Pediatrician has given the green light to sleep train if we choose to, simply because weight gain is not an issue and baby is already taking rice in bottle and eating baby food. Pedi said by 6 months there is no reason baby should still be taking bottle during the night. (And my sanity is about gone as well lol)
It’s getting out of hand with night wakings and feeding. Our baby is definitely over eating throughout the night and spits up frequently. Currently eating 8+ ounces throughout the night, waking up every two hours or less, anywhere from 30 mins - 2 hours to get settled back to sleep
nighttime routine is consistent. Same time every night after bath, rocking, and bottle. Currently rocks to sleep and is laid in crib.
Baby does not and will not take pacifier. The only way to currently calm her is with a bottle and rocking. Hoping to SUCCESSFULLY have baby sleeping through the night or long stretches without waking to feed and learning to self soothe.
***please send some advice my way if you have successfully done cry it out, checking in method, or how you were able to wean your baby from the night feedings. With our now 4 year old, I waited until almost a year to begin cry it out because he was still waking every 3 hours and would eat almost 8 ounces every time. It was unsuccessful, inconsistent, and we ended up cosleeping until he was almost 3 (he was in his own crib before starting sleep training lol) It was a nightmare and it feels like we’re heading in that direction again with baby number 2
This infant is too small for this. Every parent sacrifices at minimum 6 months of sleep. For one of mine it was the entire year. It is just how it is when you have an infant. All babies are different. Some people are lucky and theirs sleep all night at 4 months …most do not.
Hang in there and if too tired get some help.
This time will go fast and you will think back on it wistfully.
Curious what the rush is? You potty training next month? Babies do not have the mental acuity to be spoiled, or want something because they want it. They have two states: content/not content. Seems rather rushing your way through the process for personal inconvenience not whats best for the baby. Really wondering if you are too selfish to have kids. And I say that as a mom.
You’re over feeding your child by using the rice cereal, they’re likely waking from tummy pains. Their tummies aren’t ready for solids that early, it’s “old school” thinking and I’m surprised the pediatrician is okay with it.
I put rice cereal and bananas in both my babies bottles. They stayed fuller longer. I used the lavender nite time bath and then swaddled them.My oldest son started sleeping through the night at 4 months old. She asked for help not to be judged.
If you do anything you need to try oatmeal. Rice is terrible for baby and I’ve not met one baby that young that didn’t wake up at night… forced sleeping through the night or even sleeping through the night is higher risk of SIDS. She’s just doing what she is suppose to at night and waking… at least once a night… I got 3 kids and one cleft affected and none slept through the night
Some babies sleep all night straight off the bat some babies don’t sleep through the night until they are 2/3/4 years old.
Your baby I know but please don’t let him/her cry it out. 4 (almost 5months) isn’t old enough for him/her to understand that you are/aren’t coming back to them. Best of luck.
She will get there. My daughter is 15 months and not all of the way sleeping through the night but getting more content, she’s just now getting to where her “night” bottle has gotten to be 6am-ish before drinking it
There’s other ways to give rice cereal. Like in a bowl and spoon feed it? But like honestly not at all until 6 months because your baby can’t even digest it. Please for the love of god don’t “sleep train” a 5 month old.
Find a new ped.
I’ve been there and it’s exhausting to wake up every 2 hours. i did it both my kids till they were older… it’s hard when ur sleep deprived… not everyone is as fortunate to get those babies to sleep through out the night!!
My girls slept through the night, my son did not. I did not feed him if I knew he wasn’t really hungry, he was just wanting comfort. He slept with me. Try just giving water in the bottle.
I hate baby rice cereal and baby oatmeal! Everyone thinks because it has baby attached to it that it must be for baby but it’s empty calories that expand their bellies. The cereal is meant to just teach them to use their mouths to manipulate food so when they hit a year they can eat regular food! Some people try and use it for a main source of food when breastmilk and formula are meant for that! Look up baby led weaning for food. That’s what we did with twins and they were fine by 1 and above where they should have been for eating food. Also cosleeping until they are a little bit older is ok. I would say until they are like 7-8 months then having crib in your room. It’s proven that cosleeping and sleeping in the same room as you decreases their chances of SIDS by almost 40-50%!!! My twins still share a room with me but not a bed. We transitioned from cosleeping to in your own bed at 1! There is no way to spoil a baby because they are new to the world and are just scared. Try using a white noise machine too because that also helps baby sleep longer. We did the heart beat one until they were 18 months old then switched to plain white noise. So far getting two babies to sleep has been flawless for us! Hope any of this helps!
