p> <p>It recommends waiting for CIO until around 6 months but has a lot of non-CIO solutions to work toward at younger ages. Like @SCG00387 said, the key at that age is to get them falling asleep on their own and they'll generally drop the night feedings on their own when they're ready. </p> <p>I hope you get some rest soon. The 4-5 month period was brutal for us, I can't imagine it with twins. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137263 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 20:48:26 +0000 immabeetoo 1137263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Trailmix: twins are HARD yo. My nieces are twins and I have no clue how she did it. With that being said - if I were you, like you asked, I would wait it out. The idea of "being able to" go longer sleep stretches just has never jived with me. LO knows what they want/need and I think when they're that young, it's too hard to separate the wants from the needs to sleep train. If he's genuinely eating at that time, and it sounds like he is, I'd guess he needs it. My LO never responded to trying to 'tank up' or nurse more often during the day, no matter what I tried, and dropped night nursings on his own. I know not all will do that but, that is how I approached it. </p> <p>I would only sleep train to help a baby that little to learn to fall asleep on their own; we did no cry sleep solution around 5 months for that reason. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137117 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:34:59 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1137117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Tough situation since he is small and you must be exhausted with twins.</p> <p>We sleep trained Charlie at 4.5 months and it was gloriously life changing. He was waking up like 10 times a night and it just wasn't sustainable. He was really easy to sleep train, and pretty much never woke up from post sleep training til after 1 year when we traveled.</p> <p>But.... he was a big baby and could handle dropping the night time feedings. I don't think that age is too young to sleep train -- it really depends on the baby and some cry very little (like Charlie... less than 20 minutes off and on). So you could give it a try and maybe cap crying at a very low limit like 5-10 minutes to see how it goes? He may surprise you!</p> <p>It is also harder to sleep train the second waking, so I would tackle the first one first. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137103 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:29:45 +0000 hilsy85 1137103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If I were in your situation, I would probably wait it out, because that's what we did when LO was that age and waking all thru the nightt...however, that being said, I totally get sleep deprivation! I do think they might be a bit young to use CIO (for me personally anyway). But at that age it's possible that he could just get through the sleep regression and things could get better on their own. </p> <p>If you DO decide to do Ferber, I would pick a time (like 2 or 3am) and say that you're not feeding him before that, and use Ferber's method if he wakes before that .If he wakes after that feeding, I would also do the checks, but be prepared for him to be awake early (like 5, 530) and not be able to go back to sleep. Or at least that was our experience when we did it at 6.5 months. I would also recommend reading his book--it had a lot of really good info! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137078 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:22:06 +0000 MamaMoose 1137078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would do Ferber to try to stretch his first waking to 3:30 so he's on the same schedule as his sister (assuming you can tandem feed and handle having them both be awake at the same time.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137075 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:19:49 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1137075@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do nothing. I don't believe it's fair to make a baby who has no concept of time try to understand that if it's been 4+hours he gets his momma and milk but if it's less then that length he has to cry to sleep. Just my personal thoughts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/sleep-training-wwyd#post-1137068 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 19:17:27 +0000 Trailmix 1137068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm posting this because I really don't know what to do and I'm genuinely curious what you personally would do in my situation, so please tell me!</p> <p>DS is a little over 4 months old and typically wakes up 3 times during the night. While the time varies a little (usually between 1-2 am), from that point on he's up every two hours. The only way I can get him back to sleep is to nurse him and he always eats for 10-15 minutes. Although he's relatively small (13.5 lbs, in 11th percentile), he's been gaining steadily since birth and our ped gave her blessing to not feed him so often during the night. He goes to bed around 7:45 pm and usually does a 5-6 hour stretch but he has done 7-8 hours occasionally, so I know he can do it. The 3+ wake-ups a night (he has a twin sister who wakes up once usually around 3:30 am) are pretty brutal and I'm just trying to find a way to get a longer stretch of sleep for myself bc it's been 4.5 months of no sleep!</p> <p>I was thinking of trying to do some sort of sleep training along the lines of Ferber to drop one of these feedings/wake-ups but I'm open to other suggestions. Here are the options I've been able to come up with:</p> <p>1. Ferber through the first wake-up (checks at 5, 10 and 15 minutes) to try to extend his first stretch of sleep.</p> <p>2. Ferber through the 2nd wake-up to try to extend his second stretch of sleep (this one is typically around 3:30 am, so basically trying to get him to sleep from 2-5:30 am).</p> <p>3. Do nothing and just wait it out his sleep will extend eventually of his own.</p> <p>4. Alternative methods of sleep training</p> <p>So seriously, if you were in this situation, what would you do??</p> <p>Thanks very much, appreciate your opinions! </p>