bedtime feeds

[DRIBBLEspit]

hi my baby is 14weeks old and he is on hungrier baby milk but is still waking up at night for feeds, the mother in law and my mother keep suggesting using rusks or rice before bed, im not sure whether to try it.

[RitaMorgan]

He's a tiny baby, it's normal to still have night feeds. Many babies still need a feed in the night at 9 months.

The guidelines for introducing solids are 6 months/26 weeks. If you do want to wean early speak to your HV or GP first, but never give solids before 17 weeks. Rusks contain gluten and shouldn't be given before 6 months anyway.

[Muser]

My baby is 16 weeks and still wakes up at night. In my NCT group only one out of the 8 of us has a baby who sleeps through. The rest of us are still doing night feeds, some of us 3 hourly. It's normal.

[TittyBojangles]

I agree, it is normal, probably easier to come to terms with this than to try and find ways of changing it. What is the daytime feeding pattern and weight like?

[WalkTheDog]

Baby's wake through the night, they have little tummies and can only store so much. Some people are lucky and have babies who sleep through the night (but that can mean from 12-6am, not 7pm-7am). Many other babies still wake up through the night until after 1 year old. DD almost 5mths and between 730pm and 730am, she will wake up on average for four feeds (BFing).

Two mums in baby massage class were doing the rusks pre bed at about 14wks, and HV said a big NO.

[dietcokeandwine]

I think this was a really common 'solution' to get babies to sleep in the 60s/70s (according to my mum, I was having crumbled rusks in a bottle from 6 weeks old ) but as others have said it is not recommended practice now. I'd steer well clear, to be honest.

Lots of babies still have night feeds at 14 weeks - are you doing a dreamfeed around 10:30/11pm ish? That might help him go a bit longer at night. But essentially, provided he is able to settle himself to sleep (ie not reliant on bottle/rocking to get to sleep) he will eventually sleep through once he is ready.

[DRIBBLEspit]

thanks guys glad its not just me, he has 5oz every 4-5hours threw the day, he normally settles down at about 9 then wakes up at 11 or 12 for another feed then every 3-4 hours, tried getting him to sleep but he wakes because he's hungry.

[RitaMorgan]

Sounds like you have day and night feeds the wrong way round a bit - try offering day feeds every 3-4 hours and you might get the 4-5 hour gaps at night.