Tips on how to get rid of the night feed?

[mtemte]

So my LO is 1 year old and a few days    To cut a very long story short, she was a bad reflux sufferer and was on meds until 10 months old. For that reason, feeds have always been small but often.

We are down to 3 feeds a day now but only 6-7ox per feed MAX.... most of the time its between 5-6oz per feed. She is eating solids but very small amounts too. But the problem is that she is still waking up in the night for a feed. Her sleep was always bad but has been better the last 6 weeks or so thanks to the lovely ladies on the Sleep boards! I think she IS hungry as she generally drinks at least 5oz in the night... its not just to suckle for comfort. I have tried to get her to drink and eat more during the day but she wont....

So Im thinking of trying to get rid of the night feed. How would you do it? Reduce the number of oz every few nights until she is on very little? Im a little afraid that she will end up not getting the required # of oz if I do that....? I am also starting to put her on cows milk this week but very gradually...

Any tips please or would you hold onto the night feed again for some time?

[*Kara*]

I would actually suggest cutting down her day feeds as well as night feed.

For the night feed, I am a fan of reducing the amount offered by an ounce every few nights.  Once she is down to an ounce or two, make the jump and just offer water at night.  At that point, it's not a nutritional thing (2 ozs is only 40 cals) so you can go ahead and resettle her.

As for day feeds - remember that at a year of age, milk becomes a drink and not a food per se.   The majority of babies are down to 1 or 2 feeds at this age (one at wake and one at bedtime generally).  She only needs a total of 12-16 ozs of dairy to meet her dairy requirements.  Formula, cheese/yogurt etc all count.    I do think the reason she isn't eating much in terms of solids is likely the large volume of formula she still gets throughout the day... cut her back to one bottle at wake up and one at bedtime and offer water otherwise.. she might surprise you with how much she eats in terms of solids

Hope this helps.

[creations]

I agree with Kara regarding cutting the night feed and the day milk too, she is getting more than enough and too much will effect her solid intake.
So just wanted to add, you don't need to see an increase in her food intake on day 1 of reducing or dropping the night milk. It often takes LOs a few days to catch on that they need to take a bit more during the day and that's fine, after a few days, even a week she'll know she needs to increase her day time calorie intake and will get them in her solids meals.  LOs reduce their own intake much more than this during teething and then just make up for it afterwards, so expect a similar thing and don't panic if her meals don't massively increase immediately. She won't starve herself.
(and those night feeds I would say are habit of taking on calories in the night rather than hunger, she's big enough to take those calories in the day now).

I'm sure it will go more smoothly than you imagine.

[Lolly]

I think she IS hungry as she generally drinks at least 5oz in the night... its not just to suckle for comfort. I have tried to get her to drink and eat more during the day but she wont....

It's learned hunger at this age though, she is hungry because she has always been fed at this time so her body expects to have milk. She doesn't need it!

I agree with all the advice given by PPs - we weaned my refluxing DD's nightfeed at 8.5 months just as Kara described, it worked really well.

I'm going to move you over to the toddler boards too!

Laura

[Lemonthyme]

I did pick up put down to get rid of the night feed.  Worked a treat.

[*Kara*]

How is it going?