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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How do you night wean an EBF baby.

32 replies

ANiceSliceOfCake · 13/05/2016 21:01

Hi. My boy is 9 months, weaning was slow to start but now going ok. I'm wondering how you start night weaning? He has last feed after his bath at 7pm then wakes up once in the night for a feed then up at 6am for the day.

I just don't know when or how to start?

Thanks.

OP posts:
MooPointCowsOpinion · 13/05/2016 21:03

Once in the night is very good for that age, a 2-3am feed is important for your milk supply. That's when the hormones that make milk are at their peak.

I might weaned my eldest at 2 years old by offering her water and cuddles, and slowly stretching out the time I said the boobies were asleep. A 9 month old probably wouldn't understand, and I think it'd be harder to night wean at this point than just do the night feed.

Hopefully someone who has done it successfully at that age will be along to help, but is not worry about it to be honest yet, your DC is sleeping so well!

MooPointCowsOpinion · 13/05/2016 21:04

*night
*I'd
I'm typing while feeding my youngest to sleep, that's my excuse.

Original poster
ANiceSliceOfCake · 13/05/2016 22:21

Thanks for your reply. He's been waking once for a feed for about 2 months. But did also wake up numerous times for a cuddle, dummy etc till about a week ago. So yes one feed is good. I will do to as long as he needs, but exclusively breastfeeding is just so exhausting. He refuses a bottle.

I'll be back at work soon and really could do with stopping feeding in the night if I could.

OP posts:
MooPointCowsOpinion · 14/05/2016 23:25

You might find he increases his feeds when you go back to work, it's a great way to reconnect after time apart, plus you get to sit still after a long day at work and he'll sit still with you.

Neither of mine would ever take a bottle either. I felt overly needed for a while, but then it was nice to know there's one thing I can do for them that no-one else could, no matter how great the childminder was, they'd always need me for that and I can cuddle up with them when we all get home after a day apart.

umizoomi · 14/05/2016 23:47

Night weaned at 2 ? Really? Boobies are asleep HmmFuck that

If you think your child is waking because of habit/comfort rather than hunger ( which is likely the case at 9 months) then I would suggest an alternative method - dummy, water, etc. It's hard at first but they soon don't wake up.

Or you could reduce the length of the bf night feed to the point they don't wake.

MooPointCowsOpinion · 15/05/2016 08:39

Did you mean to be so rude?

I take it you never get thirsty in the night then and would be completely happy to be left wanting a drink until the morning.

YorkieDorkie · 15/05/2016 09:00

Umi that was so rude. You might not agree, I happen to have a different view to moo too but each to their own. She's been kind enough to share her experience with the OP and you've just shot her down for it. I hope it's given you whatever boost you needed.

Coconut0il · 15/05/2016 14:18

My DS2 is 9 months he still wakes at least once for a feed during the night. I find feeding him is the quickest and easiest way to get him back to sleep.
My experience with DS1 was he started sleeping through just after 1. I didn't do anything he just stopped waking. Hopefully DS2 will be the same. He is a bottle and dummy refuser but if you want to stop bf at night maybe offer water instead?

MangosteenSoda · 15/05/2016 14:40

I offered water in a straw cup after he successfully started drinking from one during the day. He was also eating well.

I think umizoomi is reacting to responses which generally say, 'I did absolutely nothing re the question you asked and carried on doing the thing you are trying to stop for a further 18 months. HTH' While I'm sure those responses are given in good faith, they are probably not the target group the OP wanted to hear from.

You get this a lot on the baby and development threads and I'm sure, in many cases, those responses make the OP feel worse about what could be a fairly difficult decision.

scandichick · 15/05/2016 14:47

Maybe try this? It's very popular for breastfed babies: drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

However, I do agree with previous posters that waking once for milk at that age is normal (mine wakes at least five times, if I can feed back to sleep I grab it with both hands), so even if you nightwean you could still have wake ups.

Watto1 · 15/05/2016 14:51

How well is he eating during the day? I found that DS only stopped waking in the night once he was on three full meals a day, including puddings.

DorotheaHomeAlone · 15/05/2016 14:57

I night weaned at around 7 months by pushing back the time of the feed. When she woke I settled her without feeding the first time then fed her at a later wake up. I got it from 1am to 4am this way then just cut it out altogether and she was happy to wait until morning. At 9 months he can have a beaker of water in the cut if you're worried about thirst. We put one in with her when we check on her before our bedtime. She almost never drinks it though.

AcrossthePond55 · 15/05/2016 16:20

I never purposely 'night weaned' per se as in stopping feeds or such. But I did start silent feeding just before I went back to work (at 3 months). When DS would wake I'd feed him but wouldn't sing or talk. Just quietly pick him up, cuddle, feed, change if needed, then back to bed. By 7 months he wasn't waking in the night though.

