8 mo old--5am feed ok? or how to wean 5 am feed?

[kaynay]

So we are at 8 mos...we have had consistent waking and eating around 5 am...at first I was thrilled since that meant he slept about 9 hours...some mornings he would go past 6 resulting in 10 hours and occasional mornings it would be stirring around 4 awake by 430 resulting in 8.5 hours...then I read that at 8 mos they should be sleeping 12 hours...so my question is do I keep feeding at this age at that time? Our days are very predictable and ours has always been on the longer end of A times I think averaging 3.5 sometimes 3.25 and others 3.75 in that range...if he eats he goes back to sleep almost immediately at this early waking or shortly thereafter if he is awake he is content and babbles himself until normal waking between 7-730.
What should I expect?
12 hours from him?
If so how the heck do you wean such an early morning feed when they have had a huge stretch of sleep like that and are wide awake anyways?
If they go back to sleep after eating does that mean they are hungry some mornings will only take 3 oz others 6?
Has anyone had success weaning that early morning feed?
He doesnt take pacy is an independent sleeper goes down easily naps and bt etc...he seems to like his bed except when he wakes...I try to hold back but hes very irritated between and mantra and a coughing frustrated why I am awake vibe.
anyone?

[Tweakster]

Hi there, it really depends.  Having any kind of expectations for LO sleep is kind of an exercise in futility ;-)  They don't follow the rules.  Not every LO is going to knock off 12 hour nights, I think Finn has done it like twice in his entire 14 mths and he was ill.  He's also only done 11 a handful of times, he has been mainly a 10-10.5 hour/night sleeper, and we have tweaked like bandits to maximize his sleep. 

The feed weans because physiologically they become capable of sleeping much like adults, taking food during the day and doing their long stretch at night without food.  Now your LO is still in that period where hunger could be legitimate, it could be growth spurt, it could be that he didn't get enough in the day or that he's just not ready to do it. 

At Finn's EW he often would go back to sleep, and often after a small diluted bottle.  So not much at all.  But it didn't necessarily mean he was hungry.  It could be thirst, it could be comfort, it really could be habit.

Could you post your routine, his A times are pretty high so let's have a look.

[kaynay]

Awake between 7-730 if past 745 I wake him

Eat (usually a top on feed) upon waking generally 730 formula 3-7 oz (depending on how much he took at 5 am) today was 7 oz yesterday was 4 oz it varies

Eat 815ish Solids 1/2 Weetabix biscuit mixed with 1 pureed fruit cube and all mixed with water for a mush

Sleep 1030/11 for 1.5/1.75 hours usually we wake him

Eat 1230 7-9 oz expressed breastmilk

Eat 130 Solids 2 tbs yogurt mixed with 1 sweet potatoe food cube and a tsp of apple sauce (sometimes take a little more yogurt another tbs or so) sometimes though he refuses lunch all together

Sleep 330ish 1 hr we usually wake him

Eat 430ish 4-8 oz expressed breastmilk

Eat 5 Solids banana chunks to play with for finger food and spoon feed banana chuncks about 2 tbs mixed wtih 1 tbs oatmeal in water like a stew he usually eats more than half of this

Eat 745 5-8 oz expressed breastmilk

the past few nights he has stirred closer to 430 whereas before it was around 515 or 530 am...I tried a few times to give water it worked but then he woke real soon after for the day so I stopped that, for a while I was giving a bottle of formula he would take anywhere from 3-6 oz of formula...last night for the first time in a while I breastfeed him at that time he ate his usual 10 mins one side and went back to sleep we had to wake him at 745 today...if I leave him at the 4-5 am mark he usually wakes and babbles then starts getting upset and wont settle unless I feed him.--if he wakes around 3 and babbles and coos he goes back to sleep then but not at 4-5..on occasion he just wakes upset out of nowwhere and more urgent then I feel its hunger but thats isnt always he wakes like that at that time.

Should I up my solids? Do I consolidate a feed? He goes back to sleep almost immediately not while eating though he goes back down awake...if not immediately asleep he babbles and coos then falls off within 20 mins.

[Khalam's Mama]

My Lo was waking for about 5 months at  this sort of time for a feed and only when I weaned it with pu/pd did he stop waking and go to STTN 12hrs. This was at 9MO, but I think he could have done it earlier it just seemed easier to feed before then. He did up his calories when I dropped this feed. He is BF.
I notice you are mixing your cereals with water. It is recommended that you don't add water to foods at this age as it has no calories but fills them up so you could add some calories by mixing with milk instead maybe?

[momtokennedy]

I'm in the same predicament. My DD is 9.5 months and since STTN (8 months) she has always woken between 4-5:30. Recently I have BF at 4:00 then she has gone back but then at her next waking 5/5:30 I bring her into bed with me...bad I know. Today is the first day that I have tried EAS rather than AES!

I'm interested to hear what people have to say to this issue....I also mix her cereal with water!! Interesting. I'll change to milk!

Thanks

[Tweakster]

Hi there Kaynay, your LO is eating well so I think if you want to wean that feed it may be worth trying to resettle without food - give it a few days and do the same resettling every time.

Have you tried W2S?

[kaynay]

WTS doesnt work just makes him unsettled ...will see I wonder who has had luck with weaning that feed? It seems mine can only go 9.5 hr max til hes hungry and since he goes back to sleep I wonder when it will pass?