Waking for a Late Night Feed After Being Sick

[Elise's Mum]

I have a 10 month old who is now waking for a late night bottle. We have been battling some ear issues. So she has been waking for about the past month all throughout the night. Some nights we had no choice but to feed her. It was a case of, the pain woke her, but then she realized she was hungry and so wouldn't settle otherwise.

We have tried to be careful and only give her 4oz...just enough to make her feel slightly better and settle (this in addition to pain management). And we didn't do it every night. Believe me, we would try to avoid it because we knew what could happen.

Sadly, while the ears are on the mend, she is now waking for the feed. The time varies. It's all over the place. So part of me wonders if she needs it...or if it is simply habbit.

She has 27oz throughout the day plus her meals. So I felt like she was taking enough in. Do you all think it is a case of needing to bump up daily intake? Or something I need to break her of. And if so, how?

[Colin Macs Mom]

At her age, I would think it's a habit. Was she having a night feed before the ear problems? It doesn't sound like it, just want to be sure.

I would suggest the water down method, or you could keep offering less and less every few days.

[Elise's Mum]

She had a DF yes. We had started to ween that before the ear issues. So, at around 9 months we started the weening. I know, a little late. This is a late night feed IN ADDITION to that one. So, she wakes at 10pm and has 3oz. As that is what we have managed to get down to for that one. Then she wakes in the middle of the night, varying hours, and needs/wants another bottle. She'll tank a 6oz if we give that to her. But I am now offering just 4. I am going to gradually decrease and see what happens.

How does the water down method work?

[Colin Macs Mom]

Rather than offering less oz you would prepare the formula more watery. There's a sticky in the FAQ section called "How I Stopped the Night Feeds with a 9 Mo Old" that goes into real detail if you want to take a peek. The idea is that if you prepare a full bottle say with 8 oz water and 4 scoops, you would for nights 1 - 3 do 8 oz water with 3 scoops. Then nights 4 - 6 8 oz water with 2 scoops. And so on...