Now, before you all flame me I'm an 'old mum', DS2 is 27. When mine were little we started solids at 6 months. Would it help (or be 'permissible') to give him a little cereal before bed?

heyhulahoop · 15/05/2016 19:01

Confused about silent feeding, aren't all night feeds silent feeds? I wouldn't dream of talking or singing to dd at night, she's nearly always half asleep anyway.

AcrossthePond55 · 15/05/2016 19:06

Hula I used to sing softly to DS2 during night feeds when he was tiny, more for my benefit than his!

ALongTimeComing · 15/05/2016 19:10

I wouldn't bother, they still need milk at that age. 11 hours is a long time for such a small yummy to go without food. If it's just once I bet he'll drop the feed soonish: 11/12 months did it for us.

Artandco · 15/05/2016 19:11

I stopped feeding overnight after 6 months. Last feed was 9pm here, then water offered if needed overnight. Next feed around 8am

As soon as we stopped feeding milk overnight they slept 9pm-8am 99% of the time

Andbabymakesthree · 15/05/2016 19:18

Umi you are rude and very ignorant.

OP once a night is a dream! I think you'll find dropping that feed might bring a disruption to a good sleep pattern!

Babettescat · 15/05/2016 19:27

Umi's response however rude - I think is a reaction to the answers you get pretty much anywhere if you want to stop/cut down breastfeeding anytime under 2. However nicely it's phrased there is a soft pressure to just keep going and going because having breastfed for 6/7/X months isn't quite enough.

Babettescat · 15/05/2016 19:38

An example. I've breastfed DS for seven months and am very proud of myself. He has before and after work feeds now and my idea is to cut down after a couple of months to end it. There is nothing wrong with this. Nada. Breastfeeding for 9 months is just fine.

But on saying this I've variously been told by people -

  1. Oh really? The poor mite will be so confused (sad face)
  2. Ah just as he has started childcare and will need all the antibodies...
  3. I fed mine till 3
  4. Have you heard of natural term weaning?

Look. I may go on for longer. But sometimes I just want to be told "massively well done for getting to 7 months and it's understandable that you want to stop now/later at point X" I don't know what helped but I've heard this or that helps".

mrsmugoo · 15/05/2016 19:56

I "helped things on the way" with my 7 month old by cutting down the time of that middle of the night feed - first I did one boob only for as long as he wanted (instead of both) then I timed it 10 mins, few days later, 7 mins etc until it was literally just one minute then I stopped it and sent my husband in with water only if he woke before 5am.

The feed was dropped in about 10 days and we did the same with the 5am one too and he was sleeping bedtime til morning with no milk or interventions from me needed by 8 months.

Be prepared for some sleepless nights to get where you're going but it's sooooooo worth it in the long run!!

Original poster
ANiceSliceOfCake · 19/05/2016 20:00

Thanks everyone, lots of different opinions to think about.
He's on 3 meals a day but isn't he best eater just yet. He's ok with a sippy cup with water in the day, and I could try it at night, but I'm not sure he's quite ready for that yet, he dribbles a lot of it and makes a right old mess.

I have thought about the timing thing and cutting down each feed. I think he's got nuts, so maybe I just need to wait it out a bit.

Out of my mum mates I'm the only one still don't night feeds so I think that's what's made me think that maybe I shouldn't be now.

I'm a bit of a fraud when it comes to the whole 'feeding debate' that some people get into. I fully intended to formula feed at 6 months but he refuses a bottle. Not that I care about the whole debate anyway, but you know what I mean.

OP posts:
bittapitta · 19/05/2016 20:04

We stopped feeding at night at 8 months by my DH dealing with night wake ups, him offering cuddles and rocking to sleep instead of my milk. And obviously stop bfeeding to sleep in the evening so baby doesn't wake up wanting to be fed back to sleep. But every baby is different.

Nan0second · 19/05/2016 20:10

We gradually cut down the time spent feeding then baby slept through at just over 10months! (She was already self settling at bedtime by this point).
She's not a great sleeper but she will sleep through 2 max 3 times a week as there are other things going on (teeth / allergies / light sleeper) so it was still worth it. I have continued day time breast feeds and am stopping when she is one as I cannot bring myself to continue to be soy and dairy free any longer!

mrsmugoo · 19/05/2016 20:19

Ahh yes, the pp reminded me that I started doing his last breastfeed before his bath instead of last thing at night so he fully disassociated milk with bed. My DH also started putting him to bed.

With regards to the comment about your DC "going nuts" in the night OP, you have to expect this and just stick with the plan. If you give in every time they go nuts you'll still be night feeding for months/years! I have friends really struggling to stop offering milk to their toddlers in the night and it would have been so much easier if they'd tackled it earlier.