When do night feedings stop????

[Tatumsmom]

My dd is 6 months and still wakes up to eat at least twice in the night. We have just started solids on a regular basis and she is finally eating better through the day but still wakes up twice for a full feed. She is on  4 hr easy but sometimes can go 4.5 hrs before she wants to eat again. Here is a typical day:
7:15 Wake
7:30 5-7 oz of formula
9:30 2 tbls of cereal
10:00-12:00 nap
12:00 6-7 oz formula
12:15-3:00 playtime
3:00-4:30 nap
6:00 2 tbls of cereal and 1tbls of fruit
7:00 bath and lotion pj
7:30 5-7 oz formula and then right to bed
 I had to extend  Activity time to almost 3 hrs as she was only napping for 45mins if it was any shorter then that. She is a very happy baby and only cries when she is hungry or overtired. The problem is she wakes at between 11:30-12:00 and takes a full 7 oz. Then wakes between 3:30-4:00ish and takes another 7oz. I've tried not feeding her at these times but she doesn't settle for more  then ten minuets at a time so I know she is hungry. How do I start dropping a  night feed  or is she just not ready to sleep through. She only wakes to eat otherwise we don't usually her a peep from her. She is six months and weighs 17lbs 9oz. She also just got her two bottom front teeth  I used to think she was eating at night because she didn't get enough during the day(she was only eating 3 oz every 4hrs) but I tried different nipples and she is doing so much better at her feeds. Is this normal for her to eat so much at night or is it just habit? I've tried cluster feeding and dreamfeeding neither worked very well. Any suggestions or advice would be great or should I just not worry and she will sleep through when she is ready?
KH

[Tatumsmom]

ooops.. I forgot to put in her bottle when she wakes from her 3:00 nap.
KH

[Colin Macs Mom]

Sounds to me like she has gotten into the habit of eating at night. You want to wean her off those feeds, and as you do that you should see an increase in her intake during the day. She should be taking at LEAST 7 oz. during her day feeds. There is a sticky at the top of this forum called How I Stopped the Night Feeds with a 9 mo. old. Check that out - it details the process and gives some great information. I did the water-down method with my DS when he was 6.5, and it took only 4 days!      I would wean one of the feeds at a time though.

[Colin Macs Mom]

Here's a link to that sticky -

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=46907.0

[Tatumsmom]

Hi Colin Mac's Mom,
Sorry it's taken so long to reply. I just wanted to say thanks for reminding me of that post I read it a few weeks ago and thought it was a good idea, but then it slipped my mind.  We started following those suggestions two nights ago so we will have to wait and see. I have been reading other post on the bottle feeding board and it seems like I'm not the only one with this problem. Wish me luck I think I'll need it. Thanks again
KH

[Colin Macs Mom]

No, you're certianly not alone - it's something we all struggle with at one time or another!  Let me know how the weaning goes.

[Tatumsmom]

O.k  now what do I do? The diluting the formula didn't make a difference at all. She is still waking twice between 7pm and 7 am. The longest she can go is only 5 hrs. Should I just except this for now and hope she grows out of it. I feel like I've tried everything. Oh I should mention she is still taking a full feed at the night wakings. Help!!!
Kim

[teezee]

hi just wanted to add that it will take some time for everything to level out. i beleive you just started the weaning and even though she is still waking slowly she will start taking more during the day and eventually you won't need to feed her at night..once it is diluted to basically water - hopefully she will stop finding it worthwhile to wake.

once that happens, if she is in fact still waking - you will probably need to sleep train and do pu/pd, w2s..etc something to help her sleep better..and always when going to lo and settling keep her in the crib to do so or she may wake just to be near you to have that comfort.

good luck - sounds like you are on the right path and jessica has given you some great advice!!

[Colin Macs Mom]

My DS still woke for a bit of time after we weaned the feed, out of habit. It wasn't a lot of fun, but now that it's not an issue it's bliss.    Like Tawnya says I would definitely do w2s when the time comes if she still wakes at that time, but you're still early into the weaning process.

