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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

When should I stop the late night feed?

19 replies

Taler · 18/03/2014 09:47

My DD is 4.5 months old. She has formula and has 4 hourly feeds. One of the feeds is 11pm and we always have to wake her for it. She then doesn't feed again until around 6:30.

I just wondered at what age we should stop the late night feed?

I have no problem doing it and if my DD wants/needs it then ultimately that's all that matters, however I always hear of other babies doing 12 hour stints and think my DD will never be able to achieve that if we don't let her.

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Poshers · 18/03/2014 11:46

Keen to follow this too

ZuleikaD · 18/03/2014 11:50

DS is 11m and close to giving up night feeds, I think. The older DCs stopped night feeds at 10 and 11m.

neversleepagain · 18/03/2014 12:31

It depends how much milk she is having in the day really.

We carried on with the 10:30pm feed until our twins were 7 months old.

stowsettler · 18/03/2014 12:45

DD was about 6-7 months old I think. We reduced it ounce by ounce until she was just having 3 ounces. Then we went cold turkey with no ill effects at all.

StormyBrid · 18/03/2014 12:49

I'd wait a few months yet before cutting that feed out. But if you have to wake her for it anyway, you could try just not bothering one night, and see how long she sleeps. That's what I did one night when I was too tired to wait up - DD didn't wake until 4.30 that night. So I ended up with a baby that went 7pm-6am, woke for milk, then went back to sleep until 8. It was glorious! Then she had two solid months of cold and it all went a bit wonky...

toomuchtooold · 18/03/2014 14:04

What stormybird said. I OTOH kept waking my DTs for an 11pm feed till they were about 8 months, they'd have another at 3am and that was OK but when we stopped the 11pm feed they had like a day or two of waking at 1/2am and then one slept through while the other kept on with a 4am feed for about another two months, but four feeds down to one, not bad. Wish I'd done it long before!

Forgettable · 18/03/2014 14:41

Or how about pulling the feed back gradually, to extend the time from the front as it were. Then drop once you are getting to say 9 pm - 6.30 am or whatever

Then teething happens and it all goes to cock anyway, innit.

Original poster

Taler · 18/03/2014 15:06

Thanks for advice so far. Was thinking I might do it a bit earlier and see how that affects the 6:30 feed.

BTW she has been teething for weeks and it has only really affected her feeds at times insofar as her taking less at some feeds (although I'm now starting to wonder if she may have silent reflux???)

OP posts:

MamaPingu · 18/03/2014 15:21

DS was 11 weeks when all night feeds were stopped.
It happened over 4-5 nights where I slowly reduced the amount, and he'd make up for it in the day! So then the next night I knocked another ounce off the feed and kept repeating.

Best of luck OP!

MamaPingu · 18/03/2014 15:21

Why are you thinking silent reflux OP? DS had this, it was awful. What are the signs your DC is showing?

ShatterResistant · 18/03/2014 15:26

We dropped the 10pm feed at 6 months, just when I was going back to work. She had got less interested in it already though. I was really nervous about stopping altogether, but one night I just didn't bother to wake her up, and that was that - no ill effects. Good luck! It's v liberating...

Original poster

Taler · 18/03/2014 15:53

Mamapingu - she never used to posset but the last few months has been but recently she's been bringing up more than just what I'd call posseting. Plus after feeds (not all though??) she seems rather uncomfortable and generally not content. Plus she has been taking less as I previously mentioned. What do u think? Any other signs I should look out for?

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Original poster

Taler · 18/03/2014 16:19

Oh and she's also coughing a bit too, which I also though was/could b teething as read that because babies produce so much excess saliva when teething they can't swallow it all so it just sits in the back of their throat and causes them to cough. Who knows?!?! Be soooooo much easie if she could just tell me! ;)

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MamaPingu · 18/03/2014 18:15

It does sound like a possibility yes!
DS used to scream and scream after his feeds because of the pain. But it was only when laid down, at first I mistook it for attention seeking! Does your DD seem like that sometimes? Is she generally happier when held so she's sat rather than laid? A good test is lay her in your arms and she if she still gets uncomfortable and then hold her sat up and see if it stops soon.

Coughing can be a sign of it too OP, does she seem sniffly and maybe like she's got cold? Cause DS was like that when he had it. Look out to see if she seems snuffly!

Does she resist her feeds? Like arch her back or anything?

Racking my brain for you haha.

Falling to sleep during feeds a lot over and over if you wake her?

I'll keep thinking for you OP there were a few!

Original poster

Taler · 18/03/2014 18:25

Bless you! Thank you so much :)
She displays some of these symptoms but not all.
She tends to make 'moany' sort of noises after her feeds, like she is uncomfortable, however is say myself and my DH generally always seem to be able I settle her by just holding and rocking her and offering her a dummy.

OP posts:

MamaPingu · 18/03/2014 18:33

Any frowning? My DS was a constant frowner haha! It was cute but apparently a sign!

And sometimes you could kind of hear his reflux! Have a listen after a feed and see if you can hear the noises.

Best of wishes for your DD
One thing that really helped was propping his Moses basket up and making sure he slept at an angle. It used to look daft how he slept haha but it helped ease the pain for him.

If you need any help feel free to message me. Especially if you're going to the GP with her as you need to be prepared for a battle depending on who you see!

Best wishes x

murphy36 · 18/03/2014 18:36

At around 3months we let DS sleep for as long as he could after his 7/8pm feed. At around 4.5months he went through the night. We made sure he still got as many feeds as he had before, just during the day.

Angelina7 · 19/03/2014 12:41

I have read that from 4 months old babies are ready to sleep through the night without a feed, and not to worry about it because babies will naturally start to have more in the day to make up for the night. ... But I bet as soon as you stop waking her for it she will realise a while after and wake at a less reasonable hour lol. Good luck

Blueberrybaby · 19/03/2014 12:54

We dropped the 10.30pm feed at around 8-9 months I think. We knew she was ready to stop when for at least a week she consistently drank an ounce or less and refused any further attempts to get her to drink it. I think we stopped feeding her in the middle of the night e.g. anytime between 2 and 5am by about 4 months. So she was going from her late feed at 10.30pm until 7ish fine. You could try it one evening and see what happens. If you find she wakes up anytime between 11pm and 2am, then I'd say she still needs it. Just be guided by her. When we decided to drop it, as I say it was after a week of her barely drinking anything. We knew she didn't want or need it. All that happened was on the first couple of nights she stirred at 10.30pm, but we just gave her a dummy and she settled straight back and slept through. Now she doesn't wake at all and she's 10 months.

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