23 lb 6 month old wont sleep through the night

Busymom104

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 3:35 pm

My baby boy is 6 months old kh. He's a really big guy - weighs almost 23 lbs. He does not need to eat at night. He goes in at 7 (I cannot put him in later, he's already exhausted by 7) but at 4 am he wakes up. I try to let him cry but he wont give in (screams with tears) and after 30 minutes I end up giving him a few ounces and he goes back to sleep till 6:30-7. I have to get up by 6 and if I just let him cry endlessly Ill never get any sleep. Sometimes he'll sleep till 5:30 at which point I give him a full bottle and he ends up falling back asleep on my bed because 5:30 is really to early for him to wake up.
How can I get him past that 4 am wake up? Based on his size (he's almost off the charts) he definitely does not need to eat at night.

sourstix

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 4:00 pm

I agree you can offer him water. but you could put a water bottle in his bed and he will find it there. if he looks around and its near him. but yes I would try the water thing. it could be hes just thirsty. most kids wake up once a night at that age. if not more. its normal.

5*Mom

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 4:31 pm

If he's going in at 7, he does need to eat at 4. That is a long time at this age. He doesn't know about his size. He only knows that his stomach is empty and he feels hungry. Please feed him.

amother

Mustard

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 5:17 pm

The weight thing is only in combination with age!!! It's not meant to be JUST weight based. Many 6 month olds still need to eat in the night. Sounds like he's doing fab for his age.

If anything also a bigger baby needs MORE milk to satisfy their increased hunger, just like many larger people need to eat more than smaller people in order to feel full.

Iymnok

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 5:48 pm

*I* could barely go that long without eating. Give him the bottle and go back to sleep! He's already sleeping 8 hours straight, only you are not.

agreer

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 5:57 pm

I did the water thing with my (smaller) 6 month old earlier this year... it was B"H successful. I took it from the book 12 Hours by 12 Weeks (which has some good tips, but doesn't really get them sleeping at 12 weeks).

First, start by reducing the amount of food you are giving. If you are bottle-feeding, it's easy - just give fewer ounces. Put in 1/2 an ounce less every 3 nights till you get down to 2 oz.

When you get down to 2 ounces, offer water. After a few nights of water, baby should realize it's not worth it.

Oh...but do try to squeeze in those extra ounces throughout the day. The theory is if he eats more during the day, he won't need to at night.

Also...don't go in right away. Give him a few minutes to see if he can fall back asleep.

Good luck!

amother

Purple

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 7:39 pm

My 6 month old is 17 pounds and does same as youra. Goes on around 7.30 or 8 and gets up somewhere between 4 and 5.30 to eat. I would not deprive him of that feeding. He is a baby! It's normal! In my opinion he is sleeping they the night completely. Giving u a nice nice stretch.
Go to sleep earlier urself if u need more sleep.

greenfire

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 7:52 pm

he's still an infant regardless of size ... they don't sleep through the night at this age - but more like 12 months

nobody is considering sending my 2 year old nephew to school because he looks like he's 5

Stars

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 7:58 pm

My six month old was a big baby too and he was waking up every three hours but I didn't dream of stopping his feedings at that point. At ten months I started cutting back but he was not sleeping through the night until a half year later. He was breastfed, if that makes a difference.

sweetpotato

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 8:25 pm

9 straight hours is already a very, very long stretch to stay asleep for a 6 month old! If he's waking up to eat at 4, it's because he's hungry and needs to eat. Is his pediatrician concerned that he weighs too much or is being overfed?

amother

Tan

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 8:33 pm

Please feed your baby
Why would you expect a 6 month old to go 12 hours without food?!?
8 hour stretch is more than "sleeping thru the night"

Last edited by amother on Mon, Feb 12 2018, 12:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Puce

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 8:57 pm

Poor baby .... he is hungry ... at 6 months old it is totally normal to wake Up for a feeding in middle of the night ...... even if he is off the charts he Should not be forced to skip his one midnight feed ....don't forget formula and breastmilk get digested quickly .... Is he getting a lot of solid food at this age ?

Coffee Addict

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 9:07 pm

Op, are you for real? Of course you should feed this poor kid! Please! At this age it's so normal to wake up. He gives you a long strech before which most kids don't. At this age I nurse whenever they wake up, like 3,4 hours strech.

sky

Thu, Feb 16 2017, 9:15 pm

For babies and toddlers 5 am is normal waking time - you might need to get used to it - it can last until they are 6.

I think big babies sometimes need to eat more. Babies that sleep through the night or long stretches at 6 months sometimes need to eat more becuase they are more active and growing a lot. I don't think you can expect a 6 month old to go 12 hours without eating.

baschabad

Fri, Feb 17 2017, 9:03 am

If he's crying to eat, and he can sleep again once he eats then why would you deprive him?
If his cries mean "I'm hungry", leaving him in bed to cry just means "I don't care".

Saying that a chunky baby doesn't need to eat at night is like saying that fat kids can skip lunch. That's not the way it works.

I'm just curious to know what parenting methods or books you have been using that bring you to this conclusion.

5*Mom

Fri, Feb 17 2017, 9:17 am

baschabad wrote:

Well I really do want to know what parenting method taught her this.

That was not a genuine question, that was snark.