Should she be sleeping through the night?

Question

My baby is almost 6 months and she is still nursing 3 times a night, waking up every 4 hours. She takes full feeds and falls back asleep right away a majority of the time. Do you think she should be doing longer stretches of sleep by now? She’ll do longer stretches here and there but it’s mostly feeding every 4 hours. Should I try to night wean her? I’m ebf her, hasn’t started solids yet.

Answer

This sounds normal! No need to change anything!

Answer

Most breastfed babies (not all) don't sleep through the night until around 2+ years old. My youngest turned 3 in March and was still nursing a couple times at night until this week when I decided we're both ready and cut him cold turkey. But even my middle child who was formula fed and didnt do night feeds after 4mo didnt sleep through the night until 13mo. Then he started waking up again and coming into my room to sleep at 2 until about 4.5. My oldest was an amazing sleeper and slept 12hrs straight at 9 weeks old but but around 16mo started waking up again. But realistically there are plenty of older kids, teens, and adults who dont sleep through the night either. They wake up because of a dream, needing to pee, feeling sick, hungry, etc. The belief that babies should be sleeping through the night at 4 or 6 mo is slowly becoming outdated as more research comes out.

Answer

@GlowGPT please help me with this topic!

Answer

Some kids are shitty sleepers. I know thats not what you want to hear, but its the truth.
My first was one of them. I was up several times at night past half a year it was rarely necessary with bottles, but then she couldn't find her pacifier or bonked her head into the crib or whatever. 
She's still the worst sleeper in the house although it has gotten better. But we get up more often due to her being awake at night than our baby being awake. 
I would try and move the feedings at night.
We had a night bottle, one before we went to bed and perhaps one at night until some times past a year old. 
Then we started offering water instead.

Answer

First and foremost, for an infant, a 5 hour stretch is considered "sleeping through the night" so she's not far off. But sleeping longer is developmental. It is not something you can get her to do if she's not ready. Her body is growing very quickly, so its normal for her to need calories through the night. Adding solids does not make them sleep longer. Chances are she'll drop another night feed in the next few months. As she gets closer to one, she may or may not continue to wake at night. My son was ebf and continued to wake for a night feed until he weened at about 17 months, but he also wasn't a great sleeper, so he wanted it to comfort nurse back to bed. You do not really have to do anything, she'll sleep longer when she's developmentally ready to. I know it stinks and you're tired, but she will get there.

Should she be sleeping through the night?

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