Need Some Advice Re: 5 Month Old and Waking at Night

My 5 mo old also feeds twice--occasionally 3 times-- in the night. I have identified the times she's really hungry; if she wakes outside these, we put her back to sleep without feeding.

We figured out when she was really hungry because at some times, if we don't feed her, she'll go back to sleep but wake every sleep cycle until I nurse her (after that, she'll sleep a few hours straight). She's waking because she's hungry, and the waking is solved by feeding. However, if she wakes at 9:30, say, she can and does go back to sleep for a few hours before she needs to eat.

You'll hear a lot of moms talking about their babies sleeping through the night at this age. Don't let that discourage you. It's totally normal for a baby to still eat in the night up 'til 1 year old.

You might try pushing back her first nighttime feeding (babies usually sleep the longest in their first stretch) ... say, try just putting her back to sleep without feeding until 1 am (if she sleeps 8-1, that's a 5-hour stretch with is technically considered "sleeping through the night"). See how she does with that. I'm not at all a fan of letting a baby go hungry, so if she does seem really hungry, feed her! Every baby eventually gives up their nighttime feeds when they're ready. :)

I have a 21 month old and 7 month old and went through the same issue. I co-slept with the 1st until she was 7 months old and the 2nd until he was 3 months old, before moving them to their own crib. Just this week I finally have my 7 month old going 13 hours/night with zero feedings. Around 5 months, he was waking 2-3 times per night, so I eliminated one feeding at a time. As long as you are getting enough calories in her during the day, she shouldn't be hungry. The experts (I think I've read every book out there on sleep and even consulted with baby sleep consultants) say that babies can physically sleep through the night as early as 4 months, but I didn't feel comfortable until well after 6 months to get rid of all of the night feedings. Once you are feeding her 3 good meals per day with cereals and fruits and veggies, and you feel comfortable that she is not sick (and you have no upcoming shots, etc), you should try to start eliminating those feedings because it becomes a habit. Other moms have posted that babies will naturally reduce feedings; I was never really that lucky. It may or may not take care of itself, depending on her temperament, and the conditions in which she sleeps. That being said, you may want to work on getting her in her own crib first before you are able to eliminate feedings (I'd imagine it's way more difficult to not feed them when they're right there with you).
As far as moving babies from your bed to a crib, it really depends on the temperament of your baby. With my 1st, I had to go cold turkey and just put her in there but it was horrible at first (thus I consulted with the sleep experts to solve her crying, etc). With my 2nd I put him in there for naps at first and it was an easy transition at night.
If this situation is working for you, then continue. I remember for me it was just easier because I wasn't really losing that much sleep. But when I became pregnant with #2 and she was still waking 3-4 times per night at 7 months old, I was desperate for a change. So if you want to make a change, go for it soon; otherwise you may find yourself posting this same question several months down the road! (I only say this from having the exact same experience!) Your goal should be getting her to regularly sleep a minimum of 12 hrs/night...straight through. It can be done! Good luck.

My doctor said it depends on weight. Both my girls were born at around 6 pounds and needed to feed on demand, which was every 2 hours until they were about 6 months. I think it is different for everyone. I had my kids in their cribs from day 1, and would go in when they cried, sit in the rocker and nurse them, and put them back in a pre-warmed spot in the crib. I swear the pre-warmed spot made the difference. I bought a small electric heating pad at CVS (about a foot square) and when I picked them up would put it in the crib on high so their sleeping spot would be nice and warm when I put them back down. But one families I know nursed until age 5 (really!) and slept in a big family bed ( 2 queen size beds put next to each other) so everey extreme exists and whatever works for you is best for your family. Enjoy this loving cuddly time, pretty soon she will be a teenager and will not want to talk to you, lol!

At that age, my daughter was on that same nursing schedule. I would feed her every night at about 1:00 a.m. and again at about 5:00, then she would sleep until 7:00. This is perfectly normal at this age and yes, she is hungry. My daughter eventually dropped the 5 a.m. feeding, but kept the 1:00 am feeding until 13 months. Then that was over, too, with no assistance from me. She just outgrew the need.

I never moved my baby to a cot, so don't have any advice about that.