Night weaning - why not?

[Turry]

I have a 7 month old with terrible sleep. She breastfeeds through the night. I can't help thinking that if I started to refuse milk (and cuddle and shush or whatever instead) that might encourage better sleep...

Anyway, every time I've looked this up in the past I've come across articles saying not to night until baby's older, but I'm just not too sure why this might be?

Happy to continue to feed at night if it's good for her for some reason, but if there're are no particular benefits I might try it in effort to get some more sleep...

TIA!

Do you think your DD may be hungry at night? Or is she only on for comfort?
There is nothing wrong with feeding for comfort until it destroys your existence because you can't function for lack of sleep.
However, until she's well established on three good meals a day, which is unlikely to be the case at 7 months, I think it is quite possible that she may need a feed or two during the night, probably not more than that though.
I have nightweaned DS at around 9 months and it worked fine because he didn't even want the milk (he would pull away when he got a let down), it was only a habit. Now we're all much happier, him included!

Of course. I would dream feed at say 11pm and then encourage sleep without feeds until morning. Only you can know if she is getting enough daytime feeds though

Oh thanks both, no idea whether feeding for comfort or not - I've been assuming so, but then she does take a good feed each time (about 4 plus times a night). I'm def not at the can't funtion stage, so I'll stick with it til she's eating more solids (you're right, def not three full meals a day yet).

Never get to try a dream feed as she's wakes up so flipping often and I get my sleep where I can. Maybe I should give it another try though, see if it makes any diff to how many times she wakes up later on...

Dream feed is basically just a feed before you go to bed. Saves you falling asleep for 30 mins then getting woken! At least if you feed right before you sleep then you have a better chance of getting a longer period of unbroken sleep.
Also you waking them rather than them waking then asking for food can help break the cycle of them waking = food, as they learn they will get fed automatically

On the 'why not' - well, I wouldn't do it again after DD1. We night weaned her about 8 months. Cue three hideous months where she would still be up four times, once for at least two hours. And having broken the 'feed back to sleep' association, even if you fed her she wouldn't go back to sleep.

DD2 was an even worse sleeper, but she happily fed back to sleep and I kept it up. She always went back straight after a feed.

Not scientific at all, but I know what I'll be doing if we have our hypothetical third. No one warned me that that might happen. They all said 'oh, night wean, it will improve her sleep'.

I dream feed out 7m old, and it works really well for us. Just saves you being woken up just as you drift off. But I don't think you can completely drop night feeding until she is eating by herself well. Good luck, at some point it will get better!

Yikes Amanda, that's terrifying!!! Consider your words marked...