what really is 'sleeping through'?

[Chatterbox84]

I'd love to hear what your baby does or did at around Aaron's age of 10 weeks...

Ok this may sound like a daft question, but I was talking to another new Mum who was saying her daughter had been 'sleeping through' since she was 8 weeks old - she's only 3 weeks older than Aaron. I told her how jealous I was and asked if I was doing anything wrong, so I told her what Aaron tends to do at night...

In the day, I give him a bottle whenever he wants it - we don't stick to any sort of a schedule and sometimes he'll go 3 hours, others 6. He'll have nearly all of a 150ml bottle, or thereabouts. No matter when he had a bottle previously, we change him into his jammies and give him a final bottle (180ml Aptamil Hungry Baby, though I can't see what difference it has made to the Aptamil First Milk since we introduced it, so we'll see) before settling him down to sleep anytime between 9-10pm. We've had a few nights recently where he's then slept til 3 or 4am, which we were over the moon with as he'd then go back down til 8 ish when he'd wake up and want attention (not milk). The rest of the time he'll wake at around 1.30am (which I attend to) and 5am (which DH does, unless I feel fresh and do it for him!). Now the last couple of nights Aaron's been very bunged up and last night he was actually sick after a feed and Calpol, so I'm ignoring the rubbish sleep he's had!!

When I told my friend all this she said 'oh, he actually sounds like he's doing pretty much the same as she is, only I'm up 4 or 5 times in the night putting the dummy back in' - but she saw that as sleeping through in her case...?

We're not fussed by routines or schedules really, just give him what he needs when he needs it, and the sleeping has just gradually improved over time without us really doing or changing anything.

So what does your 'sleeping through' consist of? Literally 6 hours straight, 10 hours? Or just not needing a feed in an X hour period? Am I right in thinking it'll just happen one day and I'll wake up and check he's still breathing?! I know I shouldn't be bothered by the shoulds and shouldn'ts but I can't help it!!

Hope that makes sense!

(PS. Aaron was born at 39+3 weighing 5lb 15 and was in intensive care for a week, though he is now perfectly on the middle of the centile!)

 

[MissBroody]

I think 5 hours or more is considered 'sleeping through' but personally I couldn't count that as sleeping through. LO going to bed at 10pm and waking up 3am for a feed wasn't my idea of a full nights sleep with LO ''sleeping through'' lol. My idea of sleeping through the night is 10-12 hours or so. So Harrison will go to bed at 7.30pm and wake between 7 and 8am. He's been doing that for a couple of months or so, so if people ask I can say that he sleeps through. At 10 weeks he certainly wasnt sleeping through - he was probably still waking 2 or 3 times for a bottle at that age. I think its something that they become more capable of as they get older, and less about what they've taken in terms of milk that day.
xx

 

[Lellow]

Sleeping through to me is when LO is in bed by seven and doesnt actually WAKE til say 8am....HOWEVER, he is dream fed maybe twice [11pm and say 3-4am] in the night so he doesnt have to wake up of his own accord because of hunger.

Everyones idea of sleepin thru is different tho!

 

[happigail]

sleeping through is a distant memory from about a year ago (before pregnancy!)

no seriously, sleeping through is 12 hours no feeds, but for me it will be dropping any feeds i wake to give so dream feed at 10pm then sleep until 7am (going to bed at 7). i still do 1 feed between 10pm-7am.

 

[pinkandfluffy]

Sleeping through technically for a baby is a period of I think 5 hours...maybe 6, I forget.

To ME, sleeping through would not be getting up to put a dummy in etc, or getting up for anything for that matter. I would class that the same as me getting up to feed him (which I have been doing every 2 hours for Dylan for quite some time now ). Sleeping through would be me putting him to bed at night and going back in the morning

 

[lucy_x]

I think its 6hrs with no wakings at all
i could be wrong though, It may be 8

 

[sept2010]

Sleepin through jus means sleepin at night time for atleast 5 hours with no feed or fussiness.. My lo was sleepin for up to 10 hrs straight at 10 weeks but now wakes up every 3-4 hours!! Sleep regression? Im nt sure bt at such a young age i dnt believe there should be a strict routine..as lo's r changin all the time and so are their needs xx

 

[elephant29]

Hey luv,

My daughter has been sleeping through for about 4 weeks now and just turned 3 months on 20th.

Initially she wouldnt go to sleep until 1/2am and sleep till 10/11ish. Obviously this was fab apart from the late nights (i'm not a night person at all). We decided to introduce a bedtime routine when she was about 9/10 weeks.

We started with bath with johnsons bedtime lotion, massage and 'chat' with OH then I'd take her into our room, dim the lights and BF her. She really took to this and would be asleep by 10pm nost nights, sleeping through til about 9am.

