6 Month Old Waking Every 3 Hours to Feed
Is your baby suddenly up multiple times crying for a night time feed? Learn what to do with your 6 month old waking every 2 hours right here.
I dreaded going to bed and facing the long stretch of hours before morning began again. With my 6 month old waking every 2 hours, what should've been a restful time for most people was one of exhaustion for me. I still nursed him throughout the middle of the night, even though I suspected he could do without the feedings.
Looking at the alarm clock was torture, especially when I realized I hadn't slept between the previous wake up and this current one.
Sure, I knew that in the long (really long) run, he'd eventually learn to sleep through the night. I mean, adults stay asleep the whole night, right? But I wanted more advice than hearing that babies will sleep at some point in the future, or that these were common sleep problems for babies this age.
Frankly, I wanted to get more than two or three hours of sleep at a time.How can I get him to sleep longer? I wondered.
What to do with your 6 month old waking every 2 hours
If you're here, first off, rest assured you're not alone in your lack of sleep, friend.
If you feel guilty in any way, know that it's absolutely reasonable for any mom to want longer stretches of sleep by six months. Waking up frequently can work for some who want that, but that shouldn't make you feel judged for wanting differently.
After all, night wakings are not only difficult for you, but for your little one as well. Getting up five or six times a night means he doesn't get the uninterrupted night sleep he needs.
Still, sometimes you may not understand why your baby wakes so often, whether from hunger or habit. You feel like you've tried everything, and want to know if there's something else you can do to get him to sleep longer. Exhaustion doesn't even describe it.
Below, I'll share two important strategies that worked for me with all three of my kids. My eldest in particular was 6 months of age as well when I decided something had to change. As always, check with your pediatrician for the best and most tailored advice. Then, take a look at these tips:
1. Teach your baby to put himself to sleep
All this time, I kept thinking that my 6 month old was a "bad sleeper." After all, he hardly slept long stretches, even in car rides or strollers. But then I realized that he may not be a bad sleeper, but that he simply hadn't learned to sleep on his own.
How does this affect your baby's sleep? Everyone—even you and I—wake up throughout our nighttime sleep between sleep cycles. But whereas we've learned to put ourselves back to sleep, babies need help, especially if all they've ever known was sleeping in our arms or by feeding.
Once your baby learns how to put himself to sleep, he won't wake up crying for help to go back to sleep. Instead, with sleep training, he'll know how to soothe himself to sleep, all without a peep. This is how my baby went from waking up every 2 hours to sleeping 11-12 hours straight.
Rather than feeding or rocking him to sleep, allow him to fall asleep on his own. This is how he'll learn self-settling techniques rather than relying on external sleep aids to sleep. You'll still check in on him at frequent and set intervals, but you're giving him the opportunity to learn this important skill.
Free resource: Interested in learning more about how to teach your baby to self soothe and develop good sleep habits? Join my newsletter and get a preview chapter of How to Teach Your Baby to Self Soothe to see if this is a good fit for you:
2. Wean your baby from nighttime feedings
Check with your pediatrician, but more than likely, your baby can sleep 11-12 hours straight at night without breast milk or formula.
This can seem impossible, given your 6 month old waking every 2 hours right now. But he can likely take in all his calories during the day, freeing up his nights completely for sleep, like you and I do.
The trick, however, is to gradually wean him off of his current night feeds. While comfort nursing at night is common, he could still be relying on these feedings to fill him up. In other words, he really is waking up out of hunger, and not just habit. That's why you can't go cold-turkey and withhold milk overnight.
What to do? Gradually reduce the amount you give him at night by two minutes or half an ounce for each time he wakes up. Then, add that extra milk to the following day's feedings. On subsequent nights, reduce them even more (and again, add them the following day).
Another important factor? Feed him about 30 minutes before he typically wakes up, not when he cries (yup, this means waking him up to eat). This helps him break the sleep associations of crying and receiving milk. In other words, you're beating him to the punch by feeding him before he wakes up screaming for it.
Tip: Make sure he's awake when you put him down in the crib. The goal is for him to learn to fall asleep on his own, not rely on feedings. You might even move the feeding to the beginning of the bedtime routine (for instance, before bath time) so he doesn't fall asleep.
In the middle of the night, he'll likely be drowsier, and that's okay. But do try to put him down at least slightly awake so that he doesn't get used to falling asleep while feeding.
Get more details on how to gradually wean nighttime feedings here.
Conclusion
Waking up every 2 hours until it's time to get up for the day is not easy on anyone. Don't give yourself grief for wanting more sleep, especially because it's absolutely possible for you to get a full night of rest.
The first step is to teach your baby to fall asleep on his own so that he can soothe himself to sleep when he stirs at night. Then, gradually decrease nighttime feedings and add those ounces the following day, making sure to wake him up to feed before he cries.
Good luck, friend! Better sleep is on its way—no more dreading looking at the alarm clock to find it's only been two hours since the last wake up.
Get more tips:
- How to Handle Your 6 Month Old Suddenly Waking at Night for a Feed
- 6 Month Old Sleep Regression Signs to Watch Out For
- What to Do When Your 6 Month Old Baby Won't Sleep Unless Held
- The Biggest Reason Your Baby Will Not Sleep (Even After All This Time)
- Why I Regret Rocking My Baby to Sleep
Don't forget: Join my newsletter and get a preview chapter of How to Teach Your Baby to Self Soothe :
Source: https://sleepingshouldbeeasy.com/6-month-old-waking-every-2-hours/
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