I don’t think 4 months old is old enough to go 8hrs without a bottle… She’s just a baby and a bottle isn’t like a full meal that takes hours to digest, it’s liquid so it moves through the stomach fast. Also, the rice cereal you are putting in her bottle could be giving her tummy pain and waking her up in the middle of the night. I don’t think cereal is recommended until they can sit because they can’t digest it.
Feed thicker cereal mixture with spoon before bed. Like 1 ounce formula mixed w/ 2 tablespoons cereal & fruit. Then feed 4-6oz bottle followed by bath then bed.
It worked for my oldest 2. They slept thru the night from 3 mths on.
I have no advice unfortunately I have five kids under seven and my youngest is currently 4 months old I put him to bed at 9:30 he wakes up at 10:00 goes back down at 11:30 he just wants to play during those times and he stays asleep until 3:45 where he wants an ounce or two of milk and then the paci after that I don’t hear Pete from him until 9:00 in the morning he takes the 6 oz bottle and then he passes back out until noon lol every single one of my kids has been this way and I don’t know what I did to get them that way
My Pediatrician told me to do the same thing. The way I broke him from wanting a bottle in the middle of the night…I started giving him water when he woke up in his bottle. I definitely didn’t want him to be thirsty and wait hours if that really was his issue. Within a week he was sleeping during the night because water was definitely not what he wanted. Lol
What a load of judgmental comments one size doesn’t fit all!!
We used sleep training on both our children and it worked great… we got more sleep, babies got more sleep and everyone was happier.
We’ve always used a book called Baby Secrets by Jo Tantum. She uses a method called ‘spaced soothing’ so you never let the baby completely cry it out. You go in every few minutes with increasing time in between… after 2 weeks both ours slept at least 8 hours then we after dropping the dream feed at 11pm… they slept from 7pm to 7am.
Good luck mumma and don’t listen to the judgement
Umm so first off it’s biologically normal for your baby to still be waking to feed overnight until they are a year old. You are most likely over feeding by giving the rice, at 4months old their gastrointestinal system is NOT ready for anything other than Breastmilk/Formula. In a 24 hour period that includes over night your child should be taking in from 28 to 30 Oz that does not Include any type
Of baby food. Breastmilk/Formula is their MAIN source of nutrition until 12 months. Solids should be started after ALL signs of readiness at or after 6 months. In terms of Sleep Training the newest recommendations and training that Peds will go through tell them 6 months or later before Sleep Training as sleep is developmental. While yes it sucks waking a lot during the night it’s completely normal as well the fact that at 4 months there is a asleep regression and another large one at 6 months. They are associated with brain and developmental leaps, it’s ok as much as it sucks.
This is probably the worst place to come for this type of advice. Nothing but judgmental ass people! I just started sleep training my almost 5 month old. The first 2 days were the worst but I’d go in every 5 mins if he started crying, do not pick the baby up. I’d pat his stomach and tell him I love him and it’s night night time, he’d calm down and start dozing off. I would repeat if he started crying longer than 5 mins. That was last week, since Saturday I can lay him down by himself and he has been sleeping from 9:30-10:00 pm until 7:30-8:15 am. Just be consistent and it’ll work
Probably stomach cramps coz ur over feeding to get baby to sleep. It’s a baby, they do tend to wake during the night…a lot! Seems to be an inconvenience to u that baby is wakening and ur doing this for your own wants and needs rather than baby’s needs.
I was blessed. My boy started sleeping through the night when he was 2 weeks old. My boyfriend said it was because I slept so hard, I didn’t hear him. I dunno but, he is healthy, polite, married…apparently he is fine. Also, I did have rules for overnights. If he got up, fine, change him, feed him, put him back to bed. No unnecessary play. Once they start setting up at 2 and 4, it’s a hard habit to break, just like adults. You do you when you feel it’s time. You’ll tell by results or non results if it’s working. Good luck!
What pediatrician told you this because I highly doubt any credible medical professional will tell you its okay not to feed your 4 month old during the night. You cannot sleep train a 4 month old. It must have been the same one that approved you putting rice cereal in an infants bottle. It’s a major choking hazard. Baby shouldn’t be given rice cereal at all let alone in a bottle. SMH.
