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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

What night feeds did you give at 6 months?

49 replies

laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:21

For either breast or formula fed babies?

I'm really interested to hear what babies demanded and what they were given!

For example, my 6 month old has the following:
7pm breast feed to settle for the night
11:30-12 midnight dream feed, usually breast but formula lasts longer so am thinking about switching or at least teats followed by formula too up straight after
2-3am boiled and cooled water (because baby was vomiting this feed when I gave breast feed, and then was looking to start the day, refusing to settle for 3 whole hours!)
5:30-6am first morning breast feed and day starts
8:30am second morning feed and breakfast (as am weaning now).

I just can't seem to get baby to sleep overnight and last night (a reasonably typical night) I only had 2 hours unbroken sleep, the rest of the night was half hour here and one hour there in broken sleep. After 6 months this is killing me! I am desperate for it to change and so looking to see what is happening to everyone else out there.

OP posts:
Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:24

When I put about the midnight dream feed I actually wrote breastfeed but somehow auto text wrote teats!!!! Same thing I know but not quite how I would have worded it! Funny as I didn't spot that typo when I re-read it. Must be all that sleep deprivation! Wink

OP posts:
MrJollyLivesNextDoor · 03/12/2013 22:30

Now that DS is 3yo I have pretty much managed to erase from my memory bank the utter bone tired awfulness of when he was 6mo Smile

He was breast fed, and it was probably every couple of hours. I was like a zombie most of the time Sad

He finally slept 'through' i.e. 5 hours straight a week before his 2nd birthday Shock

He is still a rubbish sleeper. I will have my revenge with clanging dustbin lids when he is a teenager and wants to sleep all the time, oh yes Grin

LamaDrama · 03/12/2013 22:32

My DD is 7 months, awake every 2-3 hours for BF & has slept through twice since birth.

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:34

Yikes!

How do you both survive the sleep deprivation?

I honestly am going under Hmm

OP posts:
Fairylea · 03/12/2013 22:34

Personally I never did a dream feed with either of mine. I just waited until they woke and wanted a feed and fed them as much as they wanted and held them till they were sleepy and put them down with a dummy.... and then repeat pick up put down till they slept!

Both slept through 7-7ish from about 5 months. I may have just been lucky! Hmmm. I do believe feeding on demand helps though. I'd always offer a feed before anything else.

rosiedays · 03/12/2013 22:36

Have you tried co sleeping? If i didn't co sleep with my dd ( 4.5 months) I'd be a wreck by now. She wakes hourly often during the night and i just boob her virtually in my sleep.

Notfastmainlyfurious · 03/12/2013 22:36

Jolly, I have the same plan for when my little cherub becomes a teen. At 6 months she was still waking for 2 7oz bottles after her bedtime bottle at 7. Our first full night of sleep was at 10 months although even now at 19 months there ate still at least 2 nights a month where we are up all night for no bloody reason

Artandco · 03/12/2013 22:38

At 6 months fed dreamfeed at 11/12pm ( bf), then nothing until morning. Slept 9pm-8/9am from around 4 months with both. 7-7never worked for us or suited lifestyle.

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:43

I'd love to co sleep if it works but this one is prem which is higher risk. I read that its x4 higher for that one reason alone.

My neighbour had a SIDS baby so I've never been of that "it'll never happen" mentality.

Not knocking your choice to co sleep, as I said at the start, I'd love to but just don't dare.

I've always fed on demand but when he started vomiting the 1-2am feed, my health visitor suggested he doesn't need it and is just taking it out of (poor) habit.

OP posts:
Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:46

Artandco - did your babies naturally stay awake until 9pm?

Mine is 'over' at 6pm but I manage to string him out a bit longer. Can't imagine that working as far as 9pm though!

OP posts:
lanbro · 03/12/2013 22:54

At 6 months dd was going 7-7 without a feed, always fed on demand, never did a dream feed. Very lucky I know, hope dd2 follows in her footsteps!

Artandco · 03/12/2013 22:57

Laughing. Yes but our whole day is structured for it. Ie now as toddlers they woke at 9am today, had a nap 2.30-4.30 then we put to bed at 9pm

At 6 months was roughly - 9am wake, 11am-12 nap, 3-5pm nap, maybe a short 15 mins at 6/7pm.

