3 Month Old Is Now Waking Up At Night

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3 Month Old Is Now Waking Up At Night

by Kristin L. Dixon
(Canada)

My husband and I are seeking some help/advice regarding our son.

I'm a first time mom with a son who's almost 4 months old. At 6-8 weeks of age he was sleeping consistently through the night, going to bed at 10:00 pm and up at 7:00 am, no interruptions.

However, we recently spent a week at my parents house and during our visit he started waking up through the night again and has continued this routine since we have returned home. Unfortunately the only way he'll go back to sleep is if I nurse him. But his nursing during this time is minimal and I know he's only using the breast for comfort and we have fallen into a routine of nursing him to sleep.

So I guess my question/questions would be is this waking a result of the stress of traveling and staying in a strange place? Will he return to his previous pattern of sleeping through the night with a few weeks of being back home? If this continues should we consider implementing some kind of sleep training? Is he too young for sleep training?

Any help/advice would be much appreciated!!

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3 Month Old Is Now Waking Up At Night

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Mar 05, 2009

Three month waking at night
by: Baby Help Line - Annie

Hi Kristin,

Your little boy may well be going through a hungry phase and need the extra feeding, and of course it is lovely and comfortable for him to be cuddling up with Mom. Also a three month old needs a little less sleep than a newborn.

You have been very lucky to have him sleep through the night up to now! And yes, babies do sometimes get their routine disrupted with a change of location, but on the whole, to expect a baby to keep to the same routine is not very realistic. Babies have different needs at different times, for example, hungry/growth spurt times, teething, changes in routine or stimulation during the day.

You ask about sleep training, and that has to be an individual choice. Personally I am not a proponent of leaving babies to cry to sleep, particularly at this young age. Babies cry because they need something, and wanting comfort and cuddling and reassurance are just as valid reasons as being wet or hungry. That is why babies cry!

It is still valuable to have night time routines, with familiar things happening each night, quiet times, low lights, a bath and singing lullabies etc, but you are really just setting the scene for later on, to expect that a baby will always respond to routines the same way is not realistic at this stage. If your baby is waking, then he needs you for something, so sleep deprivation for parents is par for the course I'm afraid for the first couple of years! Just make sure you get a nap when you can, or try expressing your milk so your husband can take a turn.

Enjoy your wee boy, he will be a hulking great teenager, sleeping for hours before you know it!

All the best,
Annie Desantis

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Mar 05, 2009
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Submitted by: Baby Help Line - Annie

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Hi Kristin, Your little boy may well be going through a hungry phase and need the extra feeding, and of course it is lovely and comfortable for him to be cuddling up with Mom. Also a three month old needs a little less sleep than a newborn. You have been very lucky to have him sleep through the night up to now! And yes, babies do sometimes get their routine disrupted with a change of location, but on the whole, to expect a baby to keep to the same routine is not very realistic. Babies have different needs at different times, for example, hungry/growth spurt times, teething, changes in routine or stimulation during the day. You ask about sleep training, and that has to be an individual choice. Personally I am not a proponent of leaving babies to cry to sleep, particularly at this young age. Babies cry because they need something, and wanting comfort and cuddling and reassurance are just as valid reasons as being wet or hungry. That is why babies cry! It is still valuable to have night time routines, with familiar things happening each night, quiet times, low lights, a bath and singing lullabies etc, but you are really just setting the scene for later on, to expect that a baby will always respond to routines the same way is not realistic at this stage. If your baby is waking, then he needs you for something, so sleep deprivation for parents is par for the course I'm afraid for the first couple of years! Just make sure you get a nap when you can, or try expressing your milk so your husband can take a turn. Enjoy your wee boy, he will be a hulking great teenager, sleeping for hours before you know it! All the best, <a href="http://www.easybabylife.com/annie-desantis.html">Annie Desantis</a>

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