Is there anything wrong with feeding an older (8mo) baby all night?

[haloflo]

Hi I need to tackle my DD's sleeping and plan on doing so after Christmas. I don't think I can keep going after that.

There are many reasons for this delay - we are temporarily living with my in laws, due to move house in 2 weeks, I'm trying to drop day feeds (due back at work in 1 month) and am conscious that she will miss me when I'm at work. She is very happy in the day to play in the floor and feel she is making up for cuddles at night. Plus I'm tired and not ready for tears of any kind.

She currently wakes 5 plus times a night and is fed back to sleep anytime after 9 if she wakes so I can go to bed. The longest stretch of sleep she has ever done is 6 hours but I can't even remember when that was.

Some nights she wakes crying every 45 mins, some nights 2 hourly, others 3 hourly. I've played around with her naps but think I need to gently teach her how to sleep alone and without feeding if I am to function any longer.

I dont feed her to sleep but feed her to drowsy then pop her dummy in. She used to let me leave the room but now protests if I do. I often have to feed to sleep for naps although she will nap for other people without milk.

My question is will the current situation be bad for her? Harder to make changes the longer it goes on? Put her off solids? Put her off day feeds?

Thank you. It's hard to ask this question in real life as everyone else's babies sleep through or wake once or twice for a feed.

Sorry it's so long. I just worry I should be doing more to help her sleep.

I don't have a solution about the waking every 45 min. That's one sleep cycle btw. Just want to say my 8mo DD has also started to protest if I leave her in her room awake. She used to be able to go down in her cot awake, playing with her toys. It might be a developmental thing.

Anyway, we cope by allowing her to sleep in our bed. She's put in her cot after bath and milk. And then if at any point in the evening she doesn't go straight back to sleep after a feed, she comes and sleep with us. She's happy to lie awake with us. I can't face trying to settle her back in her cot now I'm back at work. She wakes once or twice through the night.

Is her cot in your room? I've seriously thought about moving it back!

Did I not say? She is in bed, not just in my room. Interesting that your DD won't let you leave the room either. Its really frustrating. I also feel like i keep getting her bedtime wrong, too early or too late for her to sleep early.I know that 45 mins is a sleep cycle, I worry so much that she doesn't know how to sleep through it without her dummy, me or a boob. She took an hour and 20 min nap this morning but this will be because her dummy didn't fall out.

There is nothing wrong with feeding an 8mo all night...as long as you are ok with it. If not you could read "the no cry sleep solution" I haven't read it but have heard good things. IME sleep/night feeds change frequently, suddenly and off their own accord. I cosleep and so find it easier to just ride out the wakings by a quick lying down feed. Ds's waking/feeding has def been related to developmental spurts. Hopefullly your dd's sleep will sort itself out but if not try the book. Good luck.

My about to turn 9mo DD is the same. She wakes about 2/3 times between half 7 and 11 (always exactly half hour after she is put to be at 7 ish) and then wakes again a couple times. After 11 pm she normally wakes another two times. Some times I can get her to sleep by rocking or patting her back but most of the time she wants to feed to sleep. I started back at work this week as well so tonight she has been up 4 times already wanting to feed. She won't accept a bottle or cup with formula or expressed milk either - it has to be me!

I really need and want to stop the feeding to sleep during the night but just cant face the thought of the crying (also don't want my 4yo DS woken!).

I think I will have a look at the no cry sleep solution but will be keeping an eye on this thread!