How many times does/did your FF 6mo wake at night?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I dont know if I am mis remembering, but I am certain DD was sleeping through (or at least from a dreamfeed) at this age, yet DS still wakes at 11pm and 4/5am for feeds.

I am back at work in two weeks time on a crazy shift pattern and it would be nice to know I can get a full nights sleepnwhen possible.

Do I just wait it out? Is this normal for FF 6mos?

[dementedpixie]

dd slept through but ds had a night feed until 8 months

[Stinkersmum]

How about upping the amount of milk? Is he on any solids yet? I don't think it's to do with FF necessarily, but more likely he's hungry.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

He has 7/8oz feeds at 8am, 11am, 3pm and 6pm. We have started solids about two weeks ago, so he is having small amounts at about 12 and 4pm.

He goes to bed at 6.30. He is usually up at 7am.

[Stinkersmum]

Honestly - try some baby rice after his 6pm milk feed. Just feed it until he refuses. Worth a go.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Id always thought baby rice was just nutritionless filler? Would porridge work?

[lexyloub]

If you think he's waking for habit rather than hunger try offering water instead at night I'm told they'll stop waking for it

[Stinkersmum]

Yeah, it's not great but as long as he's getting all his nutrition during the day, treat it as 'filler' for a good night's sleep

[dementedpixie]

from 6 months I started decreasing the amount offered in the middle of the night feed to encourage ds to take more in the day feeds

[PotteringAlong]

Ds2 is 7 months and still wakes twice. When ds1 was that age he was waking every 45 minutes (and did for at least another 6 months after)

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Should I just make up little 4oz bottles at night do you think? In addition to a supper?

[dementedpixie]

how much does he normally have in the middle of the night? I dropped the amount by 1oz every week or so.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Usualy 6/7 oz at 11, then 4/5oz at 5am

[nottheOP]

Banana porridge as late as poss before bedtime, sack off the dreamfeed as it isn't really working for you. He'll probably wake up at 4ish still until he's on a lot more solids.

We night weaned at 7.5 months, reducing the ozs down one by one until there wasn't any left. Similar to you, I was back at work and wanted a full nights sleep.

[FATEdestiny]

DS still wakes at 11pm and 4/5am for feeds

Is this all of the time and always has been? My DD has little phases of a couple of day here and there that she'll decide to want a feed at both 11pm and 4am. But mostly has just had one feed from 8 weeks old.

Usually if I give an 11pm feed she'll wake 7am (ish), but won't be demanding a feed. If I don't give the 11pm feed then she'll wake about 4am and need a feed to go back to sleep. I mix and match sometimes giving the 11pm feed and sometimes not.

Then every now and again she'll throw me and have both an 11pm feed and also wake early morning and need another feed. These are just short phases that pass though.

[Wisteria1979]

Try Semper välling - its like a thick formula - Scandinavian babies drink it and they sell it on ocado if that's an option. I give my dd (8 months soon) this half / half with formula for her evening bottle. She does go through the night but has done since before I started this.

[Wisteria1979]

It's nutritious and sugarfree by the way, like a drink porridge. If he is used to formula which is very sweet in flavour you probably need to go half half.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Yeah every night since birth. We have had one night where he slept 8pm til 7am - we had been out so couldnt put him to bed any earlier.

[lexyloub]

Have you tried keeping him up after the 6 o clock feed and started bedtime around 8.30 giving a final bottle then and asleep around 9ish to see if he sleeps through til 5/6ish not ideal get up time but at least there's a good 8hr block

[FATEdestiny]

What happens if you try settling rather than feeding?

It's not unusual that my DD will sometimes stir and wake in the night, but leaning over to put her dummy back in settles her back to sleep.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I have tried pushing his bedtime back to at least seven, but he eye rubs like crazy from five and when ive tried to just put him down for a nap in the pram or on a walk he doesnt go over. He likes his bed by then.

He doesnt have a dummy as he totally refused to take one. DD had one, which maybe contributed to her sleeping through sooner. I have tried shhhh patting and gentle rocking and he is all mouth open looking for a feed.

Tonight I gave him some porridge before bed, but could only keep him awake til 5.45 . I wouldnt even mind a 6/6.30am wake up, as long as it was a complete unbroken night. Fingers crossed the porridge helps.

[FATEdestiny]

I'm sure you've already thought about this, but could you try to gradually move his daytime naps later so that he wakes up from his last nap about an hour later than he does now, so that maybe he is less tired at bedtime?

Or, like you mention, try for an additional shorter nap around 5.30pm ish? (my DD still usually has this teatime powernap, at nearly 7 months).

Do you normally feed before he has a sleep, so that he always goes to sleep with a full tummy? I'm wondering if he would benefit from completely separating feeding and going to sleep - to help him go to sleep without being fed (so without a full tummy) when he wakes in the night.