Advice on transitioning 5.5 month to sleep through the night

[Lincolns_Mommy]

My 5.5 month old LO is on the 4 hour EASY routine and doing extremely well during the day.
Here is a typical day routine:

6:30am Awake
            Activity
7am Eat (BF) 15 min.
7:15  Activity
8:40 In crib soothing self to sleep (after showing tired signs)
8:45 Asleep
10:30 Awake (on own)
        Activity
11:00 Eat (10-15 min)
11:15 Activity
12:40 In crib soothing self to sleep (after showing tired signs)
12:45 Asleep
2:20 Awake (on own)
       Activity
3:00 Eat (10-15 min)
3:15 Activity
4:30 shows signs of tiredness....put in crib....PU/PD 5-10 minutes...sometimes he sleeps( sometimes he wont and I get him up)
4:50 Asleep
5:15 Awake
       Prebedtime Routine
6:00 Eat (10-20 min)
6:20 More prebedtime Routine
6:30 in Crib (either soothes self to sleep or PU/PD 5 minutes)
6:35 Asleep
10-10:30 wakes on own for Dreamfeed
2:30-3:00am wakes on own...accidental parenting? ....and I feed him...he usually eats 10-20 minutes...and I do a diaper change before I feed him because his diaper usually leaks
5-6:30am-Awake (giggling and screeching happily...wide awake for day)

So, needless to say...his day routine is amazing...but night routine is struggling. I decided today that I am going to take the steps for him to sleep through the night. I need some support and encouragement though pleeeeeease!!
If anyone has or had a 5-6 month old who was able to sleep through the night....can you please let me know how and what you did?
I did review the BW book...but was confused about some things she said....
I'm not sure if I should tank him up when I am first transitioning and taking away the night feed (I think I should keep the dream feed....right?)....or if I need to change the times I feed him in the evening....
Can anybody help me out???
Thanks sooooo much!

[Shiv52]

I just wanted to add if he is taking good full feeds in the day and is taking a full feed at the night feed then he may not be quite ready to drop his night feed just yet.  it wouldn't be unusual for a BF bub to still take a night feed at 5 months even if they take a DF. 

[missyb]

I am by no means an expert but we are just going through a similar thing with DS who is just 6mths, infact I posted about it the other day.

He was really sick and barely feeding so I had to feed him during the night, but now that he is better the feeding continued.  I had also just weaned him onto formula so I guess I have the advantage of knowing exactly how much he was getting, and also knew that the 1400mls off milk that he was getting in 24hrs was a bit ott.

Prior to him getting sick he was going from 7pm-4am BF'd with no DF. So knew that he didn't really need the 2-3 night feeds he was getting.  He too was draining each bottle at each feeding.

So what have I done???  Basically it had become habit, I knew he could go 4hrly between feeds during the day so I refused to feed him less than this during the day.  I also tanked him up and sort of cluster fed him before bed.

Basically I figured that when he woke i was pandering to his every whimper, and although he was awake he wasn't actually crying out for me or in hunger. SO I left him until he did, or at least 10min of grizzling.  I hadn't done the STOP and ASSESS part of BWíng.

After 10min I go in, i give him his dummy (which he doesn't use to actually go to sleep) stroke his head and then leave.  ( times out of 10 he has gone back to sleep.

If he doesn't I get him up have a cuddle till he is quiet, pop him back into bed.  If that doesn't work, and it has been over 4hrs then I feed him.

I have been doing this a week now and although he is not STTN he is waking at about 11pm and his dummy settles him and then he is not waking again until about 4am. I do try and resettle him at 4 but he is hungry.  Infact last night he didn't wake at 11am.

At the 4am I am trying to reduce the amount he is having as it is affecting hsi first milk feed of the day, but he isn't too happy about it.

Although I would love him to STTN I am accepting that 1 night feed isn't too bad and that he might just be one these babies who needs it, especially since he has been so sick.

The other thing i have done is amped up his solids, and giving him dinner and lunch and I think this has helped alot too.  I had only really introduced the idea to him, but he loves his food and he is eating alot and still have a lot of milk.

I don't know if that is helped or not but just know that you are not alone.  Although that doesn't make it any easier to deal with your own sleep deprevation.

[Shiv52]

I wouldn't force a BF baby to go 4 hours between feeds if they are showing hunger signs before that.  Many BF babies do not make it to 4 hourly feeds until they are WELL established on solids.    BM is also much more easily digestible than formula so BF babies need NFs for longer and if they wake hungry and take a full feed I dont' think they are ready to cut them (so long as they are taking good full feeds in the day too of course). 

I would also be wary of introducing and giving big amounts of solids too soon.  Solids should in no way impact milk intake until about 9-10 months.   Until then milk needs to be the most important source of food.  It has many more calories per oz than any solid food you would be offering at this stage.  It took us to 7-8 months to build up to 3 meals with both my DDs as I wanted milk to stay the main part of the diet. 

I do try and resettle him at 4 but he is hungry.  Infact last night he didn't wake at 11am.

At the 4am I am trying to reduce the amount he is having as it is affecting hsi first milk feed of the day, but he isn't too happy about it.

Although I would love him to STTN I am accepting that 1 night feed isn't too bad and that he might just be one these babies who needs it, especially since he has been so sick.

Sounds like you are doing great.  But I'd keep that night feed especially if he is hungry.  Its not unusual for  a FF baby to need a night feed at this age too.