Rice is unnecessary/not safe, look up sleep regression, alot of babies don’t sleep through the night til 2 years old, you’re a parent it will be alot of sacrifices. Cry it out is not recommended by aap you’re pediatrician is giving you outdated and bad advice
Find a good pediatric chiropractor. If your baby is spitting up then they may have some reflux issues. Chiropractic can help with this as well as just more restful sleep in general. Taking your child to the chiropractor regularly will strengthen their immune system and keep them from getting colds and ear infections. And if the do fall I’ll it won’t last as long.
4 months old is too young to be doing rice cereal and 4 months old is also too young to stop bottles through out the night … please find a pediatrician that will not give you that kind of information
My doc said 3 months or 12 lbs and they would sleep through the night feeding. They did. They slept from 11 to 6 am. After feeling like a zombie for 3 months I considered it a win. Don’t expect an infant to sleep 10-12 hours without waking to eat.
I think you need a new doctor. Rice in the bottle should only be given for acid reflex. Your over feeding your baby by giving rice in the bottle overnight. When the baby cries she’s wanting to be heald, don’t pick her up, just give her the bottle. She’s too young for sleep training.
Rice cereal is not recommended to feed babies period. I’ve been with the same pediatrician for nearly four years and he is constantly warning new parents about the dangers. I strongly recommend that you research virgin gut and find a new pediatrician.
Babies need comfort day and night…sleep training shows them that they need to comfort themselves and they’re just not capable of that especially not at such a young age. Babies also shouldn’t be getting any solids until 6 months and showing signs of readiness. Being tired sucks, but it’s one of the main things that come with being a parent…you just rest when you can. They will eventually sleep through the night but to expect it at 4 months is sort of silly. They’re still learning to live outside of the womb and are just “waking up” out of the fourth trimester.
Idk what it is but it seems to me that as times gone on parenting babies is becoming more and more of an inconvenience and mothers are becoming more and more selfish at earlier and earlier ages. You have a baby, the baby has needs and those needs supercede yours everytime. You baby is 4 months old and their primary source of food is LIQUID, which is why they have to eat more often. Rice provides what nutritional value? Its a filler, same as bread for us. You already have a child and you’ve never heard of sleep regression? Cluster eating? Let me guess, you’ve never heard of a growth spurt either huh?
You could be over feeding or your baby could be having some tummy/reflux issues. If your baby is only using the bottle as a way to soothe themselves to get back to sleep then you might be able to let them cry it out. Don’t pick them up just let them know you are there but that they are staying in the crib. It will probably be bad for a couple of nights. You could also try water at night instead (forget what age they can have water so check that first). If it’s really because they are hungry or having some stomach issues cry it out won’t work cause they are waking up for a different reason. They are kind of young still so it’s hard to say.
We had the same issue going on with my now six month old. At three months we did a modified sleep training. We put him down to sleep tired but awake for a few days for naps and at the beginning of the night. That way I was fully confident that he was full. He cried about 15 minutes each time for the first two days and then went to sleep. He started only waking up once or twice in the night to eat. He was waking because he didn’t know how to put himself back to sleep and was depending upon me to do it.
Get a new pediatrician. My babies took their bottles in the night if they woke up till they were 1. Even still my baby is 1 and if she wakes up I give her milk. But 6 months old stop night feeds?? That’s starving your child
I put rice cereal in my daughters bottle very young. She has acid reflux and our doctor told us too. It helped tremendously. My doctor was old school and been practicing for over 50 years. I don’t know why everyone freaks out when they hear of someone putting rice in the babies bottle. They’ve been doing it for a long ass time. Before half of them were even born. I bet you all don’t agree with peppermint water either huh?? My daughter is 15 and son is 9. Put rice cereal in both of their bottles and they both are fine. You do need to cut a bigger hole in the nipple of the bottle tho. Also tilt them more upright then laying down while feeding.
You need a new pediatrician. My babies were not on cereal till mos . They still got one night feeding around midnight and then 6am at 4 mos. Saying a 4 month old should just cry it out is ridiculous at that age…
This was just absolute trash. If you weren’t able to go without sleep you shouldn’t have had a baby? This is literally part of being a parent. This poor baby, I feel bad for it.
By 4 months both my kids were on semi solids and did not require a bottle during the night. They got a drink of water…the idea being they wouldn’t like it so would stop waking to be fed…unfortunately didn’t work well with mine because they enjoyed the water and still take a drink to bed now as adults. But it did give comfort to suck and snuggle
It may be old fashioned advice by todays standards but babies needs dont change.
