how long should babies sleep

[honey33]

as you know baby is nearly 9 weeks and last 2 days she has gone every 4hrs between feeds... my question is how long should they sleep in day as she woke at 8.30am and was awake still by 12.30pm for her feed and went to sleep at 1.00pm straight after and she is still asleep now at 3.30 and probably will be till her feed at .4.30.... eally want to get a good routine but dont know how and if i wake her then she might go back to 3hourly and really want her to start sleeping longer at night

[roslyn251254]

honey33 - there's no right answer - do what's best for you & your baby! 4hourly routine would be good though!

[albaqwerty]

ooh, it's been a long long time since I had a 9 week old (Congratulations btw)

I don't really know, my midwife said, if they're due a feed at 4pm, say, let them sleep. They'll waken when they're hungry. Didn't see my midwife during nightfeeds mind you.

At 9 weeks, I doubt she'll go back to 3 hourly though.

[NOX]

Don't try to routine babies you'll just end up upsetting their natural clock and they'll wake through the night then. Leave her to sleep as long as she wishes between feeds. I can honestly say that all of my kids slept through the night pretty much straight away using this non method so it does work and a good night's sleep is worth it's weight in gold.

[lilacben]

Hi honey, well going by my two daughters and my seven grandchildren I would say try and get her into a routine to suit yourself. Will she take more milk than you are offering her.? Maybe she isnt getting enough at each feed,? We was always told they will wake up when they are hungry but that is no use if you want her to sleep all night. Try this........work out how many feeds she has a day 24 hours........and the amounts. then plan from say 7am every four fours until last feed.....lets say 10 pm. Hoping then she will sleep all night. Mine both slept from 10 to 6 at two weeks when they came home. You will just have to try different things that suit you. Hope this may be of some help. Every baby is diiferent. xxx

[honey33]

its hard to know what to do.. do i let her do her own hing or do i try and get her to feed at 11pm in the hope that she will eventually sleep through.....she is due a feed at 8.30 4hs which she has been like clock work for last 2 days then 12.30... would you wake her at say 11 to feed or just let her be

[cathfromsaron]

what i did was ensure there was play, tickles, raspberries on bellies etc, colour and noise etc all day, and none at night whatsoever, just nappy and milk!

they soon got into the habit of what was night and day!

[atalanta]

I had 3 babies, and never managed even a day of what's called a routine with any of them. They were all three totally different . One was hideously greedy, but slept like a log, one was a moaner, grizzling all the time whatever you did, one was something like normal. Best not to hope for a routine to develop, so if one does, you can rejoice.

[bednobs]

she probably needs to be a bit older to go through the night. As she is a refluxer, i would let her naturally let her tell you when she is empty enough to need more food. If you wake her up early for it, she will only have room for less and will end up "snacking" rather than taking full meals, then you will be feeding her more often. Babies will often start to "cluster feed" in the evenings just beofre they start sleeping for longer at night. I wouldn't worry too much about a routine - babies routines are constantly changing anyway! My friend told me last week that babies wont start sleeping thru till they weigh at least 12 lb. Not sure if that's just an old wives tale though

[lilacben]

sorry Honey but did you say baby was a refluxer like bednobs said.? only I didnt see that.? Anyway I would wake her up the latest you can this evening, if not too late already, and see how she goes tonight, You didnt say if she is a good feeder or not.? Then see how she goes tomorrow. They do settle down quite quickly and although bednobs said she was told they don;t go through the night until 12lbs I have never heard that before as mine did before that weight. Please let us know how you are getting on with her. brenda xx

[honey33]

the last 2 feeds were 3 1/2 between... she is only taking 110ml each feed where as last week she was starting to take the odd 130- 140 maybe she had a growth spurt then.... she is 9 weeks on wednesday but saying that she was 3 weeks early and it ook her a week in neonatal before they could get her to even take 10ml so really she is 4 weeks behind so in theory she is taking what a 7lb baby of 2-4 weeks is taking

[Smowball]

Ive had babies including premature babies and one with reflux. All slept differently, one slept through at 3 months, another was 5 years old. there is no pattern. I would just let her sleep and feed as she wants at the mo, though I do agree to be more playful and lively with day feeds and very quiet with night feeds. then maybe start to think about trying a more exact routine in another month or two, although babies will do what they want.

[bednobs]

if she was 3 weeks early, you have to think of her like a six week old really (Phoebe was 10 weeks early,so her milestones are adjusted by that amount)