2 Month Old & Ideas for Sleeping Thru the Night

My son was breastfed also, he was sleeping through the night at 3 weeks (6 hrs anyway) Because he had reflux, the doctor recomended giving him cereal in a bottle at night. I'd pump then give him the breast milk and cereal. It was a lifesaver. Saved my sleep deprived sanity.

You must get the Miracle Blanket. (www.MiracleBlanket.com) The Nesting Place in Grapevine carries them locally. Or look to see who else has them. It is a MUST for a newborn. Check it out!

If you're nursing, remember that night-waking may go on a little longer than for a formula-fed baby. Also remember that the definition of "sleeping through the night" is only 6 hours of sleep!
At 8 weeks or so, you should be getting the 6 hours. I wouldn't expect the 8-10 hour stretch until the little darling is 12 weeks or 12 pounds, and even then you'll get occasional interriptions. I had read the thing about 12 pounds somewhere and thought it was funny because I'd never heard about weight having much to do with sleeping all night. However, when I looked at my kids' scrapbooks, etc., I noticed that my son slept 8 hours around 10 weeks, while my daughter didn't until she was 15 weeks. That was exactly when they each were about 12 pounds!

As far as tactics on getting the child to sleep better at night: Routine, routine, routine and become a nap nazi. An over-tired baby will not sleep well, if at all. Regular naps are as important as regular feedings. The Babywise routine of sleep, eat, play is a good one. You'll want to set a morning feeding time if you haven't already. Then do the rotation with feedings every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day. Babywise seems kind of militant about the 3-hour feeding routine, however my son never really followed that schedule, and I found I just wore myself out trying to force it on him. He would actually nurse every 2 hours in the morning, with just a cat nap, then take a giant mid-day nap (like 4 or 5 hours) then cluster feed in the evenings (every hour between 5 and 8 with a cat nap in the middle of it all) then sleep for about 10 hours at night.

Of course, there's always this theory:
Until they're a little older (like 5 or 6 months) I think all the tactics are simply to make you feel like you're doing something about it. Babies will sleep all night when they are ready to. There comes a point where they may need a nudge in the right direction, but it shouldn't take a lot of effort.

Good luck!

I know how tired you must be. But, your baby still needs to be eating at least every 4 hours. One of my kids slept through the night starting when she was 8 months, we never tried to let her cry, I just got up and fed her. With my son, he started sleeping through the night at 5 months and I did have to go through a week or two of lots of night crying to get him to sleep through the night. I hated it. They were both breastfed but weaned at 6 months. Sorry it isn't better news but time flies.

you definantly need to get that babywise book! it worked so well for both my girls who are totally different! the only thing i had a problem with in that book was that they said it would take up to 45 min. for the baby to sleep. now some people take this as you should let them cry that long-of course not! they do say however to continue every 5 min. to rub they're back and let them know they are ok. i noticed after 20 min. of this if my child was not about to sleep then i would change their diaper,rock them and they would always fall asleep and stay asleep. the other points in this book that made so much sense was the fact of the parent making the decisions of when to eat and sleep in combination with the childs needs(there is times when they will be hungrier faster) because if they're feeding and sleeping is on a regular schedule then they're metabolism and brain are developed much better- they go into detail in the book. i hope my rambling helped i can't tell you how passionate i am of this book also growing kids Gods way by the ezzos is wonderful for 3 and up. God bless!

Hi,

Babies under 3 months really SHOULD be waking up through the night because they need to eat around every 3-4 hours; especially breastfed babies. As you know, as your baby grows he will sleep longer through the night. Swaddling is a great tool for helping babies sleep longer.
Also, please do not follow "babywise" it is basically a recipe for NOT feeding your baby when he is hungry but rather by the clock and it is also a recipe for "cry it out". I am so sad for the babies that are made to "cry it out" when they are really asking to be fed just b/c some guy wrote a book saying babies should go 4 hours between feedings :(
Good Luck to you and your baby!!

I have an 8 month old and she started sleeping 8 hours per night at about 5 weeks old and then 10 hours a night starting at about 8 weeks old. She was and still is solely breastfed.

I think the biggest thing for us was moving her to her own crib in her own room. When she was sleeping in our room, she would wake up a lot just because she could hear us (that is to say my husband, snoring). While 2 months old might seem early for cry it out, it doesn't hurt to let them cry for 5-10 minutes if they wake up in the middle of the night just to see if they can put themselves back to sleep (doesn't hurt the baby that is....very hard for Mom to listen to!). (This was recommended by my pediatrician) If they don't go back to sleep, you can try to comfort them without feeding them to see if you can get them used to skipping that middle of the night feeding. You will have to "tank them up" during the last part of the day to make sure they are getting enough to eat, but they can make it if they get used to it. If that doesn't work, then your little one is definitely hungry and needs to eat. It may just take a couple of more months before they're ready to sleep through.

