Night feeds

[TheFandango]

Think I need to stop feeding DS (10.5months) during the night as he is waking 2 hourly to feed at the moment. Not sure if this is teething related. We currently co-sleep as it was the only way for me to get any sleep!! Any tips?? Feel like I'm never going to get him out of my bed

Remember the saying "it's just a phase". My DS did this at that age and I coslept so we got some sleep and when it suited me, I encouraged him back into his own bed. Then he slept well for months and now (21 months) he is back to cosleeping because he has been teething again.

Do what you need to do. It will get better.

Thank you Kitty. Sometimes I wonder if it's really a problem having him in with me. He is teething, so think he needs the comfort of a boob more, but I'll be going back to work in a month or so and am not quite sure how all this will work. I thought the bad sleep was just a phase at 7 months, 8 months, 9 months..... it is never ending!!

10 months is still really young to nightwean IMO - there's a huge regression that happens between 8-10 months. Hopefully it doesn't last long - otherwise I'm sure someone else will have some advice x

Crazy when did you night wean?

Oh I haven't sorry if I was misleading! I am only 7.5 months in!

TheFandango, could your DP take over night time settling, just while you night wean?

It may need DP cosleeping with baby without you. Or biting the bullet and moving to in-cot settling. It will involve crying but the idea is you (or DP) and there to comfort baby through it all.

Whether 10 months is too young to night wean is subject to opinion in breastfed babies due to the comfort factor. If solids are established alongside milk feeds, there is definitely no need for calories at night. However, even with comfort added in, baby certainly doesn't need to feed 2 hourly (nothing wrong with this in cases where parents are happy to do so but I personally wouldn't be).

I would follow Fates advice for in-cot settling, but get DH to do the settling. Personally, I wouldn't stop all feeds immediately overnight but reduce them. So, for example, only feed if minimum 6 hours have passed since the previous feed for the first week, then work on gradually increasing this interval until you get the result you want.

My daughter is exactly the same age as yours and feeds once each night most nights (sometimes sleeps through and very occasionally has an extra feed when unwell). She has fed once a night since she was 6 months and I am not in a rush to drop it because it is just the one feed. I can see her dropping it herself once the damn regressions and teeth give her a bit of a break so I am holding out for that!