Feeding at night

[AimeeJ]

Hello!

My 6 month old is still waking a lot during the night and always wants a feed - not a huge amount, I think it's more of a comfort thing, but I'm trying to discourage him as it's every 2-3 hours still. I'm not trying to stop night feeds altogether - I understand that he might need a feed in the middle of the night.

Sometimes I give him a bottle of EBM when he first wakes so he takes on a little more but even then it's only about 2-3oz.

Could I dilute this or just offer water? Or would that be bad for him? Basically I'm trying to not make it worth his while to wake up as much but not sure if water would put to much strain on his kidneys as he's so young still.

Plenty of babies still need feeding at night, 6 months is quite young.

Encouraging more feeds during the day might help, without actually reducing his milk intake.

He's fed on demand and feeds a lot! He also has some mush before bed as well.

I would mind a couple of feeds but last night was every 2 hours.

Are you doing two or more sides per feed too?

Do you feed him to sleep?

He does feed to sleep (well until very drowsy anyway he always wakes when I move him) and when he comes off the boob I always offer it again or the other side if he's had a lot.

Getting them to fall asleep on their own is meant to help with night wakings as babies often wake up briefly during the night and if they are used to falling asleep on the boob they will need it every time they rouse.

The No Cry Sleep Solution is very good for this. She describes a technique for gradually stopping them falling deep asleep while feeding.

I will make this a priority if we have another.

Thank you - I will have a look!

He just went down now awake so we will see.....

Out of interest does anyone know if water is a bad idea?

Yes, the NCSS has some good ideas which work for some people. I reduced my 7 m.o. DS's night feeds by resettling without feeding (by patting or rocking him instead). He went from 6 night feeds down to 1. Some people find it doesn't work unless their DH does the resettling.

When I try to re-settle without feeding he goes from mummering to screaming/can't catch breath/being sick in about 60 seconds!

I'll definitely look at NCSS as I think he is a bit boob obsessed.

Hi aimee, my baby is exactly the same just now but he is only 4 months, was hoping it would have improved by 6 months!
I cant see there would be a problem with using a wee bottle of water at 6 months as you can buy juice for babies who are only 4 months so it must be okay to give them it. I have had a little success with an idea I got from here. When he is feeding to sleep, I pat his back at the same time so he then associates the patting with sleep as well, then sometimes when he wakes up I can pat him back to sleep. Sometimes he will take a dummy too but I am guessing you have tried that. Would love to know how you get on

Frequent feeding could also be a growth spurt aimee.

Juice at 4 months? . I certainly wouldn't give anythng other than milk at that age.

Try not to have too many expectations at this age, hard I know when you're knackered. My DS is nearly one and has only just started stopped wanting to feed in the middle if the night.

I had a similar issue with my daughter at that age and was concerned, but don't be, it's not abnormal. Things will get better soon, honest :-)

My daught is now 21 months and still wakes a bit in the night to be settled quite regularly. But it's a comfort thing now and when she's poorly. But glad I am still able to offer that easy fix.

Best of luck.

My DD is 6 mo and still wakens in the night, though only once. My DD appears to be starving when she wakens and there is no way that she would resettle without a feed. Sometimes we are up for an hour and she feeds for most of that time, other times we are up for 10 minutes.

goodname, its not recommended that you give juice at 4 months old. I know alot of packets/cartons say that foods and juices are suitable from 4 months old, but it is not needed. Breastfed babies only need milk.

Having thought about it I think it's the sucking that comforts him back to sleep rather than specifically the boob, I don't mind a few feeds a night as I understand that at 6 months he may well still be hungry but last night was every 2 hours again - he's not THAT hungry!

GOODNAME - I like the patting idea will try that - I don't use a dummy though as I'm not a fan.

NCSS is being purchased today!

I do not feed my baby juice, i was just pointing out that as they say suitable from 4 months, surely giving a little water at 6 months to discourage feeding every 2 hours during the night is not wrong. BTW I do not think it is unreasonable to want to avoid feeding every 2 hours, this is not exactly having too many expectations, i am doing this at present and i feel like death warmed up. It is off no comfort to know that he will eventually grow out of it in a year or so when you are living with it now.

I know this is slightly controversial, but I have found a dummy very helpful to space baby's feeds. Mine (3 months) is growing like a weed, and at night he now generally only needs a one-side feed at 3-3:30, but sometimes he wakes more often than this and sounds like he needs food -- so I give him a dummy and he goes straight back to sleep.

Apparently, according to the science, once your baby is bigger than 5 kg, s/he doesn't physically need a night feed as long as s/he is getting enough during the day. So you shouldn't be afraid of trying to push some of those 2-hourly night feeds to 3-hourly or more.

Oh and on the water front, it seems to be discouraged in the UK, but in hotter places like Australia they suggest you can give a little bit of cooled boiled water if your baby needs extra hydration. Before 6 months that really shouldn't be the case unless it's very hot weather. But now your baby is 6 months it's an option. It's certainly preferable to juice, which is NEVER recommended under 12 months juice has got no nutritional value other than empty calories from the fructose.

And I know what you mean about not being a fan of the dummy I hate them but because my son currently has a plaster cast on his leg, we can't bicycle his legs to get him through his late-afternoon/early-evening painful tummy, and spending literally hours with our pinkies in his mouth was stopping us from getting anything else done. We figured that seeing we were effectively giving him a living dummy anyway, there would be little harm substituting it with a synthetic one. We don't use it for anything else other than when he needs the extra comfort, and when he needs to settle for sleep.

beanlet- you may be right about the science, but babies don't just feed in the night for nutrition but also for comfort and the need to be close to somebody.

However, I know that 2 hourly feeding is hard work and a gentle nudge towards more spaced out feeds isn't a bad idea.

Goodname, I realise that you don't give your baby juice. Personally I don't think it is unreasonable for a baby of 6 months to need to feed in the night, but that is just my view. Others may be keener for their baby to sleep longer stretches and use forms of 'sleep training' - each to their own. . I have co-slept in the past as a survival technique for lots of night feedings.

I did not say a 6 month old should not feed in the night just that they do not need to feed every 2 hours