How to stop night feeds for 8 month old?

[OneForTheRoadThen]

Hi, my son is 8 months old and mostly formula fed (1 bottle of EBM) a day. He is making good progress weaning after a slow start owing to illness and is on 3 meals a day (BLW).

He is drinking about 800ml of milk during the day but stills wakes up 2 or 3 times in the night for milk. He drinks a bottle and then goes straight back to sleep. However everything I've read says that this is too much milk - probably about 1000ml in total.

I'd like to cut it down so he eats more but also as I think he's just got into the habit of needing a full tummy to go to sleep. I don't think he needs all this milk still. He is a big boy, 22lb so I may be wrong on this.

Any advice on the best way to approach this? Should I reduce gradually, replace with water, stop immediately? How do I know if he's genuinely hungry? TIA

Have you tried just cuddling him and trying to resettle him without milk. My just turned 9 month old still has approx 7oz a night.

We've started watering down the night feed bottle (DS is 8 months too) he doesn't actually need it as he eats/drinks plenty in the day so we try dummy and resettle first the offer watered down milk if that isn't working. We're doing 2 scoops in 5oz of water and he is taking much less at night

Try reducing one bottle by an oz per night, then when that one is gone start reducing the second bottle.
Watering down formula is not advised.

@heirhelp I have tried that but I'm really conscious of waking our elderly neighbours at night as he does cry quite a bit. Maybe I should persevere?

Thanks, I'll try to reduce his feeds gradually

I don't know. Maybe try smaller bottles. I cosleep out of laziness.

This is a genuine question. I often read on here that watering down formula is not recommended. But surely in situations like this, it would not cause a problem? The plan is to cut out the feed completely, do it's not ad if the loss of nutrition is a big deal under these circumstances?

Babies know how much milk/calories they need by volume. My little one (9 months) has milk during the night because she needs it. She gives the impression that she would much rather be asleep and goes to sleep straight afterwards.

I don't disagree @heirhelp as that is my concern too. I'm wondering how much is hunger versus habit and how to tell. My son drinks a lot more than is recommended for his age but, like you say, I don't want to deprive him if he needs milk.

I'm not sure any nine month old baby 'needs' milk during the night. They may want it out of habit, but that's a different matter.

Definitely habit with mine. Virtually as soon as we watered it down he started only having sips and while he still wakes at night is able to be settled with a dummy. His daily milk intake has not increased

Thanks @strawberrypenguin and @cathf. I might bite the bullet and try water for one feed tonight. I think I may be worrying unnecessarily.

Without her night time milk and some times with my DD has way less then the recommended 17oz a day. From being about 3 months to 6 months she had hardly any milk during the day and loads at night.

If this is a problem heirhelp, you need to get her tanked up with milk during the day - you are the parent and you should not be dictated to by a nine-month-old baby.
If it's not a problem, crack on