DH wants me to night wean

[Mamabear04]

DH wants me to night wean our 6mo. DS was 7.7kg when weighed back at the start of December and has taken to weaning really well and is up at 3 small meals a day. He is EBF and will feed 1-2 times a night between 12-1am and between 3-5am. I'm struggling to wonder if its OK to night wean so young. DD dropped down to one feed per night at 6mo and then stopped it altogether around 8-9 months when she solidly started sleeping though. What does everyone else think? Should I try to drop DS down to one feed? Or altogether? Is it too young?

Why does your husband want you to stop the night feeds?

Tell your husband to fuck off

Personally I would say too young. It also might not help with the wakings!
I wouldn’t do it until closer to a year, 9 months at the earliest. Weaning needs to be fully established and at 6 months that’s still fairly early and a lot for the gut to take on. I’m still feeding my 15 month old once a night if he wakes (he did sleep through from 9-12 months but illnesses have been a problem for the last few months). I only feed now at bedtime and over night. I did the same with my DD.

At 6 months we did shift to me feeding at first wake up and DH going in to resettle subsequently so as to stop feeding multiple times a night. You could try that as a start point?

Also, if DH wants to night wean then that to me is his cue to deal with all the wake ups so as to avoid baby getting upset as he can smell/expects milk.

Too young. It's not recommended for EBF babies until they're over a year, unless they do it themselves. Get your DH to look at the LLL website etc

I think 6 months is too little for any kind of proper sleep training or weaning, closer to 1 is probably better, although you might find the situation sorts itself out as he takes more solids. Could he have a few spoonfuls of porridge or baby rice before bed? That might help limit the wake ups to once.

As for DH just explain this 🤷🏼‍♀️ He probably just doesn’t like seeing you so tired and doesn’t quite ‘get’ what babies need. Mine was the same, he saw milestones as ‘progress’ and sometimes his expectations of DD were too high for her age.

Too young and not up to your husband, you feed for as long as you want to OP

How tired are you and how many wakes are you having per night?

Night weaning at around 12m is exactly when my DC started sleeping through. If he’s offering to handle all night wakes for around a week while the baby gets used to it (… and probably starts sleeping better) then I would do it, but push it back to 7 or 8 months.

I would jump at the offer tbh!

Why does he want to night wean?

For me, I fed them to sleep until it stopped working at about 9 months.

Love that comment. It really made me laugh 😂 😂

Why's he want to night wean?

My little one carried on with night feeds until 11 months, had a month of brilliant sleep and now gets up loads through the night again.

Your DH needs to understand that there are soooo many reasons why babies wake through the night - and this goes beyond the 'baby' stage, toddlers can get up too 🤷‍♀️

Babies do most of their growing in the first year too, so if they wake for food, they need it.

This is perfect really 🤣

I don't think it's too young - by 6 months babies don't NEED milk overnight. However, it's also totally normal to still have a couple of feeds, and honestly I would take the lead from your baby.

If it was a case of baby wasn't feeding overnight and suddenly is again, then that's another matter and I thinking weaning could be the answer in that instance. But if it's still common for the baby to be feeding overnight then continue to meet his need until he decides it's not necessary

Absolutely right. Continue with night feeds until your baby sleeps through

far too young. What do you mean he wants you to night wean? It’s not his choice is it??

Unless there's a massive teason you haven't said then I'd say go with what your baby needs

Another who agrees with @lovelilies - tell your DH to fuck off.

Far too early for night weaning. What is his reason?

Both my breastfed babies slept through from about a week old so very fortunate - although they were milk monsters and attached to me right until bedtime - but I'm afraid this has to be baby led. Not DH led. I would very kindly tell him to fuck off.

Why does your husband want you to and feel you should because this is not his call or decision

Tell him to fuck off. Your son will naturally do it when he's ready x

Surely you should do what is better for your baby not your husband?

Do they need "night weaning"? Surely they wake when they are hungry or sleep through if they aren't. Wheres the benefit of refusing milk to a hungry infant?

Is the baby getting plenty of milk during the day?

Yup another one here who thinks this too. Does he care what you or your baby need or he is just thinking about his own needs.

Night weaning is not recommended until at least 18 months.

At only 6 months, milk is still their main source of nutrition and will be until 1, so no, it would not be okay or even safe at this age to stop night feeds.

How does he think you are going to get your baby to settle? Is he going to get up in the night? Because your baby will be livid about being deprived of milk and be awake longer, you will feel upset at going again your instincts and your husband will be kept awake longer.

Honestly, a man mansplaining breastfeeding to a nursing mother, for fucks sake!