How to drop night feeds

[Cvbaby2014]

My LO is 7.5 months, and has slept through a couple of times, but most of the time wakes once, sometimes twice if the first waking is early.  My issue is that he wakes at totally random times...a time from 930-5.  I see no pattern.  He is an independent sleeper, and never falls asleep feeding.  I have tried to settle by holding till calm and then placing in the crib, but this doesn't work   .  And I feel weak for resorting to feeding, which is an easy option as he calms and can fall back asleep.  I have tried albeit not consistently to cut feeds short, but he immediatly fusses.

He isn't hungry enough for two feeds....well I don't think so, as he just has lighter feeds in the morning after he has done this at night.

I was hoping for advice on how to settle him without feeding.

We went through a phase from 4-6 months where we were trying to get his weight up so feeding at night was essential.  But he is doing well now, and my supply is up and he is eating three solid meals a day, so I feel more confident that he can drop night feeds....or at least make it to one around 4-5am.

[*Ali*]

If he cannot be settled without feeding, won't accept the feeds being cut short and he is waking at different times then he may be truly hungry. 2 NFs at 7.5mo is well within the realms of normal for a BF baby.

Do you think he could be eating too much solid food to take in sufficient milk during the day? How many BFs does he have during the day?

The options for settling without feeding are shush pat or PUPD but I wouldn't recommend doing it is he is genuinely hungry.

[Cvbaby2014]

I breastfeed a lot!  Twice in one activity period, so usually at 5/6 before the bedtime feed.  The feeding frequency stems from his weight issues as I want to be sure I offer the breast as often as possible.

He doesn't eat much...the morning solid feed I limit to 2 tablespoons of cereal plus fruit even though I know he would eat more.   The other two meals are around 2 tablespoons too.

He actually started waking  less since starting solids.

My worry is that he is genuinely hungry which is hard for me to understand or see a pattern as sometimes it is 3 hours after bed and sometimes 8 hours after bed that he wakes.  I have looked back at the feeds in the day and don't see a pattern influencing either scenario.

[*Ali*]

Differing times do indicate genuine hunger. Just like you are I might be hungry at different times of the day depending on how big breakfast was or how busy we have been.

[Cvbaby2014]

Last night he woke at 1130... I fed him here.  Then I heard him at 430am, he cried a little, by the time I got the energy to get up he was asleep.
This has happened before, which is why I think when he wakes twice often he isn't that hungry both times and perhaps he has a feed to sleep association sometimes but not always...is this even possible?!

[*Ali*]

Definitely don't rush in but give him a moment to settle himself if he is not all out crying. My DD does that too. Sometimes he might not need two feeds but other times he may do. It can depend on how completely he wakes and what stage of sleep he was in when he woke, especially if he is disturbed by a noise or cold etc. If he is in deep sleep and doesn't come completely out of it he won't feel hungry.