| Just my totally inexpert (other than being a mum), non-medical opinion:
* YOUR BABY IS VERY NORMAL
* 5 months is a little young to try controlled crying, but not out of the question if you are desperate
* Is your baby on solids? I would expect a baby to be capable of sleeping through when they are on 3 solid meals a day. Note I say capable, not that they will. Solids aren't recommended until 6 months, but some people start early. I'm not saying you should start solids early in the hope of more sleep. All I'm saying is that I wouldn't expect a baby to sleep through until they are getting 3xsolids a day, although some do.
* If you are bottle feeding, how much does baby take at 3am? If he is only taking a little bit, he might be waking out of habit and it might be time to cut out the 3am bottle. If he is drinking it all, well, it seems he is still hungry.
* What time is his last feed at night? I used to give my daughter a last feed when I went to bed, around 10pm. She wouldn't wake up for this feed. I'd just pick her up and b/feed her. At this age they feed quite well in their sleep. This feed is sometimes called a rollover or dream feed.
All babies are different, but my daughter slept through from about 6.5/7months. By then she was on 3xsolids a day. She continued to wake up at 3am. I gave her whatever comfort she needed to get back to sleep, but didn't feed her. I had a "not before 5am rule". Within 2 weeks she was reliably sleeping through the night.
I dropped the 10pm dreamfeed at about 10 months'ish.
Good luck and I hope this helps. I totally understand that 5 months of not getting a good night's sleep is tiring and I know how you feel.  |