Powered baby rice or rusk …its what we all used . Its not dangerous or a choking hazard …its what we were advised to start weaning on. I did use it in a bottle …sterile needle to enlarge the hole…but found it better to give half the bottle then spoon feed the rusk/rice (mixed to a smooth paste with formula from the feed,) then continue with the bottle. Obviously the amount was small to start and the milk reduced .
Every baby is different. They reach stages at different times and if there’s a problem then you stop and try again at a later date…but if baby is eating a good diet large bottles of formula will cause too much weight gain .
I think that 8 oz is too much for a 5 month old. You should picture their stomachs smaller than a fist, so they aren’t going to eat as much. My daughter is almost 7 months and wakes up once in the night to have a bottle so I usually fill it with partial rice. I think most of it is that it soothes her because she hardly drinks it and falls right back asleep, which is weird because she never took to a chupi she was a great baby the first five months and slept for nearly 10 hours straight maaaaan it was the best!
Babies go through phases. She’s probably going through a growth spurt? You’ll figure it out. We all do. It all comes with motherhood
YOUr pediatrician is a gooftard. Because my baby’s fixing to be 8 months old, she has a schedule, and she still wakes up throughout the night. My other child is three and she still wakes up periodically throughout the night. Maybe if it’s such an inconvenience to you, you just shouldn’t have children.
Also, you should research sleep training. Because in multiple studies, having your baby cry it out for long periods of time has caused infants to have brain issues. As well as separation anxiety. Also, babies that cry and cry and cry and cry can actually choke on their own air. So if it’s such an inconvenience to you to be a mother and actually have to get up and do work with your child, then you just don’t need to have children.
How bout you learn to parent instead? Babies need to eat through the night they have tiny stomachs! You’re stuffing your baby so full no wonder they’re upset! Being a parent means dealing with some inconveniences- if you’re not ready to do that then don’t have a baby. And Ffs don’t put rice in a damn bottle!
A. That baby is too young to stop night feeding or even to think about not having a bottle at night. B. Cry it out is not a great idea! How crappy would you feel if your child cried so hard she passed out Bc she couldn’t stop to take a breath?C. Children do not and will likely never sleep through the night until they reach the double digits. I have 4 children and my oldest 2 are just not sleeping through the night. Stop trying to rush things on your baby. Enjoy this time because it does not last forever and D. Get a whole new dr Bc this one sounds like a quack
That baby wakes up in the night you feed, change and snuggle as often as it needs. Get a fricken new pediatrician because you’re putting the health and wellbeing of your baby in the hands of a moron. Pleeeeeease!
My son’s been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks.
He had acid reflux so our pediatrician had him adding rice cereal to his bottles early to combat the acid reflux.
When we switched him to a crib we had to do the CIO for two nights. He would cry for about 5 minutes then stop and go to sleep. He is an amazing self soother now and sleeps happily every night on his own in his own room. 2.5 years old now and has only slept in bed once with us because he was very sick. If your pediatrician gave you the green light ignore all these other people that aren’t doctors. I listened to mine, did what he said, and for a great sleeper because of it.
I personally think that one night feeding at this age isnt too bad but every two hours is a lot. Usually by this age I feel they would be sleeping through the night or close to it. Only my opinion , and I’m a little older now. Lol. I raised four and my baby is 24. Boy have things changed!
Take a breath.
First. How much is baby eating in one sitting? And how much in a 24 hour period?
Those are two big things. If your baby is only taking a couple ounces at a time you don’t want to cut out night feeds until they’re taking enough during the day to “make up” for those night feeds. Contrary to popular belief formula fed babies can and do cluster feed particularly during growth spurts.
Second. Why the rice cereal in the bottle? If it’s for acid reflux, then it may not be enough.
That is one reason babies will overeat (if he’s truly over eating), because the acid reflux is temporarily sated while eating. Make sure you’re burping every couple ounces and keeping baby upright for about 20 minutes after a feed.
I know it’s super frustrating, but try to remember that at 4 months babies just don’t know better.
I would totally recommend takingcarababies for a sleepntraining course. We moved our little man in his room when he was 5 months old (3 months adjusted) at that time he was sleeping about 6/7 hours and then having a bottle and going back down for another 3/4 hours. I started sleep training when he was around 8/10 weeks old and it this the best thing I ever did for my sanity. By 6/7months he was sleeping between 8 and 12 hours a night.
Also baby rice in the bottle helped us a lot for his spit up and reflux. We did it until he was 12 months and always grateful for his doctor advising that at a young age.
