Sleep Through Night-

So I'm confused by what people are calling "sleeping through the night." To me, this means that is uninterrupted sleep (no more feedings or cuddles or anything until the morning). However, it seems that some people say they're child is sleeping through the night but still feeds once or twice. That's still sleeping through the night? I don't get it? Please let me know what the definition of sleeping through the night is to you?

Lanie

 

To me if you are getting up to feed once or twice a night, that is not sleeping through the night. I agree with you, sleeping through the night is not waking up for anythig until morning.

 

For us, sleeping through the night is asleep with no feedings after 10 or 11. Both my babies go down at 7, we dreamfeed them at 10:30, then DS sleeps until 7:30 a.m. while DD usually gets up around 4 for quick bottle. Therefore, DS sttn and DD does not.

 

A lot of people seem to define it differently. I remember reading something in HSHHC where he talks about babies starting to go 5-6 hrs at night w/o feeding, and says "Some call this 'sleeping through the night'"... (One of those great confusing parts of HSHHC! ) But I'm with you - IMO STTN means on their own from bedtime until waking up for the day.

 

QUOTE
To me, this means that is uninterrupted sleep (no more feedings or cuddles or anything until the morning).


That is how I define it!

 

To me, "sleeping through the night" means that a child regularly sleeps 11 hours (give or take) without waking to eat, snuggle, etc. Happens at different times for different people, that's for sure.

 

I remember at my babies 2 week appointment my pedi told me that around 6 weeks or so the babies might start to "sleep through the night" which at 6 weeks would mean sleeping 5 - 6 hours, or skipping 1 feeding. Well 6 hours of sleep doesn't really feel like "sleeping through the night" to me. I define it the same as you, no cuddles, no waking up for bottles, nothing, for 8 hours or so. From the time you put them down for the night until the morning.

 

i never understood 5-6 hours being sttn. i always thought it was putting them to bed at a decent time (for us it's no later than 6:30 pm) and not hearing from them until morning. no cuddles, paci reinserts, feeding, etc. seems more like 12 hours instead of the defined 5-6. i guess when you are so sleep deprived & desperate for any stretch of sleep, it helps to think that 5-6 hours is the sleeping milestone! and at the time, it feels like it! man, does 12 hours sure beat those 5 or 6!!!

 

I will be happy for the 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, but that is not sleeping through the night. I am with everyone else, 8 hours or more is sleeping through the night.

 

THANK YOU! for this question as it was confusing for me too. I would read posts saying the babies are sleeping through the night but get up to feed twice. :huh: - IMO - that's not sleeping through. I'm with you - if my girls go down at 6:30 pm and I don't see their beautiful brown eyes until 5:30 am - they've slept through the night. period. (which by the way started happening a week before Christmas - then everything disrupted AGAIN!! grrr...) Thanks for the question as it helped clarify things for me too.

 

Sleeping thru the night, to me, is 8-12 hours of uniterrupted sleep with no waking with crying for cuddles, feedings, etc. DS and DD both sleep through the night now...But at different times. DD goes down at 7pm while DS goes down more like 8 or 8:30pm. They both wake up at 7-7:30am though. Sometimes even 8am! I've been lucky and they have been sttn very early on than typical babies. I think it runs in the family, lol...My mom said I sttn at 3 weeks old as well as my siblings