New moms can have a hard time getting enough sleep since their babies wake up frequently to be fed. However, as the baby gets older, she will be able to sleep for longer and longer stretches, eventually sleeping through the night. There are a few steps you can take to make this more likely to happen.
Significance
Newborn babies are not biologically able to sleep through the night. Before your baby can sleep through the night, he needs to be able to eat enough at one feeding to last him through the night. He also needs to get a more ordered pattern to his sleep, which takes a few months to occur. This means a mother will be getting up for nighttime feedings until her baby is at least 4 months old.
Time Frame
For the first couple of months you can expect your baby to wake up every 2 or 3 hours to be fed, according to WhatToExpect.com. Once babies are 2 or 3 months old, they will be able to sleep for stretches of 5 to 6 hours. Four-month-old babies or those that weigh at least 11 lbs. should be able to sleep 7 or 8 hours at a stretch, and this is definitely the case for 6-month-olds.
Considerations
Some babies have their nights and days confused, which makes it so that they want to stay up all night. If this is the case with your baby, keep the house bright and keep the baby more active during the time he is awake during the day, and keep the house dim and keep things low key when he wakes up at night, according to Parents.com.
Babies also need to learn how to soothe themselves to sleep, so don't rush in to pick her up right away, especially if she doesn't physically need a feeding during the night. Wait a few minutes and see if she manages to get back to sleep on her own.
Prevention/Solution
If you have a set bedtime routine, keeping your baby active during the day, making sure he doesn't nap too long during the day and putting him down while still awake but drowsy, it will be easier to get him to sleep through the night, according to MayoClinic.com. Other steps you can take to move your baby toward sleeping through the night include waking him and feeding him right before you go to bed, stretching out the time between nighttime feedings and shortening nighttime feedings, according to WhatToExpect.com.
Warning
Don't add cereal to your baby's bottle to try to get her to sleep through the night, as starting solids too early can lead to food allergies, and she could choke on this food or end up eating too much if you do this, according to WhatToExpect.com. You should make sure she gets plenty to eat during the day, however, so she is less likely to be hungry at night.