Iver the last 2 weeks though she has begun to chose her own bedtime and it normally about 6pm that she starts to get grizzly. I recognise this is her tired signs. She will get a top and tails (still with the bedtime lotion, her bath is now during the day to make it easier for us), fresh sleepsuit and popped into her babygrown. I swear now when I take her into the bedroom she gets excited as she kws feed and sleep is coming.

Dont get me wrong she will often fight sleep. I must admit to being quite strict about once she is in her bed (moses) she doesnt get back out unless she is crying. I used to pick her up at the slightest wee noise, now I realise this is her way of settling herself to sleep. I will feed her and awake or asleep she goes into her moses. If awake I will lie at the end of my bed so that she knows I am there. I often put my hand on her chest and sshh her. I then leave the room and she has begun to self settle. We may have to pop in to put her dummy in once or twice. Last night she slept from 7pm till 3.30 when she woke for her dummy (first time she's done this trhough the night) and then back to sleep till 6am, up for a feed and back down for a couple of hours. She generally will sleep for about 10 hours now.

Sorry for such a long reply but sometimes looking at someone elses routine in detail can really help. I've picked up loads of tips on here.

xxx

 

[Mrs Mayhem]

Our LO has been sleeping between 9-11hrs every night without waking at all and without dream feeds (we've never dream fed, she would wake for feed initially), She has been doing this since around 5 weeks old, thats what I consider sleeping through!

 

[aliss]

You aren't doing anything wrong. A LOT of babies do not sleep through until even 1 years old - despite what you may hear.

At 10 weeks, OH & I were still taking shifts because he was up around 6-10x a night. We're done to 1 or 2 times at 8 months.

 

[GlasgowAngel]

Since 9 weeks Lewis would go down at around 8.30pm and would wake up anywhere between 10am an 12pm. So for me that really was sleeping through. He now foes to bed about 7.30 and gets up around 8, so less hours but still sleeps through.

 

[NaturalMomma]

Under 1 years old it's considered 5 hours straight. When they are toddlers it should be around 10-12 hours straght, and then when they get older it'll be around 8-9 hours straight. It's rare for a child under 6 months sleep longer than 2-4 hours at a time since they do need to eat in the night, even if they do sleep through. And it's rare for a baby from 6 months to 1 to sleep longer than 5-6 hours at a time. It does happen, but its rare.

 

[DivaSatanica]

To me, sleeping through is long enough that I feel like I've had a nights sleep....lol. Since 13 days old, Bruce has slept from 11 or midnight till 7-8am. Thats sleeping through to me.

 

[Mrs Mayhem]

Under 1 years old it's considered 5 hours straight. When they are toddlers it should be around 10-12 hours straght, and then when they get older it'll be around 8-9 hours straight. It's rare for a child under 6 months sleep longer than 2-4 hours at a time since they do need to eat in the night, even if they do sleep through. And it's rare for a baby from 6 months to 1 to sleep longer than 5-6 hours at a time. It does happen, but its rare.

I've bolded that bit because I'm not too sure it is rare at all. My daughter is 11 weeks old and has slept all through the night since about 5 weeks old. If she was hungry, she would wake (as she did previously) and she's not starving when she has her first bottle of the morning. But I don't think she is showing rare behaviour, I have friends with babies who are within 2-6 weeks of Holly's age and they all sleep at least 6hrs per night

 

[Mollie1]

My lo is 7 months and does sometimes sleep through for 12 hours. This is with a dreamfeed at 1030 but NO other interruptions. Mostly though, he stirs a couple of times for his dummy so I don't class that as a 'sleeping through' night!

 

[aliss]

Also when mine wakes 5x after he is first put down it doesn't count if I haven't gone to bed yet myself But truthfully he has 'slept through' (7pm-5am without waking me) once in his life, a few days ago.

Mine wakes once at midnight and sometimes just at 4am, I pretty much count that as sleeping through!

I make sure to have very low expectations so that I am always pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed!!!

 

[OrangeJuice]

for me its what my LO does right now, she goes down with last feed at 11pm and wakes between 7 & 8am for first feed, and doesnt wake for anything else, this might change however when we stop co-sleeping

 

[littleblonde]

i guess sleeping through is a long period of time that a baby sleeps without waking up. But for me ist was when she went 12 hours

 

[xnmd1]

jarrett goes to bed at 11 or 12 and wakes at 5 or 6 for a feed and i don't consider him to sleep through

 

[annaandoli]

Olivia started to do what i classed as 'sleeping through' from about 5 weeks. i give her her last feed at 11pm-midnight and then she will sleep until 7am. I do have to put dummy back in once or twice but compared to the amount of times we were up with her in the first few wks this feels amazing!! i guess with time she will start going longer but at the moment this suits us all
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