6m old started night feeding again?!

[Hannah2025]

Hi everyone, I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice or gone through anything similar.

My 6m old has always been a great sleeper. Since he was 8w old he dropped the night feeds and has pretty much slept through. Over the last month or so he’s started waking in the night 1-2 times grumbling a bit and we either need to give him his dummy or rock him and he’ll go back off. But over the last week he’s started waking for a night feed again which is totally random. Out of the last 7 days he’s done this 4 times, the other nights he will sleep through. He will guzzle a whole bottle, around 8oz. I try and get him back to sleep by rocking and comforting first but he just isn’t having it.

We have also started weaning over the last 10 days, plus he has gone into his own room, so two pretty big life things for him.

I am worried I’m making a rod for my own back by feeding him in the night but after multiple failed attempts of getting him down with comfort, giving him a bottle is my last resort and it does work. I feel guilty complaining as in general he sleeps well and I appreciate so many other mums go through much worse with sleep, I am just very thrown off and confused as to why he suddenly wants this middle of the night bottle!

Just for context, I put him down around 8:30 for bed and I dream feed him a full 8-9oz bottle at 10-10:30pm which has always worked a treat (until now ofc)! Any advice or similar stories would be great!

Just ride the wave and accept it... he's still really little! Suddenly being separated from you at night is massive too.
For context, I have 7m twins and I can be up anywhere between 4 and 9 times a night to breastfeed at the moment!
Just ride it out. A 6 month old waking once in the night for a feed is still incredible sleeping!

He’s hungry, so probably having a growth spurt. You’re doing the right thing offering a bottle.

My 6mo is quite similar to yours, slept through from about 10 weeks but will go through random weeks where she wakes every night at about the same time for food. She also moved into her own room 3 days ago and has started solids. Like pp said, you just have to ride it out. We’re in a sleeping phase right now but at any point I know she could switch to waking every night for a week or so for a midnight snack. And then suddenly she’ll start sleeping through again. I’m sure it’s all just growth spurts/ developmental and there’s little we can do behaviourly. I always read that the key is to keep everything the same, though!

Very very normal for a 6 month old to still be having night feeds. He's probably just going through a growth spurt.

There is a growth spurt at 6 months, he’s moved to his own room and he’s adjusting to digesting solid food. Plus the temperature at night has dropped.

If you’re offering solids more than once a day i would cut back to give him the chance to get enough milk in during the day.

Make sure he’s warm enough at night and try and think of it as completely normal.

No doubt he will settle back down to sleeping all night fairly soon

Firstly, you got lucky so far, sorry.

Secondly, sleep isn't linear. We were more tired between 6-12 months than the newborn stage. We were up all the time because of teething and illnesses but got zero respite in the day as the naps are much shorter.

Fun times.

this was my baby, slept through pretty much from birth and then decided at 5 months that he didnt do that anymore.

Sleep is nuts and going back to night feeds when you havent done them for a while is exhausting. Just go with it, it will pass, nothing is permanent, you wont be feeding him at night when hes 5!
Just remember that the answer isnt on Google, mumsnet, tiktok or instagram, trust me, I drove myself to insanity trying to find a non existent solution.
Ride it out and remember it will pass! You are not making a rod for your own back and be wary of anyone who says you are!

Thank you everyone! You’re all right re riding the wave. Today has been one hellish day of little man being very very unhappy and not napping at all. I’m sensing teething or illness which could be why he’s been off the last few nights. Trying to go into tonight with a calm mind and telling myself what will be will be!

Yep if the naps are out and he's grumpy, it's 99% teething! My DS takes teething so, so badly, it's awful. And it just gets worse and worse, after they turn 1 they get their molars and canines and that's weeks and weeks of pain, they're slow and painful.

Alternate Calpol and nurofen, and put some anbesol directly on the gums.