We both work, and alternate who is out the home and who works at home so them sleeping in is fine. It's good also as mean that they are happy to go out after 6pm for food/ swim etc with us as aren't overtired

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:57

Ianbro - my first slept so much better than this one does, it's been a bit of a shock to the system!

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Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 22:58

Artandco - sounds perfect.

How will you adapt when they're at school?

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fruitpastille · 03/12/2013 23:00

Around this age I switched to formula. At night time I gradually watered down the formula until I was just offering water in the end. Ds was not interested in water and started to sleep through. Its all a bit hazy with dd but I think we just tried other mehods to settle and once she realised milk wasnt on offer she slept through more. Both big babies so I didn't worry about calories.

rosiedays · 03/12/2013 23:01

I totally understand your reservation, I have a co sleeper cot and try to keep her in hEr oown space, its right next to the bed so i don't have to get up. (I wriggle over feed then wriggle back)
I would also question the advice from your hv. They are not always right! Surely (by her logic) you are replacing one bad habit with another?
Have you tried shuss pat techniques?

LamaDrama · 03/12/2013 23:01

I don't know how I survive the sleep deprivation to be honest.

My partner of 9 years ran off with OW just before our DD was born, & I think that inbetween tears, Im on autopilot all day. Washing, Drying, Shopping ect.

I think its because its just us two that I am able to do it, I have no partner to have to think about.

And we have co slept for a while now, They say it gets easier OP! Lets hope it does - Im back to work soon & I want sleep! Waaaaaaaa x

ThoughtsPlease · 03/12/2013 23:07

3DC all were EBF, no feeds between 7/8pm and 7am at 6 months

Artandco · 03/12/2013 23:07

When they go to school it's only around the corner. So they can still wake at 8am for 9am start. 9pm-8am gives 11 hrs which is fine for a 5 year old. If they need more we can start 8pm-8am but just means rushed evenings in comparison

Xmasbaby11 · 03/12/2013 23:07

At 6 mo, DD had a bottle at 7pm and slept through til 6am.

She was mixed fed but I'd stopped bf by then.

She was a good sleeper, however, massive sleep regression at 18 months!

ItsIgginningToLookALotLikeXmas · 03/12/2013 23:09

Every two hours at 6 months. I was too worried to co-sleep, but I did have the cot right next to the bed without a side, so did a lot of half-asleep feeding. When he turned one I started co-sleeping from the first awakening. At 18 months he generally sleeps in cot from bedtime till around 3 am, then in with me.
He does love his breast feeds though. Not sure he'll ever give up voluntarily!

Xmasbaby11 · 03/12/2013 23:12

I never dreamfed either, just let DD fall into a routine where she woke up naturally around 11 then 3 for a feed. She dropped the 3am feed naturally at 4 mo and then the 11 just before 6mo. I never had to wake her.

She was mixed fed, but by that stage it was mostly formula. I always fed on demand but she fell into her own routine quickly.

insanityscatching · 03/12/2013 23:14

All five of mine slept through from six weeks old so at six months they would be fed at 6pm and would wake at 6am next morning. Mine were bottle fed every three to four hours in a strict routine.

Original poster
laughingeyes2013 · 03/12/2013 23:20

Of those who had babies sleeping through 7-7 (ish) - did that happen naturally or with a bit of persuasion?

Regarding the health visitor advice switching one bad habit for another; the idea was that boiled and cooled water will have no appeal and so will hopefully result in that hour being a sleep hour rather than a wake-up-for-milk hour!

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StuckOnARollercoaster · 03/12/2013 23:37

Mine is 5.5 months and still just bf. Last feed is at about 6pm, she might grumble through the evening but dummy usually is enough. She will either wake about 11-12 ish or I will pick her up and feed her when we go to bed at this time. She sleeps till our alarm goes at 6am for morning feed.
We got to this by following the baby whisperer to ensure that there are plenty of feeds in the afternoon so that she is 'tanked up' with plenty of milk. It took a while - would wake at 3am for food but gradually that has extended to her now stirring because boyfriend is getting up at 6.
I have no intention of dropping the 'dream feed' for a while as I'm quite enjoying the sleep from midnight to 6am!