8 month old waking numerous times in the night

[Gangle]

DS2 is just 8 months. He's a lovely happy baby and settles very easily at 7pm and usually sleeps through to 11pm ish when he wakes up for a feed. He then settles back down easily but then wakes usually at 1, 3 and 5am then up properly for the day at 6/6.30. I feed him each time he wakes and most of the times he settles back down but sometimes not and will lay there gurgling and babbling to himself, eventually crying if not picked up. I started him on solids at 6 months and he's now on 3 meals a day. He seems hungry and will eat whatever I give him though have so far I've been taking it slowly and stuck mostly to homemade purees and some finger foods. Just wondering if it's habit or if he's hungry. He is having the same number of breastfeeds but I think takes less at each daytime feed as he is often distracted or possibly not hungry due to eating solids. What am I doing wrong? It's been over 2 1/2 years since I had an unbroken night - would be nice to think I can have one before too much longer but maybe that's wishful thinking!

Oh, I really feel for you OP. My DS was just the same at that age.

In the end we went for a 2 pronged approach- we started seeing a cranial osteopath (expensive but only went 3 or 4 times) and we did CC. CC was really harrowing but DS just could not self settle and all attempts at teaching this in a more gentle way failed miserably.

Anyway, whether it was one, the other or a combination of the 2 something worked and he rapidly cut down to just 2 night feeds, then 1.

Now he either sleeps through or wakes for 1 feed (he's 16m) although sleep is still the first thing to go when he's unsettled/ill.

Hope things sort themselves out soon :)

Oh, and I have 2 other friends who had a similar problem with their DSs- both started sleeping through once they could self settle. One did CC and the other PUPD.

Stop night feeding, just don't offer, send DP/DH for a few nights so he can't smell milk He really doesn't need night feeds now. Give all meals as finger food, including spag bol and messy stuff like mash potato. Meat in strips, he needs to learn to chew and puree for too long deters them from accepting lumps.
Definately habit.
Use the PUPD method by DP/DH until he is weaned off night feeds. Or you can do CC for a few nights which is effective. Although it is hard to do it only lasts a few nights and saves a life time of bags under your eyes At this age I would do GF if necessary!

Now is definately the right time, before they can climb out of cots/beds

Thanks all. Captaincroc, I have possibly gone a bit slow with solids but do worry about choking and also think they don't actually consume that much if you only do BLW. He does have lumps and things to chew (toast, fruit, veggies etc) although I will probably increase these in the next few weeks. Following the same approach as we did with DS1 and he was a v early talker and great eater. I was more worried about quantity and wondering if he's hungry and hence needs to feed at night for the calories. I agree that it's probably habit and best tackled sooner rather than later. He responds quite well to PUPD (did this for daytime naps) so will try that. Thx

LeniGrad, I would do that but we already have DS1, 2.8 in bed with us and I worry about him squashing DS2 if I put him next to him or DS2 falling out if I put him the other side.

Sorry gangle, didn't want to teach you to suck eggs . They choke less if they feed themselves because they can feel what they are eating and bite off the right amount. Most babies gag which is fine, so long as they cough its ok, back slaps if no noise comes out.
About the amount, a portion is their hand size in a fist, so four bits of anything hand sized is plenty. Sandwich meat is a good starter, protein takes longer to digest, so if he has more at the evening meal he will last longer. If he has fruit/ yoghurt after each meal or rice pudding after dinner that is good for calories.

really Captain, that's interesting. He goes gag sometimes but I've been really surprised at how well he does and how much he can put away. He is very independent and loves feeding himself so maybe I should give it more of a go. Thx

meant, does gap - can't type!

GAG!!!

My DS was exactly the same - up until when he turned 1, and I decided I had to do something!

I did Baby Whisperer (PUPD) - although to be more precise, I just "Shushed and patted" because picking him up didn't comfort him.

I had previously been bf through the night (3, 4 or 5 times a night) so I was amazed how quickly it worked. It was clearly habit - he didnt need the milk - in fact when he woke up in the morning he wouldn't lunge at me for milk, but was happy to wait 10 mins or so.

It took 4 days until he was sleeping solidly from 6.30-5.30 a.m. I had always resisted doing anything like it before, as I thought I could't let him cry. But actually, I couldn't just go on and on with disturbed sleep, and it was getting worse not better. I took the BW approach as I liked that I was staying in the room comforting him the whole time.

The first night he cried for about 45 mins when I refused to feed him,(I offered water, but he batted it away!) this reduced to 15 mins very quickly, and soon it was taking only a couple of minutes to settle him each time. Eventually he just stopped waking up. Amazing!

I'd recommend it, but you have to be ready to do it.

Glad he enjoys it, he is at the perfect phase for it. You probably notice that all toys go into his mouth and this is so he gets used to feeling the texture and taste of what he can or cannot eat. Its universal across all babies. Lots of babies refuse to be spoon fed at this age. Also it helps hand eye co-ordination.