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Original poster

How to soothe 6mo at night without feeding back to sleep

15 replies

WaitingToExpect20 · 20/02/2022 20:27

Hi everyone!
Our son is 6 months old this week. He wakes up 3x a night currently just for a quick breastfeed and goes straight back to sleep. I pick him up quite quickly after he starts stirring and making noises and feed him back to sleep.
I’m looking for ways to calm him and get him back to sleep at night without feeding him to sleep. I think if we could master this, it would ultimately help him self settle and wake less often.
He has no issues self settling and going to sleep on his own at the beginning of the night.
It would be great to hear your tips and recommendations!
Thank you!

OP posts:

HalloHello · 20/02/2022 20:31

Do you feed him to sleep at bedtime? I read something that said if you go to sleep with a pillow, and wake up without one then you wouldn't be able to to back to sleep until you have found it, so it's the same for babies. If he's fed to sleep, he'll expect that if he wakes in the night.
I'm just starting to get my 5 month old into his cot drowsy rather than asleep, he still wakes twice for a feed but I keep him awake until he stops properly feeding then put him in his cot and pat his bum until he drops off, doesn't take long now. At bedtime, I feed him then cuddle him for a minute, then into cot with a bum pat and leave the room. We are doing it slow as I can't bear leaving him to cry at the mo!

Original poster

WaitingToExpect20 · 20/02/2022 20:42

Hi! No, I make sure there’s at least 10-15mins between his last feed and going to bed.
I usually try and feed, then bathe him, then dress for bed, read him a story and then he drifts off on his own.
You’re right, I think I’ll try and put him down awake/drowsy in the night as a first step.

OP posts:

JamSandwich89 · 20/02/2022 21:10

Sorry, I'm a bit confused - if you're wanting to find a way that's not feeding to get him back to sleep how will he be getting himself to sleep again? Won't the feeding just be replaced by something else? Also, just to say waking multiple times in the night is completely normal for babies. If it's a quick feed and he's asleep again, that's great; plenty of wee ones think it's party time when they wake in the night! I remember a Health Visitor once told me once my DD was onto foods if she was waking for huge feeds we needed to try and up calorie intake in the day, but if it was small ones and back to sleep that was that was just what babies do.

Only thing I can think of though is a dummy? The sucking to soothe might be all he's after?

Also, @HalloHello, please don't leave your 5 month old alone in the room! Lullaby Trust safe sleep advice is to stay in the room with sleeping babies. I had a horrible experience when I popped to the next room for a few minutes and DS started choking on reflux (he was never a reflux baby). Had to run through and flip him over to do back blows - it was dreadful. Hate to think what could have happened if I'd missed the slight liquid hitting something sound - it was all silent other than that.

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Weefreetiffany · 20/02/2022 21:14

I wouldn’t change a thing tbh. Six months is still so small, if it’s working for you as is there’s no reason to force them to learn to sleep without a feed/comfortboob. They will drop wakes as they get older without needing to be helped along. As long as your happy and thriving too then I’d leave it alone

HalloHello · 20/02/2022 21:25

@JamSandwich89

Only thing I can think of though is a dummy? The sucking to soothe might be all he's after?

Also, @HalloHello, please don't leave your 5 month old alone in the room! Lullaby Trust safe sleep advice is to stay in the room with sleeping babies. I had a horrible experience when I popped to the next room for a few minutes and DS started choking on reflux (he was never a reflux baby). Had to run through and flip him over to do back blows - it was dreadful. Hate to think what could have happened if I'd missed the slight liquid hitting something sound - it was all silent other than that.

Sorry he's 5 months and 3 weeks, so the guidelines say 6 months so I'm happy with that. He was sleeping so badly in the room with us, waking hourly. He sleeps on his tummy anyway (rolls himself over so also safe) I understand the guidelines but you also have to do what works for you. I would be very likely to sleep through that sound anyway even if in the room with me as he sleeps with white noise.

Babies have a very strong gag reflex so will vomit or swallow liquid. I don't think they can actually choke on liquid.

Original poster

WaitingToExpect20 · 20/02/2022 21:31

Yeah, maybe you’re right and I just need to wait till he drops feeds naturally. I don’t mind it myself, I love breastfeeding him and you’re right, it’s very lucky he goes straight back to sleep. 😊

OP posts:

DuchessSilver · 20/02/2022 21:35

@HalloHello can I ask how you pat baby's bum when he's in the cot? Genuinely curious as I've heard people do this but once my baby is in his cot, I can't get to his bum!

WTF475878237NC · 20/02/2022 21:37

If he's only waking up three times then I'd change nothing and suggest lowering your expectations. You're all doing great.

fighoney · 20/02/2022 21:39

If you don't mind it then it is totally fine to keep doing it 🙂 breastfeeding is a totally natural and quick way to get a baby back to sleep and 6months is still super little.

If you want to try and resettle without a feed you could try introducing a dummy, stomach patting (or bottom if on their front), picking up and rocking/swaying.

HalloHello · 20/02/2022 21:41

[quote DuchessSilver]@HalloHello can I ask how you pat baby's bum when he's in the cot? Genuinely curious as I've heard people do this but once my baby is in his cot, I can't get to his bum![/quote]
I put him in his cot on his side and he rolls into his front! If you can't do a bum pat, I sometimes pat the mattress beside their head, that seems to soothe mine!

HeyEwe · 20/02/2022 21:47

I don't understand why you want to stop this if he feeds and goes straight back to sleep? My nealy 12 month old still does the same, I don't see any benefit to him me trying to change things this far in. It'd just distress him. I'd just wait for the baby to give up the night feeds as and when he's ready.

AliceW89 · 20/02/2022 21:50

Most 5 month olds wake at night. Self setting will come, but currently if he’s going back off to sleep quickly with a breastfeed I wouldn’t change a thing.

LF2239 · 20/02/2022 21:55

My 6 mo baby usually wakes about 3 hours after bedtime, but I leave her cry for a minute or two and she goes straight back to sleep. I'm not sure if she even wakes up! Maybe try just leaving them to see if they settle? (Im definitely not doing the cry it out method! Usually by the time I've walked upstairs she'll have gone back to sleep!) However, she's usually up once or twice more in the night and I breastfeed her straight away so she goes straight back to sleep so I can get back to sleep!

DSGR · 20/02/2022 21:57

Change nothing! Three wake ups a night for a quick feed back to sleep is blissful. Three kids here. Why would you go through the agony of rocking/shushing a screaming baby back to sleep when really they want a feed and to sleep again.
I fed all mine to sleep til they were 16 months.
They all sleep through the night eventually!

WhiteHorse92 · 21/02/2022 06:53

Sounds like my son at 6 months, a couple of wake ups in the night, quick breastfeed and then straight back to sleep for a few hours and didn't bother me at all. I have to agree with others it's not bad going so if it works for you just stick with it. My son only stopped waking in the night for feeds once I put him in his own room at 8 months but I only moved him because he was able to stand in his crib so wasn't safe anymore and needed the big cot, otherwise I would have been happy to carry on with him next to me and feeding in the night.

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