Need to stop nightfeeds for my 10 month old....help!

[louby78]

My DS has just turned 10 months. He is BF and wakes at least once or twice a night. At the moment he sleeps in the attic room but we move in two weeks and will all be on the same floor. I'm really looking forward to all being together but would quite like to put a stop to night feeds. He has been having 3 meals a day for a good month now after taking a while to get used to them. I think the thing which struck a chord with me was this morning, after two wakings (11 and 5) I got him up at 7 but he was sodden - nappy, sleepsuit and grobag so wet so he obviously didn't need those feeds. I'm guilty of knowing if I feed him he'll take 5 mins then go straight back to sleep but if I don't do something we could get to 1 and still be waking for feeds. Sure it's habitual.
Any advice?

He's in the middle of a big sleep regression period so it's a difficult time to try to change things at night. Waiting till after the 46 week developmental leap is much more likely to be successful.

There?s more info here, here and here.

I don't understand why being wet means he doesn't need the feeds. My DS has huge variations in how wet his nappy is, but if he wakes for night feeds, there is no way he can sleep again by any other means, which I take to mean that he does need them.

I'm not following that him being sodden means he doesn't 'need' the night feeds. DS1 was always sodden til he became dry at night completely (which wasn't til he was 5) and he's long stopped BF by then.
It could be many things. Maybe he's hungry, or thirsty or has woken up in the dark on his own and wants a cuddle.

Night nursing at one is still quite common IME (most babies I know are waking 1+ times a night) so if you can get him back to sleep within 5 mins by nursing surely that means you'll all get more sleep?
Equally you could try something like the 'No Cry Sleep Solution' by Elizabeth Pantley.

Yes, DS was 'only' waking 3-5 times a night at that age, which was a big improvement on his previous night waking habits.

Mmmm, so you reckon i should just go with it?

Well if it's really bothering you, I'd have a try with something like the NCSS but just be aware that you could have a lot of nights awake trying different methods of resettling for it to be a complete failure.

If the thought of going through that doesn't bother you, it's worth a try. If you're not good at being sleepless in the short term, it might be worth waiting till after 46 weeks to do something about it.

You could try a bit of co-sleeping if you're feeling particularly tired: it should help you get a bit of rest.

FWIW at 13 months DS spontaneously went from 3-5 feeds a night to just 1 (and that was at my bedtime - we co-sleep and me coming to bed would wake him). I'm not saying that your DS might do that, just that you never know what they're going to do on their own.

sorry to be the barer of bad news but stopping night feeds does not equal stopping night wakings.

Angeldog gives good advice.

I know a few mum's of 5year old's who be very happy with your night waking situation (ovoulsy they are not feeding at that age). Some children have need's during the night which carry on for many year's.

Sometime's I wish they would warn new parrents of this in advance.

But if a 5min feed get's him straight of to sleep then just go with it.

Louby 78 I was just about to start a thread so similar to yours, I feel your pain! My DD is 10 months and for the past month/six weeks she has been waking at 4 am for a feed. (She also wakes about 1am but just needs a wee cuddle and her dummy at this time.) She has slept through since 8-10 weeks so this sudden waking (now I'm back at work is not good news!!)

Yours saying you give a bottle because in 5 minutes your DS will be back to sleep rather than an hour pacing the floor struck a cord with me! That's exactly how I feel, but am I making the situation worse!! Who knows! Recently though I have tried to resist and she gets so upset then takes a whole bottle (Btl fed) so I'm now thinking maybe she is hungry, so I really shouldn't resist!!

I was just going to start a thread to ask how much milk 10mths old get in the day time as I am wondering if she is not getting enough? Sometime before all this started we went from a bottle at 10am to a cup of milk (formula) and toast and this was fine. But now I'm wondering if I should go back to the bottle to make sure she's getting enough milk, but if feels like a step back??

Any thoughts would be great!

xx

Amanda - Louby is BF so probably has a slight advantage in that she's producing 'sleepy' hormones when BF at night. The main thing (Ithink) is that you won't do any harm gettging up and feeding your baby and everyone will probably get more sleep doing that than trying to get back to sleep a possibly hungry/thirsty baby.

Louby- not necessarily 'leave it' but I woudln't assume that he doesn't need hte feed jsut because his nappy is wet.

The other thing I have found with my 3 DC is that they go through phases of 'good' sleeping adn just when I think we've got it cracked hell is unleashed again. Anything can trigger wakings - teeth, stress in the day, separation anxiety (I could go on and on)
Like I have said if you are happy to do it and it gives you more sleep just give him milk - and don't worry about that rod you'll be making, according to some, for your back. I personally quite like most of those rods.

Those links are really useful Angeldog. I have been having real issues with ds, who is coming up to 12 months, he's been waking every couple of hours at night and much more clingy in the day.

Someone remind me that we won't be co sleeping forever :) !

Not read other posts but just wanted to express sysmpathy. There is hope however! At eight months, My ds was waking two or three times per night and I breastfed him each time for what I thought was an easy life as he settled quickly. I soon got bit fed up of this and on health visitors advice tried con tolled crying. It worked after day three. Got dp to go settle ds with shush, then leaving him. I never thought con tolled crying would work and I'm not saying it will for you guys, but surely worth a try? At ten months and three feeds per day your baby does not need night feeds. Night comfort maybe, but not milk. Good luck. Hope helps.