[kycat]

Hi   

I believe our LO's are very close in age and wanted to let you know what I've done to stop the night feedings.  (DD was born Dec. 12, 2005)

At her 6 month visit the ped. said that since she was in the 75% for weight (17 lbs, 0 oz that day) and 6 months old, that she did not physically NEED the night feeds anymore.  She was taking one to two feeds in the night, still (and is a reflux baby).

A couple of weeks before that I had eliminated the DF, basically consolidating the 11pm DF with the next feed and just let her wake up whenever she was hungry.  Just cold turkey no DF one night.  After the ped. said she didn't need the night feeds, I decided that that was it.  That very night I did our usual routine and put her to bed.  When she woke up, I went to her room and did what I usually do during the day to extend her naps (plug in the paci, turn her on her side, blankee in her hand).  She protested, but very little crying.  I was pleasantly surprised- I was up for about 8 minutes, which was shorter than if I had fed her! 

We have been doing this for about 10 days and she is sleeping longer than she has in months.  For instance, last night she was asleep at 8:20pm and didn't wake up at all until 5:50am.  I did the replug, retuck and that was that.  I heard her about an hour later, but she went back to sleep herself and I had to get her up at 8:00.  Some nights I hear her and she puts herself back to sleep, and other nights I have to get up once to replug/retuck (in her room for about 4 seconds).  But in general, things are SO much better. 

As far as the weaning goes, DD now eats better during the day.  Every time I nurse her, I then burp her and put her in the highchair to eat solids straightaway.  Same thing right before bed (except I feed her a hearty oatmeal cereal with smashed bananas and breastmilk.  That way I know she's got a full stomach and I worry less.

The whole thing has been much less painful than I thought it would be and DD has been doing fantastically.  One weird thing is that while DD's first morning feed is good, it's not this frantic shovel-fest that I thought it would be.  She's truly OK without eating in the night!

I hope that things go better for you and that you soon will be sleeping longer.  Getting more than 5 straight hours is worth a night or two of less.

Good luck!

[Tatumsmom]

Hi Jill,
Our DD's share a Birthday! Tatum was born at 4:47 am. Thankyou for your reply as I'm starting to think these night feeds are never going to stop. I think I'm going to be the first mom in history to have to drive over to my DD's dormroom when she's in college to feed her. At her 6month check up she weighed 17lbs, 9oz. I've tried not feeding her in the night but she becomes hysterical and is really hard to calm down., but maybe your right enoughs, enough. We have a good day routine not really on e.a.s.y anymore but a routine never the less. She naps well and is generally a really happy baby, I have no complaints except for these night feedings. I think I will continue on the diluting the formula and then after that is done and she is still waking I'll just try soothing her back to sleep. You have given me new hope.
Kim

[kycat]

Wow!  Sophia was born at 11:25am- small world!

We have remarkably similar situations in that I also had had it with the night feeds.  DD's naps had finally lengthened beyond 45 minutes, she has no problem falling asleep on her own in her crib, her reflux was under control, we had a great routine... just those darned night wakings.

I think the biggest thing for me was getting to the point where I didn't care if I was up all night- I was going to stop the cycle.  The ped. even suggested that her night feeds were a habit (even though they weren't at the same time every night).  So once I had the mindset that I was going to fix it no matter what it took, and that there was no turning back (and of course that she did't NEED the feeds), I went for it.  It also helped to expect the worst (up all night). 

DD does have a paci, and I intend to get rid of that, too, but I'm going to wait until we get back from a road trip at the end of July.  There was a great thread by Sleepless in Singapore under Props that I followed diligently.  It helped me also to have the gumption to give up the night feeds (and also the intent to get rid of the paci).

Keep us posted as to how it goes... sometimes it does help to check in the next morning to discuss how things went.  I can't wait to hear your success story. 

[1st-time-mom]

Hi!
I was just reading this post - my DD is 5 months old. I am desperate to stop the night feedings.
She takes a fuill bottle (6 oz) twice a night! Arg.
She doesn't need it.
Is it too early to try the water down method?
Sharon

[Colin Macs Mom]

Sharon, at 5 months she probably still needs one night feed. However, I think it would be fine to wean one of them.