Waking for feeds at 18 weeks still - normal????

[stairs]

My ds is just over 18 weeks and has always woken for feeds at 12, 4 and 7.30 (goes to bed at 7.45). Is this normal (whatever that is)? Books seem to suggest that by now babies should miss the 4am one, but ds shows no signs of even thinking about it (he is v. hungry at all of these - and will not drink more in the day - turns away, cries etc).
Not complaining too much..he is quite good at settling. It is just when he is weeing an awful lot because of night drinks, and if I change him he sees this as a cue for playing rather than going back to sleep (I never join in, so don't know why he thinks this). If I don't change him, he wakes up with a wet tummy because he has rolled and the nappy leaks.
Do I just wait until he doesn't fancy lots to drink in the night?
Thanks in anticipation.....

[tamula]

perhaps start watering down the milk until it is just water? Not very appetising to wake up for a sip of water. Or if he wont take more during the day, you could perhaps cut down the amount and give more milk more often instead, or possibly adding a rusk or similar to feeds?

Good luck!

[tamula]

btw nothing is 'normal'

[SenoraPostrophe]

it's up to you really. at least he's only waking up once in the night (if you don't count the midnight one). I would have given my right arm for that when ds was 18 weeks....

if i were you I'd wait a few more weeks and then maybe redouble efforts to get him to take more in the day.

[tribpot]

I reckon my ds was still on a fairly similar pattern at 18 weeks, although he did go through phases of dropping the midnight (ish) feed. Quite often he would decide 4 a.m. was playtime, my god, I would have put him up for adoption provided it could all have been sorted out by 6 a.m. He was also clearly hungry for all these feeds, would drain his bottle even though during the day he was often quite reluctant to feed - he has reflux, and I'm sure being more relaxed in the night made it easier for him to feed.

The only suggestion I think I can make is to ask what brand of nappies you are using. I have found my usual - Moltex öko from the Nappy Lady to be MUCH better than Pampers, for example.

[Spidermama]

My baby's coming up to one year old now and he still has a couple of feeds every night. All mine have done this. I find it starts to drop off after a year.

I did, however, spend many long hours fashioning a rather fine rod for my own back, according to many around me.

Can you put more padding in the nappy. I use a whole extra terry nappy folded for night time.

[Clayhead]

Ditto Spidermama, mine stopped night feeds at about 1.

[popsycalindisguise]

DS2 IS 10 MONTHS AND WAKES AT 10, 1 AND 5

[popsycalindisguise]

ooops didnt mean to shout

[mummygow]

my ds is 11 wks on tuesday and I am doing the diluting the formula with more water technique - if you start cutting back on the 4am feed ds may start becoming hungrier during day - I had an hours fight with my feed last night (he knew it was too watery)he wanted the bottle but when I put it in his mouth it wasnt what he wanted and as I said this went on for an hour then he just fell asleep but when I put him in his cot he woke up cried for 10mins then went back to sleep - so I'm up for round 2 tonight!!

[Spidermama]

mummygow, sorry but he needs food in the night at this age. His tummy is very small and the milk passes quickly through leaving him hungry.

It's tough I know but it won't last forever.

[tribpot]

mummygow, I am definitely with Spidermama on this. Why do you think he doesn't need the milk in the night? Is he taking masses during the day?

[hunkermunker]

Mummygow, totally agree with SM. He's much too young not to feed in the night IMO.

[Spidermama]

When I say he needs 'food' in the night I mean milk, obviously.

[hercules]

11 weeks seems very young to stop having milk at night. Is that a gf thing?

[mummygow]

Sorry disagree my dd was sleeping through from her 10 oclock feed till 7am at 9 weeks - as long as he is getting all his nutritional requirements between 7am - 11am he can last through the night - I'm in no way trying to starve my son I would feed him if he really needed it - he was only taking 1 - 2oz milk and it becomes habit wakening up

[hercules]

wow

[PiccadillyCircus]

DD is 16 weeks and wakes in the night. Obviously I would love it if she didn't but it is normal I am sure

[Spidermama]

Uh oh!

[Katemum]

I was told that until 6 months old if they were still waking for a night feed then they still needed it.

[BonyM]

Completely normal imo. Especially if breastfed.

[WigWamBam]

The books might say that he shouldn't have the 4am feed, but your baby hasn't read the books and if he's hungry he needs a feed. The fact that some babies can make it through the night at a younger age doesn't mean that every baby can, and it doesn't mean that your baby can. He'll start sleeping through when he's ready.

All you can do about the wanting to play is keep the feeds and changes calm and quiet, no bright lights, no eye contact, don't respond to him. Are you changing him after his feed or before? If you're doing it after he's fed, and the wanting to play is interfering with him settling down again, you could try changing him first so that he's relaxed and sleepy when you put him back down, rather than wanting to play.

[hunkermunker]

I think what made me sad about MG's post is that she describes a "battle" in the night with her 11-week-old baby - I know it can feel like that sometimes, but there was something about "up for round two" that made me

[Mercy]

Agree with everyone else here. It's normal at 18 weeks.

What time do you go to bed? If around 10-11 maybe feed him then? It might eventually cut out the 4 am feed. No guarantee though - my ds was like yours until about 8/9 months at least.

Once you get on to solids feed him up bigtime during waking/daytime hours