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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Night wean from 15lbs - really?

17 replies

tummytime · 22/02/2010 12:33

I was browsing through sleep help books (for babies not me) in the library today as 18wo DS has surpassed himself over the weekend by refusing to sleep for longer than an hour at a time overnight.

I looked at a couple of American books except NCSS suggested night weaning from 15lbs or 4 months whichever was earlier which i thought must be wrong. I know the fact that DS wants to eat doesn't mean that he needs to, but it wouldn't occur to me to night wean until he is properly established on solids during the day. Surely anything else is a bit of recipe for disaster where bf is concerned?

Or am I just a bit too much of a soft touch and letting him get away with a bit too much nibbling?

OP posts:
Seona1973 · 22/02/2010 12:43

a load of rubbish (IMO of course). I see sleeping as something they learn to do and it is not related to weight or age or food particulary. DS was 8 months and well over 20lbs when he slept through (bottlefed)

RubyBuckleberry · 22/02/2010 14:50

hi tummytime, my ds did a similar thing at 18 weeks - it really upped my supply. i was worried at first because he kept wanting to feed and there didn't seem to be any milk left after a bit?! anyway, he is back to 3 hourly, maybe 4, at 20/21 weeks - more in the day, and eats alot at night, well - takes longer, more focused feeds! sooooo tired! don't know the answer to your query, but am interested in replies

rubyslippers · 22/02/2010 14:52

it is a very outdated idea that when babies had doubled their birthweight they were ready for solids

this often occurred at around 4 months

DD is 19 weeks and wakes frequently at night for feeds and not planning on night weaning, if at all, until solids are well established (probably 8/9 months)

last night she was up 4 times

LackaDAISYcal · 22/02/2010 15:00

Agree that the night weaning thing is outdated and is part of the culture that babies should be doing things to suit their parents idea of a routine rather than their own needs. Night sleeping is syuch a varied thing; I had 8 hours from my oldest at 8 weeks (bottle), my middle at 8 weeks (breast) and then my youngest was 10 months before he went more than three and a half hours at night.

There is a huge growth spurt around this time so he is probably just upping your supply to keep up with his growing demands.

do you cosleep? It's often quite useful for getting in some more sleep as you can latch themon and then drift back to sleep yourself, although I realsie it isn't for everyone. I had a sidecar cot so we had a bit more room to move and it worked really well for us.

Original poster
tummytime · 22/02/2010 18:14

Thanks, DS is in a sidecar cot but seems to wriggle and squirm until he is cuddled up next to me. I'd quite like to stop the co sleeping and constant feeding but think I'll wait until he is properly weaned and I know he's getting the calories in the day.

I was quite surprised really that this advice still seemed to be trotted out. It really can't help with bf...

OP posts:
DitaVonCheese · 22/02/2010 20:55

At 18 weeks I think we were still in the midst of the hideous hideous four month growth spurt and DD was waking about 45 minutes. I tried to nightwean recently at about 14 months and it was hell for all of us, so not sure what would have happened at 18 weeks!

RubyBuckleberry · 23/02/2010 09:23

so last night DS up every 90 minutes/2 hours snore. not that hungry this morning gggrrrrr much more interested in playing.

mrsflux · 23/02/2010 20:28

What an odd concept! My ds was 15lb before 3 months! Doubt I could have weaned him off night feeds that early!

RubyBuckleberry · 23/02/2010 20:41

my ds over 16lb and not close to nightweaning, i don't think - he could pleasantly surprise me though .

various techniques involve giving dummies, water, or cc. as i understand it, these 'techniques' can be the death of breastfeeding. the more i find out about successful breastfeeding, the more i realise that all the routine ish type books do NOT support it, despite coming across as if they do.

herethereandeverywhere · 24/02/2010 15:58

My dd has gone in entirely the opposite direction to that advice! She did 6-8 hours midnight onwards from about 4 weeks then at 17 weeks started to wake in the night for one feed, now it's two feeds per night. Am utterly fed up with it and whenever I try to wean onto formula (one feed per day per week) I get mastitis symptoms. Feel utterly trapped by bf, cannot believe the emotional handcuffs that it ties you into or the constant pain. I fear the MIL was right when she said bottle was best. If I have more kids I'm not putting myself through this again

rubyslippers · 24/02/2010 19:58

you shouldn't be in constant pain

have you spoken to one of the breastfeeding helplines?

17 weeks (4 months) is classic growth spurt time hence an additional night feed

my DD woke hourly last night - it is sooooo hard at times ...

bigeye · 24/02/2010 21:06

Really funny this thread is here - just today I overheard someone saying that she had read after 13lbs babies shouldn't need night feeding. I thought this couldn't be true but it's obviously still 'out there' and being followed

bigeye · 24/02/2010 21:07

BTW my DD is 12 weeks and well over 13lbs so apparently her one night feed (in addtion to a dream feed) is just greedy

moaningminniewhingesagain · 24/02/2010 22:48

My 14mo DS still has 2 night feeds usually and weighs plenty! He slept through a few few times before 16 weeks then decided he didn't like it. He has slept through once since then, a couple of weeks ago.

OTOH if any one can tell me how to night wean him I would give my right arm love to know

crapdoc · 24/02/2010 23:01

I found both of mine stopped feeding in the morning as the first sign they were ready to drop night feeds. But then I was routine-ish. But both did it at about 12-3 weeks when they weighed about that (ds on the bottle, dd breastfed). Then regressed at 16 weeks with big growth spurts for a week or two, then back to sleeping through.

FWIW, didn't do controlled crying or anything. DH discovered one night that DD went back to sleep after a cuddle, rather than bringing her to me to feed. I think I forgot there were other options when she woke rather than latching her on! She slept til 7 - I however was awake at half four with two hot rocks strapped to my chest!!

RubyBuckleberry · 25/02/2010 08:15

"I however was awake at half four with two hot rocks strapped to my chest!!"

lol - that happened once or twice when ds suddenly slept 8-4 - by 3, i was willing him to wake up .

slightly better last night - feeds at 6, 8, 1130, 4 and 6 woohoo i got 4.5 hours in a row - mind you yesterday i fed him at EVERY opportunity - every 1.5/2 hours

crapdoc · 25/02/2010 09:51

Sounds about right for that age, if you ask me! Mine just started taking smallish feeds at 4ish but virtually nothing when I woke them/they woke me at 6/7. (I was routine-ish in that I woke mine at 7 to pile as much milk into them during the day as i could!!) So I figured 4 could slowly become 5, then 6...and bobs your uncle. Tried cuddling first, then if they ddn't go back to sleep, I fed. Worked for me...although everyone is different! Good luck with it.

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