Need Quick Answer - 8 mos old wakes to feed!

[cbg]

Hi there,
I haven't done a lot of research yet and I'm just heading out of town with my lo so hoping for a quick answer.  My 8 mos old has been sleeping through the night since about 5 months but all of a sudden has woken up twice in the past week at around midnight or 1am and screams for food (I know it's food as both nights her intake during the day was lighter despite my best efforts!).  I have given her about 4 oz which she gulps up and then goes right back to sleep.   She is very light and my dr has told me to feed on demand to try to get her weight up.  I know that I am supposed to work hard to increase her daytime consumption - what else should I be doing?  Is feeding her the kiss of death from a sleep perspective?  Please advise.

Thank you!!!

[Zoey]

I say, always feed a hungry baby. Kiss of death for sleeping - No, if she is hungry and you don't feed her, she is just going to keep waking up LOL.  The key would be to increase her day intake as best you can.  Could be a growth spurt - if she is 8m Ill assume you're giving solids... have you increased them?  Has anything been different before she began waking?   I would try to figure out what you can do during the day to increase her intake - you wouldn't want this night feeding to become something she expects all the time.  If its a growth spurt, it should subside.

Are you still giving a DF, if so, could be time to stop.

Prolly not much help, but that's all I got lol.  Have a nice trip and good luck.

[Gippie]

Hmmmm....tough question.    If you have done everything to up her day food ad can't, se might be waking out of hunger BUT as you said...in some cases it can e the kiss of death - it happened to me.  About 13m we hit a bump and I started to feed her back to sleep considereing it a fluke....but it was not and it stuck for 2 monts as I weaned her off of a bad habit that I started.

I know a lot of people will disagree - cause BWSAYP says to STOP the DF....but if she is waking out of hunger, why not throw her a 10pm DF so she can get past that hump.  If it does wake her than you are no worse off than before.    That s one way I "tested" out my theories about her waking....if she STILL wakes even after a DF - then you know it is something else.   I did the DF thing and I also watched her wakes from a time perspective.  That can give you a LOT of perspective.

HTH
Stacey

[momofclaire]

I am assuming that you have started solids with her, is that correct? 
I agree that if she is hungry, you must feed her.  I would keep working at increasing day time consumption.  Do you know about how much she drinks during the day?    It also could be that she is hitting a big growth spurt.  I would really pay attention to the time of wakes, what she eats during the day and all that for a week.  If it continues after that, it's probably not a growth spurt and I would beware of creating a bad habit.