Some of these questions make me ill…why eveb have a child if you do not even want to take care of it’s basic needs??? So many people would give anything to be blessed with a child. This is literally neglect snd abuse and I wish I knew the location bc I would call the authorities myself
Don’t! It’s a liquid diet and soooooo many growth spurts! Baby is gonna be hungry! Put baby in bed with you if you want sleep that bad. How would you feel if you were only 4 months old and put in a crib to cry all night and nobody came in to see you??? Pediatricians are there for medical advice not parenting advice!
My son is 3 months old. I don’t do sleep training but I have try to adjust him to a regular schedule afternoon-nights. He takes naps more in the afternoon than in the morning. At 5-6 PM he takes a bottle and goes to sleep until 9 PM. Sometime she fights his sleep during this bottle and wakes up after I put him down on his crib, what do is I Pat him gently on his butt and he goes back to sleep but if he wakes up again upset I hold him until he goes back to sleep. I don’t believe in the crying out or any method that puts your baby to unnecessary discomfort just because “ I want to get my sleep back” because in reality that is never going to happen again. No judgment but try slowly and don’t mandate a training on your almost 5 month old baby. I started by making him fell asleep while I lay him awake on his crib and I Pat him until he fell asleep, I try to make him naps around the times I needed to get stuff done and at first it’s always hard but if you’re consistent your baby will get used to it trust me, it’s more effort on your end than your baby because he has no idea about what you’re doing with him to be honest. You do what you think is best for your baby mamma but 1 night feeding for your baby at this age is normal , my baby wakes up twice to feed 9 PM and goes to sleep until 3-4 and wakes up again for a feed and then our day starts after 9 am
My daughter was the same way try changing formulas I had to use the nutramigen its for fussy babies with stomache issues and colic and lactose free but Walmart had brand that is 20 bucks for a large can this helped the puking the crying and the not sleeping thru the nite because I was in the same boat about to loose my mind u could also try soy formula
My baby has just turned 7 months and had a 2am bottle up until last week. He has 2 meals a day and 6 7 ounce bottles then has 2 9 ounce bottles before bed this has been the same since he was 5.5 months. It became habit to wake up and when I started a few sips of water each time in place of milk he stopped waking. Sleep training teaches your baby you won’t be around if he/she cries and you no longer become a safe place. In the uk it’s 100% not recommended
Some babies just don’t sleep through for different reasons not just hungry. If you put he/she on the floor and crying started you’d pick he/she up why be any different in a cot just because you want sleep you knew you wouldn’t be getting when you got pregnant?
I’m sure this is old-school but it worked for me. My pediatrician at the time told me that it was fine to let them cry for 20 minutes. After the first couple nights, letting them cry for up to 20 minutes worked, they both slept through the night. Also, if they wake during the night do not rush in there to get them, some babies will fall back to sleep on their own. Over time, they will learn to self soothe.
Feed baby if baby is hungry. Lots of growing happening with the little one. Sleep arrangements are up to you. I did the cry it out method with my oldest and ended up cosleeping with my two Littles (13 year age gap between oldest and Littles, I’m getting soft in my old age )
Change to hungry baby milk and no baby rice in the bottle! Baby should be eating solids from when they are fully independent and sitting upright well. Too early can cause digestive issues. You need to change your pedi!!!
We sleep trained & crib trained at 4 months old. Started with naps then onto overnight. We never adjusted feeds or anything. Up every 2 hours for a while then she got a 4hr sleep period then a 6 hr until she wasn’t up at night anymore around 7 months. Highly recommend starting at 4 months the older they get the harder it is
Baby is way to small. You will end up having a dehydrated baby that’s why breastfeeding is upto 2 years for a reason. Even if we don’t do it. My son 5 now only stopped to ask for something to drink after 3 years old. You need to get your baby a different doctor before it’s to late
My son is 2 and still doesn’t sleep through the night sometimes. He still wakes up and cries for momma because he needs that comfort. You cannot rush a BABY to sleep through the night. Especially at 4 months old. Yes being tired is hard on all of us. But it comes with being a parent…
it changed my life.
one size doesn’t fit all!!
absolute trash. If you weren’t able to go without sleep you shouldn’t have had a baby? This is literally part of being a parent. This poor baby, I feel bad for it.
she was a great baby the first five months and slept for nearly 10 hours straight maaaaan it was the best! 
This is way to young.
but 1 night feeding for your baby at this age is normal , my baby wakes up twice to feed 9 PM and goes to sleep until 3-4 and wakes up again for a feed and then our day starts after 9 am
u could also try soy formula
the older they get the harder it is