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Help! Night weaning thoughts?

4 replies

Nan0second · 26/02/2016 19:58

After essentially doing some speeded up gradual retreat between 7 and 8months (as in the what worked for us thread), we are now at the great point that baby (9mo) can self settle at night. I put her in the cot awake after her bedtime routine, walk out and she goes to sleep at 7pm.
Aside from when teething or away from home or the moon looking at her funny, she generally wakes up once or twice before waking for the day at 6.30am ish.
She is breastfed and has cows milk protein allergy and reflux on ranitidine. She eats really well in the day and is having 3-4 decent breastfeeds and water in a sippy cup.
Anyway, the first wake up (random time), she has a full breast feed. The second wake up if it occurs, she gets a max 3oz bottle of prescription formula, which we were considering watering down to wean off.

Anyway. Last night she slept through for the first time. She stirred at 1 and 5 but went back to sleep. So... What would you do about night feeding now she's proved to me she doesn't really need it?
Normally I try to settle her for 5 mins before offering milk to check she's hungry.
Stop offering the second feed? Change the first feed to a bottle and gradually water it down?

I'm just really unsure of what to do, mainly because 9 months of awful sleep deprivation has killed my brain.

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mrsmugoo · 26/02/2016 20:01

The first time mine went from bedtime to morning with no milk I made the decision to never give him milk between 7-7 again. And I stuck to it! Bar a literal handful of times when he's been ill (e.g a cough) he never got milk again. Water yes, milk no.

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FreeButtonBee · 26/02/2016 21:14

I'd maybe try a bit longer on the second wake up to resettle her - if she's not upset and will go down without a feed then let her. She may well just wake an hour later though 🙄

Personally unless something had been going on for at least 3/4 days I don't count it as a proper development. But I'd say that you are maybe on the road to getting rid of one feed.

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Nan0second · 26/02/2016 21:50

Ooo one vote for each!
That's both sides of my arguing brain happy...
May go for one feed max and work harder to settle. I think?!

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pinksummer · 26/02/2016 21:56

I'll get slated here I'm sure but I don't think past 6mths or double their birth weight do they 'need' milk to see them through. It's just a habit forming.
I'd stop milk and replace it with a calming phrase/stroke.

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