Hi, and congratulations on your BW success so far! I've only been a baby whisperer for a few months, so I'm sure others will have great advice for you. Also, my LO is much younger than yours. Both of my girls were snackers, and I can tell you the problem is MUCH easier to solve when your LO is a baby! My preschooler still wants to snack all day and we have trouble filling her up so she can stretch to her next mealtime! But with the baby, we fixed it in one day.
To your question, yes, I think by eliminating night feedings, your baby should have a good appetite when he wakes for the day, whether that's 6:30 or 7 or whenever. You don't have to start his day at 7; that's just an example the book gives, because it's pretty common. But lots of moms start their EASY routines at 6 or 6:30 or 7:30 or even 5:30; whenever the LO typically wakes up and wants to start his day. An 8-month-old should easily be able to go all night without eating; that doesn't mean he will want to, especially if he's used to nursing at night for comfort. You could try giving him a full feed at 6:30 and then telling the babysitter not to feed him again until 10:30? The first time you stretch his feed to 4 hours, be prepared for some crying, because he's not used to that, but right away he'll start taking more milk at each feeding and he'll be able to go longer between feeds. Getting my LO on a routine was a lifesaver for me, because I was BF every 60-90 minutes and it was driving me crazy!
By 8 months your milk supply should be pretty well established, so I don't think this will adversely affect it at all. But if you notice your supply diminishing, you can pump more often; it doesn't mean you have to feed more often. Let us know how it goes!
