How to cut out the night time feed...

[suzi2]

My DS is 8 months, is breastfed and I would like to cut out his night time feed. He usually only feeds once in the night but if he's poorly he feeds more often (for comfort mainly) which I don't mind. I would just like it if my DH could help out with the night time a bit more as I have been very run down lately and have been hit with a bout of shingles too.

More often than not, he feeds around 4 am. He then only feeds for a minute or so at 7-8am before getting a solid breakfast. 11am and 3pm feeds are very short but seem adequate. He gets a 6oz expressed milk bottle at 7pm. It seems to me like he's trying to drop his 7am feed because he isn't hungry.

Any ideas how I can get him to stop the 4am feed and keep the 7am one? I'm not into anything that will cause him any distress like CC. He has gone all night without a feed quite a few times so I know he can do it.

I have recently stopped my dds night feeds and basically just refused to feed her between 12-5am. (she used to wake evry 2 hrs for a feed). I just cuddled her or brought her to my bed as I couldn't leave her to cry. Her sleeping has definately improved since and she has even gone right through a couple of nights. I do keep a bottle of formula to hand and if I start to worry its hunger (which of course it isn't) I offer it knowing I'm not starving her. Other than that I comfort in other ways and sure she was mad for a few days but seems fine now. Don't think you can do it without losing some sleep initially though, which is the last thing you want when run down. Maybe you could give bf before bed and use expressed milk at 4am given by dh?

hi suzi2, I had this problem and my mum reccommended trying a drink of cooled boiled water however i felt really mean doing this but it does work most of the time and he gets himself back to sleep. Whilst hes teething as he is is at the mo i still feed cos he not got much of an apetite.

Thanks guys. I haven't the energy to tackle it at the moment as he is teething and waking and suckling loads! I'm getting more run down (now have a chest infection too!) but just trying to get past the next week or two and I'll take it from there.

I might give the water thing a try though as that's fairly effortless

Can you also try reducing the amount of time you feed her gradually, till its a v. short feed, and then giving her water after a while of doing that. That way she would make up for it by feeding more in the day.

Also you could try waking her for it an hour early and gradually reducing it and then dropping it. Apparently the waking ahead of when they usually wake up gets them out of the habit of waking, tho' I've never tried it myself. But it seems like it would put you in control more.

Thanks for the advice beartime. He won't really let me shorten feeds. he's quite stroppy (just like his dad!) and if he doesn't get EXACTLY what he wants then he throws an all out screaming fit. Who knows what it'l be like when he's a toddler

The waking an hour early thing makes sense. I might give that a shot although part of me is too scared to wake him as he might go off on one lol! Maybe my DH should wake him and offer some water - that would try both approaches?

worth a try! I laugh at these people who say 'it'll all come naturally' - yeah if learning by lots of mistakes is naturally!