How do I stop a bf baby wanting night feeds

[whomovedmychocolate]

She's seven months next week, 21.5lbs (98th percentile) and has been feeding at least twice during the night since birth.

Frankly, I'm knackered AND we want her to sleep so we can get on with making the next one .

I won't do the controlled crying thing so please don't suggest it (that's why I'm posting it here and not in the sleep section).

She can be calmed with shush patting most times but frankly at 3am it's just been easier to whop her on for a quick feed so I can get back to bed (yep, rod, own back, MiL has already given me that lecture thanksverymuch).

She eats three meals a day (BLW) and feeds every four hours during the day. She will drink water from a cup if it's offered.

I don't want to talk to the evil HV because she'll just tell me (once again) that mine is the heaviest baby she's ever seen and that I'm risking blah, blah, blah (TBH I either leave or switch off once she starts down this path so I'm not totally clear on what rubbish she spouts).

DH is happy to help me with this (he's finally made the association between me being knackered and me being ratty).

So how do I do it? If I could just get her down to one night feed during the next month I'd be so very happy.

All advice welcomed (except those of you who think I should just ignore her cries, that's not my way of doing mummying).

Why do you fundamentally disagree with Gina Fords methods? I suspect you have a misunderstanding of her methods. The truth is that it works! The basis is giving a baby what it needs before it starts screaming for it, what is cruel about that? Letting a baby get so hungry that it is screaming at you is more cruel.

offer water in the night instead of milk, so long as you know they are getting enough in the day the night time waking is just habit adn comfort seeking - by offering water you are giving them a drink if they need it and responding to their need for comfort but it will break the habit, or at least it worked for my DTs within 3 nights

Realised that my last message sounds slightly harsh! Sorry, but I just feel frustrated when I hear these tales of exhaustion! My baby is now 5 months, sleeps 12 hours at night and has done for a months now, I am so grateful for that!

Don't get too smug StirCrazy - it can and does change! My friend's baby slept through until 14 months and now gets up in the middle of the night, climbs out of his cot and runs around the house.

Fair enough, just wanted to let you know that using the sleep and feeding times absolutely changed my life for the better, but I think that I was lucky in that DS just took to it without the use of CC or any other traumatic behaviours. There's elements that I don't 100% agree with so I just take the bits that I do. If it had been like trying to squash a square peg into a round hole I absolutely wouldn't have done it. But it worked and DS is so much happier and settled and getting enough rest.

As I say, you have to find what works for you and what you can and can't put up with, and it doesn't really matter what anyone else does or thinks. I hope you find what does work for you because there's nothing worse than not getting enough sleep.

Stircrazy, I think you misunderstand demand feeding - a baby shouldn't need to be screaming with hunger before you feed it! That is one of Gina Ford's horror stories and complete ly misrepresents what should happen ie baby signals hunger by rooting, making a particular noise etc and mum feeds baby. Cue feeding is probably a better description.

Believe me I know Gina Ford's methods probably better than most having followed it with one of my children and having had several hours' worth of consultations with her. I cannot repeat what happened as she forced me to sign a confidentiality agreement, but it was not good at all.