Should I wake them?

Sometimes my babies sleep up to 5/6 hours during the day. And, they are not sleeping as long at night. At night, they do not make it more than 3 hours. Should I wake them up during the day? I want them to learn/start sleeping longer in the night...Does it matter if they are sleeping this long through the day.

thanks!

jen

 

Sometimes my babies sleep up to 5/6 hours during the day. And, they are not sleeping as long at night. At night, they do not make it more than 3 hours. Should I wake them up during the day? I want them to learn/start sleeping longer in the night...Does it matter if they are sleeping this long through the day.

thanks!

jen

 

Ours can also sleep about 5/6 hours during the day and continue to have inconsistent sleep stretches at night. I'm interested in what others have to say.

 

I don't let mine go more than 3 hours during the day between feeds. I rarely have to wake them but today I did and we'll see how it works out tonight!

 

PLEeeease let us know what happens!!

 

Are you saying they are sleeping 5-6 hours straight or all together during the day? If it is straight through then yes, I would wake them up to eat. When mine were younger I would wake them to feed so that they could get enough food during the day so they wouldn't need as much at night, it did work eventually. But yes, I would wake them if they are sleeping 5-6 hours at a time.

 

I would wake them during the day to eat. Maybe try feeding them every 3 hours during the day, and they will go the longer stretches at night.

 

I wouldn't let mine sleep longer than 4 hours at a time at that age.

 

I would absolutely wake them. I was always told to not let them sleep through a daytime feeding. You want their longest sleep to be at night and not during the day. Good luck to you!

 

Yes, yes, yes! wake them. They are so tiny that they need to be reminded that they need to eat. When they are in utero thier bodys know when to nourish. Now it is your turnto let them know when it is time to eat. It's the same a sleep... they don't know how it works so you have to encourage some sort of schedule. Good luck1

 

Mine are on two different schedules. My son came home in July and he was sleeping wonderful at night, like for around 7 hours.
My daughter just came home two weeks ago and she eats every 3 hours by ng tube so she doesnt wake up and no matter how hard I try she won't. He is now on her schedule waking up every 3 hours at night, no matter what I do even if he's in a different room. I am only getting about 4 hours total sleep a night. My DH works 2nd shift, and gets home around 3:30am and we are usually sitting in the chair when he gets home. I think most of her not sleeping at night is due to being in the hospital for so long and being used to someone there every second of the day/night.
I cannot wait to get them on a regular schedule!!

Keri

 

For me 5/6 hours during the day refers to total number of sleep hours. They will do an occasional 2-3 hour stretch during the day.

 

Thank you, Everyone! I am going to wake them today!! YEAH!!!
They have been sleeping 5 hours stretches at one time!?

Keri, how are ng feedings going? My ds had to be on one for a month. It is hard, isn't it? Anyway, when she starts to feed through the bottle, just know it might be tough because she is used to being satisfied without doing any work. It took Jack (son) about 3 weeks to really eat without falling asleep. Let me know if you anything.

jen

 

I never let them sleep longer than 4 hours during the day. They normally didn't go much past 3 hours though at that age cause they were waiting to eat but if they did I would only let them go 4 hours max!

 

This is when their circadian rhythms should start kicking in. Make sure their room is brightly lit during the day, even when they're napping. Evening and night, operate in the lowest light you possibly can. Learn how to change diapers by the moonlight alone.

I was getting so little sleep at two months that I was loathe to wake them at any time. I didn't care if they slept at night or during the day, so long as they slept! The light/dark cues were enough for my girls. I don't think I ever woke them on purpose. They've been sleeping 11 hours/night since five months, so I consider my method successful.

 

4 hours is the longest i'd let mine sleep during the day at that age & they started sleeping through the night (7:30pm-6:30am) the week before they turned 4 mos.

 

I've been faced with this myself. I hate to wake them at any time, but I decided 4 hours is the most I'll let them go during the day.