Sleeping Through the Night

My Mom said that she used the book "Baby Wise" with my last two siblings, and it worked great for her. I decided to try it with our son and it DID work great! Some people think it's a little too scheduled, but it kept us sane. The basic low-down of Baby Wise is:

Week One:
The first couple of days, demand feed - every time the baby cries, feed him. This establishes your milk supply. After your milk comes in (3-5 days), feed every 2 to 2 1/2 hours and try to get a full feeding in. Do your best not to let him fall asleep during the feedings. (Otherwise he will want to graze all day long!) A "full feeding" means something different for each baby. Some babies get enough after three minutes on each side and others need fifteen. The key is to listen for when you are empty. "Suck, swallow" or "suck, suck, swallow" means they are eating. Wait until you hear "suck, suck, suck, swallow." If he is hungry before two hours and wants to eat, then he didn't get a full feeding. Our first son spat up a lot (which I later found out can be an indicator that baby is getting too much milk). The first week, it's important to wake him up if he doesn't wake up after 2 1/2 hours (during the day). This establishes his days and nights. However, let him sleep up to five hours during the night.

Week Two - Four:
Feed every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and let him sleep up to five hours (between feedings) at night. It's important to stick to these times to establish lactation during these early weeks. After each daytime feeding, try to keep him awake for 10-45min before putting him down for a nap. This Feed/Wake/Sleep cycle during the day is important.

Weeks Five - Eight:
Feed every 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours during the day and let him sleep up to nine hours (between feedings) at night. Continue the Feed/Wake/Sleep cycle during the day and most babies will begin sleeping through the night on their own.

Weeks Nine...:
From this time to six months, I fed him at 6a, 9a, 12p, 3p, 6p, and 9p. If he didn't wake up by 6a, I would wake him up to get him on the schedule. I kept him awake after each feeding except the 6a and the 9p. This was just easier for me to remember what time to feed him, instead of wondering when I fed him last. It may be a bit scheduled for some people, but it worked great for me.

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Here is a blog that goes into more detail.
http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/