How do you stop the night feeds?

[AC14MUZ]

Hi all, my DS is coming up to 8 months. He is drinking so much, especially through the night. He wakes up really sporadically but tends to be somewhere between 9-11pm for the first bottle, then between 1-2am for another, then 4 or 5am and has another bottle before waking up for good around 6.30. I've tried letting him cry but he will cry indefinitely, I've also tried giving him water instead of milk but he just pushes it away and carries on crying. I'm desperate to get him to sleep through the night as DH and I are exhausted. Last night he only woke up once which felt amazing, but I know not to count my chickens as he has had the occasional night with few or no wakes. DS is now on solids and eats a lot though the day and has bottles in between meals as well as a bottle after his bath before bed.

[SleepFreeZone]

My situation was slightly different as I was breast feeding but he just did it on his own eventually at around 12 months.

[FATEdestiny]

AC14MUZ - you will need to develop a way to settle baby back to sleep that does not involve feeding.

At the age the milk in the night will not be about calories, especially not that quantity. 3 bottles of formula is nearing the total recommended amount of milk for baby, but it's all being given at night when it's the daytime calories are needed

But just because the calories are not needed does not mean the feed isn't needed. It sounds like you are using a feed as a way to comfort and settle baby when waking. That's not the same as baby being hungry. He probably isn't hungry, but does want to feel comforted and reassured by you giving a feed and a cuddle. So you need to find a different way for baby to feel comforted and reassured by you.

Do you use a dummy? That may help. Or start to use a comforter toy/blankie - which might not be established yet could prove useful for settling after 12 months or so.

You could also do in-cot settling by shushing, patting, stroking etc in the cot. Or pick baby up and give a cuddle to calm down. You could even cosleep if that is your thing. It's just about finding a way to give baby that comforted, safe, reassured feeling without feeding. Ideally that would be done in the place baby will sleep, which allows baby to start learning to settle alone.

[Jasquers]

I feel your pain! My DS is 8 months today and I feed him twice a night. Sure he' s waking out of habit. Im not entirely sure what to do about it......but thinking of moving him to his own room this weekend, see if that helps!