4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

I am exhausted and have to go back to work in a few weeks. He goes down early between 7-8, usually give me a 6 hour stretch, then is up two times during the night to eat. Then is up for the day at 7, takes a cat nap at 8. He doesn't nap well at all, he's a catnapper. Takes 4-5 catnaps throughout the day.

It just seems not right that he's still this hungry throughout the night????
any suggestions????

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

that sounds very normal for that age.

a 6 hour stretch is awesome actually!

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

Completely normal. Most babies still need that middle-of-the-night nourishment till 6 months or so. My ped once told me that until they are a year old, they can be hungry at night. There is so much to see and do during the day, that nighttime feedings are usually the best ones in terms of how much they are actually eating.

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

at 15w, DS is taking 1 bottle in the night

BUT, he is all of a sudden waking a ton

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

totally normal!

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

i have heard that this is normal, but i think you can get longer stretches.

you could try to push the bedtime back a bit? that way the 6hr stretches are more when you're sleeping too. maybe there can be a cat nap at 7 and a feeding then bedtime at 10 or 11. or 12, whatever will work for you.

your DC might be USED to waking up at that time during the middle of the night, rather than being HUNGRY. are you sure your DC is waking because of hunger?

it could be teething, it could be sleep regression which happens around this time. but i think it might be because their little bodies get used to doing things . let your DC fuss it out if you can and see if he can soothe himself back to sleep.

in regards to naps, my 4mo DD takes 3-4 naps a day lasting about 45-1hr throughout the day too. thats fairly normal!

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

Maybe "normal" but not necessary. I really think it best to identify what is really at issue, is he really hungry? Or is he looking for somme company? Is it teeth? etc...

Is he getting enough bm/formula during day? How long between feedings? If he's going less than 4 hours between feedings, try to gently extend the time each feeding. The reason for this is that it takes 4 hours for tummy to empty, this ensures he eats what he needs at the next feed, and not just enough to keep him happy.

Track how many oz he's taking, try to get him to take that much during day.

Here is something else I've learned recently. How well does he play on his own? Teach and encourage self play. DS wakes up in middle of night, fiddles withhis lovey and goes to sleep. I was always amazed how he did this. When my mom watches him, she will often leave him alone on playmat, and only come over if he's in distress. It seamed cold to me, but I am convinced its why he's so easygoing. She's a rigid schoolmaster, but after I get over it, I praise the techniques for their long term effects.

Re: 4 month old waking every 3-4 hours to eat??

DS is 4.5 months and he woke up at 3am to feed. My PED said it is out of habit and I said even though he DOWNS 6oz! She said yes. SOOO..he woke up at 3am to feed I just put him back down he woke up at 4 put him back down...I did that for 2 days and now he is sleeping 9-7 or 8am. We cut out the night bottles, so it def was out of habit. He didnt NEED it, he was using the bottle as comfort.