getting baby to sleep later than 3:30 or 4AM

[ashwings]

I have a 3 1/2 month old.  He usually gets his last feeding around 9 pm and then falls asleep easily on his own.  He had been sleeping until 5 or so, but lately, he has been waking up at 3-4 AM.  We try a paci, which will sometimes soothe him for a while.  But other days, the paci doesn't work and he continues to cry.  He shows signs of hunger and will take a full bottle at this time.  Should I feed him at this time or is it reasonable to let him cry until I feel it is time for his next feeding (5AM)?  Thanks for any advice!

[wehrli]

that's a really long time for such a little baby to go without eating, IMHO... poor guy is probably starving by 3 or 4 am!

[lilikoi]

I agree with PP. That is a long time to go without eating.

[Bokonon]

No, it is not reasonable for you to decide when your baby is hungry.  If he's crying, he's hungry and should be fed, regardless of the time on the clock or time since his last feeding.

[Mommel]

Originally Posted by Bokonon 

No, it is not reasonable for you to decide when your baby is hungry.  If he's crying, he's hungry and should be fed, regardless of the time on the clock or time since his last feeding.

Agreed. Actually, crying is a LATE symptom of hunger and means your baby has actually been hungry for a while... and is likely starving at that point. Remember, adults and even little kiddos have fat stores of energy to use... babies' fat stores are much smaller compared to what they need in calories to stay at healthy energy levels. Babies need to eat on demand... the concept of feeding schedules, although widely utilized in the past, is based on outdated information.

[IzzyTheTerrible]

Mine is 9.5 months old and wakes up at 3:30 - 5 every morning for a feeding. 

Life gets sooooo much easier if you follow babys lead, on pretty much everything.

[~Adorkable~]

First of all, welcome to Mothering.com glad you found us and congratulations of the new baby!

yes you should feed him!

something to keep in mind is that as your baby grows and specially goes thru growth spurts, what worked for him in the past may not be right for him this week. So the fact that he is suddenly needing an additional feeding is not strange. he is growing so fast at this point in his tiny life.

most if not all babies that age can not go 8 hours between meals, heck a lot of adults can't! it is very normal for him top need food and you should definitely feed him when he wakes sand asks for it. babies for the most part will not over eat and only know to ask for what they truly need.

let us know how it goes!