Baby is almost 6 months EFF and waking 2-3 x night to eat

[cloud7eagle]

Baby will be 6 months old in 11 days, he is exclusively formula fed. He is waking up 2-3 times to have a bottle of 4-6 ounces each time. I am exhausted and often unable to wake up in the morning to get my older child to school on time.

He eats around 48-52 ounces in a 24 hour period! He is following his growth chart and pediatrician is not concerned, he told me to just keep feeding him.

Every night he begins to fuss and I immediately get him a bottle and he gulps it down sleepily and goes back to sleep. He doesn’t even seem fully awake when feeding.
I don’t wait for him to fully wake up and start truly crying because then he is wide eyed, bushy tailed and won’t go back to sleep for over an hour.

I have tried sleep training and it isn’t working. He will not settle no matter how long you try.

None of my three other children(3, 5, and 6) were like this, they were already sleeping through the night. My first born slept 10-12 hours straight by this age! (Which I know is abnormal but the others at least slept 6-8 hours straight.)

From what I have read babies waking at this age usually means they are legitimately hungry and it indicates they are ready to start solids.

I don’t know what I am looking for here. Advice, maybe? Perhaps just people to commiserate with.

 

[wantsgirl]

@cloud7eagle I have no advice, but my son will be a year old next month, also formula fed, and we’re still waking up once a night for a bottle. He’s been on purées and we’re just now starting the transition to actual solids but still waking up for that bottle. I know another mom who’s daughter didn’t sleep through the night until over a year. Just know you’re not alone

 

[cloud7eagle]

@wantsgirl Thank you for the solidarity.

How long did it take for your son to only get to the one bottle a night?
I would prefer no bottle at night of course, but 2-3 of them is driving me insane. I don’t even understand how he can eat so much.

 

[wantsgirl]

@cloud7eagle I want to say it was between 4-6 months it was usually one with an occasional second. Once he started rolling to sleep on his side or belly we started co-sleeping and I feel like that helped, I think he was sometimes just looking for contact. I understand co-sleeping is controversial, not recommended by pediatricians, and not right for everyone so I’m by no means recommending/pushing it, just saying what works for us. I don’t know if you’re using a paci, but sometimes he’ll wake up just enough to put his paci in and go back to sleep. One of my girlfriends would put all of the pacis in her sons crib at night so there was always one nearby and she said that did wonders for him to sleep through the night on his own.

 

[cloud7eagle]

Oh, he also refuses to nap unless it is a contact nap. I cannot properly take care of my other children because he will not nap unless I am lying beside him or holding him. And no, a baby carrier isn’t working, he hates that.

 

[wantsgirl]

@cloud7eagle We have the same baby I’m still looking for a remedy for this too, as soon as I try to lay him down he’s instantly awake.

 

[cloud7eagle]

@wantsgirl It is so annoying. They are lucky they are so cute, right?
He will be so tired and as soon as I put him down he is cooing and smiling like he was never tired. Or he will be asleep and then a few moments later he senses he is not being held and starts screaming hysterically.

 

[wantsgirl]

@cloud7eagle Haha exactly! It’s never a problem to lay him down at night for bed, but at nap time? Forget it.

He’s my only one though so I don’t feel quite as inconvenienced as you do. I just tell myself he’s going to be my only one and won’t be this small and cuddly forever so just soak it up. I know I would feel differently if I had other kids to look after though.