Author Topic: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(  (Read 1246 times)

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Offline LittleM

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10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« on: February 28, 2016, 18:33:31 pm »
hi there

I have always had such amazing advice on this forum, so I am really hoping someone can help me out.
My 10 month old is still waking at night to feed.  She will often wake up at 10 / 11 and then again at 2/3 and is then up for the day at 5/5:30. Sometimes she will only wake once, at 1/2 am and then she'll wake early for the day, usually around 4 :(

We have worked very hard on independent sleep, (we were in a bad habit of feeding to sleep until about 6 weeks ago), so she falls asleep independently and will often re-settle herself during the night if she stirs.  Yet when she wakes to feed, she is hungry.  She will feed (we are still bf) and then go straight back to sleep.  I am not sure if it is a habit or not, but she definitely seems to be hungry.  She eats well during the day.  I am keen to stop BF but don't want the hassle of preparing bottles during the night.  At this age, I don't think that she should feed during the night?  I am also really struggling with the sleep disruption :(
Her routine is as follows:

wakes: 5/5:30
Feed: has a small feed (because she fed during the night)
6:30 Breakfast
8 am Bottle (100ml or so)
8:15 Sleep
10 Wake
10:15: Snack
12 ish: Lunch
1 ish Sleep
2/3 Wake
3pm Snack
5pm Dinner
6pm bottle and BF
6:30 Sleep

10/11pm BF and 2/3 am BF
OR
1 am BF and 4 am BF and wake up.

Any suggestions on how we can gently stop feeding at night?  Her sister is in the room right next door, so I try to be as quiet as possible as if DD1 wakes up, then no one goes back to sleep :(

TIA
x

Offline trimbler

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Re: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2016, 20:20:42 pm »
I think at this age many LOs will have stopped feeding at night, although several will still have one night feed. However, I think you could look at dropping one of the night feeds, by offering more milk during the day. Are those snacks solids or milk? I'm assuming solids as you explicitly mention milk at other times? Milk is still important at this stage, although of course the solids are growing in importance. Many would recommend keeping four daytime milk feeds at this age, some do three. But if she's not taking much first thing (due to the NFs) then that seems to be more like two daytime feeds, plus two at night, right? Would you be able to offer milk some time in the afternoon, perhaps replace the pm solids snack with a milk feed?

Also, wondering if you'd like to consider doing the 10/11pm feed as a kind of dream feed, ie feed her then anyway, even if she doesn't wake for it - if you think she'd be easy enough to settle afterwards and can feed with minimal waking? Just suggesting that since having that feed seems to avoid that 4am WU, which doesn't sound much fun :-\



Offline LittleM

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Re: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2016, 18:26:51 pm »
hi there

thanks so much - I will try and add in more milk in the afternoon.  She likes the bottle so it shouldn't be too much of an issue.  So do you think that it is a hunger wake up rather than a habitual wake up? 
I am not keen on the dream feeds - they have backfired more than once!! 
I'd rather concentrate on getting enough nutrition into her during the day.

thanks again!
x

Offline trimbler

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Re: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2016, 23:57:58 pm »
Ok, keep me posted :) I only said it was probably hunger because you said she was hungry ;) and you know her best, of course! But I did wonder from the feeding routine whether she was getting all the milk she needed during the day, that's without knowing how she's doing with solids, though. But milk is still important at this age, it's a fine balance between gradually shifting her food intake from milk onto solids, whilst maintaining sufficient milk intake - but I'm no expert on that really and I expect it varies between LOs...



Offline LittleM

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Re: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2016, 17:18:54 pm »
Thanks :) will keep you updated!
Yesterday she ate pretty well and had extra milk in the day, but was still up at 11, 3 and then role at 5:30. I'll have to try and see how we do over a few days!!
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Offline trimbler

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Re: 10 mo still waking to feed at night :(
« Reply #5 on: March 02, 2016, 21:40:06 pm »
Well done for getting more milk into her during the day - did she feed at those NWs? And if so, how much?