How to know when to night feed or drop feeds?

[RandomName836]

My DS 5 months has stopped crying in the night for milk. He is formula fed. However he does wake me up through wriggling and shifting around with the odd little sound. Sometimes I can successfully rock his cot and he will quieten back down to full sleep, only to fidget around again an hour later. I never know if this is hunger, or whether I should try getting him back to sleep without milk to get him used to it now he's getting older. Last night I fed him one feed at 5am, but was awake every 2hrs with all the wriggling. How do you know what to do, when to feed and when to leave him?

[NewMum0305]

I suspect if it was hunger, he would wake fully and you would know about it! Could it be wind?

[KittenCalledBob]

I agree - if he’s hungry, he’ll cry.

[KittenCalledBob]

Some babies are just wriggly. I think things will be better for you once he moves into his own room.

[letsmakethetea]

@KittenCalledBob

Some babies are just wriggly. I think things will be better for you once he moves into his own room.

Ooh yeah try moving him into his own room, that was so helpful when we did that!

[RandomName836]

He's only 5 months and advice is to wait until 6 months before moving, so got a month to go. To be honest he has stopped crying for milk altogether. Even in the day I just go by the clock now as he never cries for it. Is that strange?!

I don't think his night time fidgets are wind just based on instinct and lack of wind at other times. He does settle after milk so I don't know if these are habitual semi-wake ups. The comfort of rocking often seems to work. It's just annoying I'm not getting any sleep even though I'm not actually feeding him! I am such a light sleeper and I suspect like most new mums I wake up at the slightest sound or movement he makes! 🙈

[Itsnoteasyfeelingqueasy]

@RandomName836 I could have written this post! I’m experiencing the exact same thing. My daughter has never really cried for milk in the night. I wake up so easily at the slightest fidget. I still feed her once a night as I find she’s settled back into a deeper sleep after although sometimes she only wants a tiny bit of milk. I don’t know the answer to your question. I think like others have said it will be better when they move into their own room

[RandomName836]

Oh interesting @Itsnoteasyfeelingqueasy ! I know, why are there no clear answers?! I need a an instruction manual!

[user1493413286]

My theory with both my DC was that if they were hungry then they’d not settle back down at all. I also started finding that whether I fed DS or not he still woke a couple of hours later but he isn’t a great sleeper. I think if he settles after a feed for the rest of the night then it doesn’t hurt to carry on doing it as 5 months is still little.