The bottom line is, all babies are different, but you can train them to sleep if you don't run right in at the first whimper and try to comfort them quickly (without picking them up) if you do go in to check on them. Good luck! Hopefully you will be able to get some good sleep soon!

I have an 8 month old and he started sleeping through the night at 2 months. I first took him out of his basinet that I had him in, in my room. It was way to small for him. I did not breast feed with him, he was strictly a formula baby. But at two months old, well even before that, he was eating constantly..so we put just a little bit of rice cereal in his bottles, to fill him up. That was the trick. He's been a big eater since the day he was born.

Just some ideas.

Good Luck!

Breastfed babies are different than formula fed babies. Breast milk goes through the system faster and they need to eat more frequently. Sleeping through the night is considered around 6 hours at a time. 2 months is still really young to even sleep that long. It is actually a good thing that your baby is waking up, it means they are healthy. I really like the www.askdrsears.com website. They are promoters of breastfeeding and have good tips and can set more logical expectations as it relates to sleep.

Get the book babywise. A good schedule helps children set their natural body rythem. I agree with swaddling it will help them sleep longer. In addition a dark room with a sound machine. All great sleeping tools.

I have a 4 month old and he started sleeping through the night around 8 weeks. He is totally breastfed except for the last bottle of the night. I give him a few ounces (2-4) of formula after breastfeeding him b/c formula stays with a baby longer and keeps them from getting hungry as soon. I started doing that at 8 weeks and it has been a miracle saver. He sleeps around 8-10 hours a night, except on the occasional nights that he does wake up. Swaddling didn't work for me and it breaks my heart to hear him cry, so I let him be on his own schedule. I don't know if you are against using any formula, (I know I felt like I was failing him at first) but it makes him happier and I'm a better mom with a little more sleep. I still have to get up and pump in the middle of the night, but at least I know I can go right back to sleep!! I hope you are able to get more sleep soon.
A.

At 2 months, "sleeping through the night" doesn't mean sleeping 12 hours - it means sleeping 4-6. There's a huge difference between a 4 month old and a 2 month old when it comes to sleep. At 2 months, I put my daughter to bed around 10:30, nursed her once in the middle of the night, and again in the morning around 6:30 or 7. Remember that breastmilk is metabolized very quickly - within an hour or two - so babies really need to eat frequently.

Give your child time to grow. Eventually, he/she will sleep longer, but it needs to eat now. It's too early for cry-it-out.

(I'm having trouble responding again, so I have to edit my original message.)

Please don't introduce cereal until your pediatrician okays it. As someone else said, the AAP recommends infants get only formula or breastmilk for the first 4-6 months of life. Rice cereal isn't a sedative, so it in and of itself won't make your baby sleep, and most infant's stomachs can't handle it yet - their digestive systems just aren't ready. Some infants with severe reflux benefit from a little rice cereal somewhat early on, but by and large, it's not recommended. If it's recommended by your pediatrician, you can certainly try it, but I wouldn't try it without a firm recommendation, and wouldn't try it solely for sleep reasons, because it can cause other issues in your child (bad constipation to name one).

You have been given some pretty good advice. I would really like to say that swaddling can change that 3 hour nap at night to 4-5 hours. If a baby isn't hungry it prevents the startle reflex from waking them. If they are hungry they will wake even if swaddled so it is a safe way to give them an extra soothing hour or so (and you too by the way). By 3 months your baby will begin sleeping longer. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recomend anything other than breastmilk or formula for the first 5 1/2 to 6 months though except in cases of severe reflux.
Good luck and be sure to update us on your progress.
K.
The Nesting Place.

I feel like a broken record, becasue I'm always talking about this book, but try reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth. Babywise, Baby Whisperer, etc are good books too, but this book talks solely on sleep, not only for babes, but on into childhood years. It is an awesome resource & it works.

My breastfed son starting skipping the middle of night feeding around 4 months. After reading the aforementioned book, we had him sleeping 12 straight hours a night by the time he was 6-7 months. He is now 14 months and is still sleeping 12 hours a night. The book is not your quick-fix, as it is very detailed and requires concentrated reading time, but is well worth the time investment. It was highly recommended by pediatrician and friends. Good luck!