at what age can you stop a 11pm breastfeed

hermykne · 2005-03-21T20:33:34+00:00

i think my ds just does this for comfort and in the night too. can i stop it at 8mths , i know he'll go nuts, but i have had enough night feeding at 8mths are they capable of going from 7 til 6am or so on breastmilk? and 3 good meals a day i add, plus snacks!

motherinferior · 21/03/2005 20:34

You can but try. What have you got to lose ?

Gobbledigook · 21/03/2005 20:35

Er, I would have thought so. OK, so I don't breast feed but ds3 is only 6.5 months and I can't remember the last time he had his 11pm feed! He's been sleeping through from 7.30 to 7.30 for absolutely ages.

Hope you can kick it as it's great to be able to go to bed at 10pm (if you can drag yourself off here )

Good luck!

mears · 21/03/2005 20:37

Yes he can go without it - it is a matter of breaking his will I am afraid. Good luck

irishbird · 21/03/2005 20:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

beansprout · 21/03/2005 20:43

Sorry to thread crash, but should ds be able to go without at 5 months?

Gobbledigook · 21/03/2005 20:44

My ds3 did Beansprout and when he started wanting it again I started him on babyrice and that helped, especially when given at 6pm followed by a feed at 7-7.30pm.

All babes are different though - try it and see

Original poster

hermykne · 21/03/2005 20:58

gobbledigook i do not want to hear your breastfed baby sleeps from 7.30 to 7.30, how on earth????????? grrrrrrrrr

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motherinferior · 21/03/2005 21:06

Beansprout, by five months they don't IRCC 'need' a night feed. Whether that means he will in fact go through without it is, sadly, not definite. I wurbled about this for ages with dd2 as well (her sister, the little bugger, did get the hang of sleeping through but dd2 was exclusively b/fed to six months and I was back at work). Since you're still on mat leave and therefore a couple of horrid nights are not quite such a terrifying prospect, give it a whirl. Why not. You may be blissfully surprised.

helsy · 21/03/2005 21:10

I stopped at about 7 months and she wasn't eating much at the time, either - just dropped it one night, didn't stop her waking at night but that eventually drifted off too. Now 10 months and sitting on my knee as I type

sansouci · 21/03/2005 21:10

I hate to disillusion you, but my 19 month old ds is still demanding an 11 pm formula feed! He wakes himself up for it & there's no denying him because he screams for it. Which is why I'm hanging around instead of going to bed... yawn! V. tired tonight.

jane313 · 21/03/2005 21:22

Mine stopped between 6-7 months. Before I sometimes did a late night feed (10-11pm ish) but it rarely stopped him wanting one between 2-4am as well.

weeboagie · 21/03/2005 21:34

I'm inspired! DD is nearly 7 months and still has 11pm feed but I am due to go back to work next week. Will drop tonight and see how we go - wish me luck!

Danni05 · 21/03/2005 21:40

My ds is 11wks and hasnt had a feed after 7.30pm since he was about 9wks, when he was first born i fed on demand and left him to wake for his feeds which were about 10pm-11pm, he then started to go longer til about 1-2am, and then waking up at 5-6am, so my dp and i decided to wake him around 10.30pm for a feed and see if he would go longer then in the night and so only resulting in 1 wake up, this worked for about a week and he started to wake up twice again, we decided to stop waking him, and see what wouuld happen, he then went to waking once in the night. And now at 11wks he's sleeping through from his 7.30 feed. Touch wood as they say, only been doing it for 1wk.

Danni05 · 21/03/2005 21:41

My ds is 11wks and hasnt had a feed after 7.30pm since he was about 9wks, when he was first born i fed on demand and left him to wake for his feeds which were about 10pm-11pm, he then started to go longer til about 1-2am, and then waking up at 5-6am, so my dp and i decided to wake him around 10.30pm for a feed and see if he would go longer then in the night and so only resulting in 1 wake up, this worked for about a week and he started to wake up twice again, we decided to stop waking him, and see what wouuld happen, he then went to waking once in the night. And now at 11wks he's sleeping through from his 7.30 feed. Touch wood as they say, only been doing it for 1wk.

beansprout · 21/03/2005 22:13

Ok, sod it. Not got anything on tomorrow, so am not going to dream feed and see how I get on. Seems to be mixed views on whether it helps them sleep longer or not. Fingers crossed....

weeboagie · 21/03/2005 22:16

Beansprout - good luck - let us know how you go tomorrow. I'll drop it tonight too.

Original poster

hermykne · 22/03/2005 11:47

last night
fed him at 7 and he slept til 12.30, i fed him, big softie that i am, but he woke at 4am, settled him and he woke again at 5.50 so i settled and ignored him til 6.30 where he had a really good feed and dozed back to sleep til 8, me too and dd,
so he has had no milk since and now asleep and i will feed him upon wakig and then not til 6.30pm and see if he takes more as i think he is distracted with his feeding and never finishes the boob.
my other mission formula.....time to give up.

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Hellsy · 22/03/2005 22:17

Hello - jumping in here - I seem to be in the same situ as you. My ds is 5 months and has not yet slept for more than 4 hours during a night. I've just started introducing him to the bottle and it's made a huge difference. I don't wake him now and the last 2 nights he's in bed as norm at 7 pm and has slept til 1, fed from a bottle, then gone thru til 6:15. Has now convinced me to wean him totally off me as I just don't think I fill his little tum enough!

Original poster

hermykne · 23/03/2005 08:47

hellsy my ds does the same feeding patern, but he still wakes 2hrly from 12.30/1am til 7.30

now last night he feedat 12.30 woke at 2 settled avery quickly woke at 4 and wailed til 4.40 then slept til 7.30 or thats when i heard him he may have been awake earlier as the cot was in a mess.

he is allergic to formula thats my other problem!

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Hellsy · 23/03/2005 10:29

Oh no - have you tried all of them? What a nightmare... you must be exhausted. Does ds take a dummy? I read a book called The Baya Whisperer who advocates the use of a dummy in the right circumstances, and she suggested giving them a dummy in the night instead of feeding and they realise that if that's all they're going to get it breaks the habit. I couldn't do it though as I was always convinced that he hadn't had enough milk and my milk wasn't filling him up - I also couldn't bear the screaming on the first night of trying it. According to the BW it only takes 3 days to break a habit....hmmmmmmm

Original poster

hermykne · 23/03/2005 14:46

hellsy
i hope i can break it tonoight that'll be 3 nights!!
i have tried most, but am looking at blood tests now as i am fed up again

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Hellsy · 23/03/2005 16:28

Just read my last post - it was meant to say Baby Whisperer - oops! Good luck tonight..

beansprout · 23/03/2005 16:37

After saying I would NEVER use a dummy (er, not sure quite why I felt so strongly about that!), I have now weaned ds off regular night feeds in yep, 3 nights.

He was then feeding at 11pm (dream feed) and then 4am (ish) but have now dropped the dream feed and he goes from 8pm to 7pm with one feed. All in the course of a week. Last Tuesday night I was up 6 times, and last night it was just once. Next step, reduce the one feed he is having.... Victory shall be mine (manic evil laugh)!

motherinferior · 23/03/2005 16:55

Hurrah! And then you will have a FULL night's sleep again, oh blissful prospect...

...for a while anyway

Original poster

hermykne · 23/03/2005 17:40

well done beansprout
i am using the dummy to, to resettle and hope i dont incur any adverse problems with it, but off the nightfeeds thank gawd

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