I don't know how, if, or when to stop night feeds?

[Candyfloss1122]

DD is 11 months old and formula fed.

She currently wakes once or twice for a bottle. She is an excellent self settler, does so for her naps and night time sleep.

When I go in if she wakes laying her back down just doesn't work, the only thing that doesn't a bottle which she drinks alot of...usually 6oz or so, and then she is straight back to sleep.

Obviously I want her to sleep through the night, but I also hate putting any kind of pressure on her, and I'm happy to feed her.

I just don't know if this is wrong? I read so many people writing about night feeding stopping at 6-7-8 months or so, and I just don't know when it will happen for us.

I should mention, she has cmpa, so I can't switch her to normal milk, and whilst her weaning is improving it is still slow in comparison to he baby friends.

Am I doing ok to keep feeding her and trust she will sleep through when she is ready?

This is just my personal opinion but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what you are doing. If she can self settle fantastic. If she’s actually drinking all the milk and then going back to sleep with no issues it does sound as though she is genuinely hungry. Some babies need night feeds for longer than others, especially if they are slow to weaning. I’ve always found the thought of forcing a baby into night weaning a bit unfair, as if you woke up thirsty you’d get yourself a drink- but that’s just me.

My DS also has CMPA but we are BFing, and again he isn’t that keen on food- although he is younger, but I don’t see him dropping the night feed anytime soon and I know he still needs it.

I understand why

People night wean, and everyone has to do what is right for them and their baby. But, if you are not bothered with the current set up why change it? Don’t listen to others, everybaby is different and they all sleep through in their own time. 11 months is also still really little. You are not doing anything wrong mama

Blimey...I stopped night feeds at twelve weeks. DD just drank more milk during the day then. It only took about a week to fully stop them.

My DS stopped waking for feeds just before he was 11 months old. I didn't do anything, he just did it when he was ready.

@fortheloveofjames thanks for your feedback. I hate the idea of forcing her into anything, and I am happy to keep feeding her. Hoping she will drop the feed on her own before 14 months as that's when ds is due, but if not then I still don't want to rush her.

I've an almost 20 month old DD and we're stopping night feeds this weekend. Just because we can't cope with broken sleep anymore.

@jasquers this is what I am hoping. We have never forced her into anything and always just gone with the flow. It's just a bit tricky to ignore the raised eyebrows sometimes but focrced night weaning just doesn't sit right with me.

I guess my thinking is that she has gone from feeding every 2 hours to once/twice a night on her own without any intervention, so she will eventually drop to no feeds in the same manner 🤞

@tabbymumz and anyone else who has managed it - HOW do you stop night feeds? My DD just stopped when she was ready. My ds (now 9 months) still has 2 or 3 bottle s in the night and I'd love him to stop if poss! But how? He wakes and screams and only stops for milk.

My dd is almost 17 months and is still having one night feed. Every time we've tried to stop it she's beside herself. She's never been a brilliant eater so we're just going with it until she's ready to stop.
I know it feels like the pressure is on for you to stop it before you have a newborn but I suspect when you have a newborn she may have to wait for the feeds if your feeding the baby and she might just knock it off then when she has to wait a bit longer.

You're *

@candyfloss1122 my dd did just stop on her own when she was ready so fingers crossed for you!

I think it depends on the child. DS1 was having a night feed still at 18 months, and at 3, would often wake in the night famished (despite demolishing a huge dinner), so we used to keep a snack on the bedside table. He did need a bit of a nudge to transition at each step, but we played it by ear.

DS2 was sleeping through at 5 months, and gave up all milk by 8 - I think he just either burned his milk slower, or had a bigger stomach capacity, or something.

Rebecca...I gave her warm water instead of milk. After a couple nights of her not getting milk, she stopped waking. Im convinced it's just a habit they get into after a while and they don't need it. She was a much happier baby all round when sleeping through and has always slept soundly since. I had to do it as was starting back at work.

My ds refused bottles from 6 months so I think I got off lightly.id say just go with your instincts doubt there is any right or wrong way to go about it

She may be eating less in the day as she's filling up at night on bottles. I'd suggest slowly cutting the bottle down an ounce every few nights until there is not much left and in my opinion their bodies then no longer get hungry for the milk in the night

My son is 18 months and still has a bed time bottle of formula, if he wakes up upset (happens often) formula is the only thing that works to get him back down. He's cmpa and won't drink any other milks. He has ketotic hypoglycaemia so I think he wakes due to his blood sugars dropping.

Sorry I'm no help really! Just keep in mind that your baby may need milk to pick his sugars up, it is quite common in babies/toddlers to get lows after periods of fasting. Could you try a snack, or something filling before bed, porridge?

I was told to stop night feeds at 6 months by the HV. It led to baby sleeping through at that time. We rarely offer milk in the night if baby is poorly and awake or generally wont settle and it gets baby off to sleep

I offered water or some squash instead and after 2-3 nights my dd stopped waking for milk. I was convinced she was famished as she was gulping 7-8oz down every night but clearly not as she would drink 2oz of water instead and then go back to sleep until 7am

You lucky people. 31 months here and she's still doing the best part of two pints of cow's milk every night, including two indignant wake ups when the bottle needs refilling...

I just started feeding mine more in the day and a carb hit with the last feed so eventually she stopped looking for it. I wasn't rigid but just tried to settle for a while and the odd night she'd still be given one if she wouldn't so it didn't feel like a big issue to me or her. There's so many things to teach and retrain babies/toddlers with I think you have to pick and choose what bits are most important to you

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I have chatted it over with dh this afternoon and we are both in agreement that we are happy to let DD lead the way, as it's been the way we have approached most things.

Even though I am quite heavily pregnant now, I'm still happy to get up and feed her if that's what she needs, and it's nice to know I'm not the only 1 who isn't night weaning :)

I think there is nothing wrong with it but you may want to think about the amount of milk and food during the day.

What are her sleeping times? When does she get her last milk before bed? A friend had terrible times with night feeds and it came out that the baby had tea at 4pm, milk at 6pm and then breakfast at 7.30am. She was really hungry and no wonder woke up. My friend then delayed tea and milk by one hour and gave her tea a bit more substantial and the waking for hunger stopped (they still wake up for lots of other reasons).

Also, how much food and milk do you offer her or daytime? If your baby is quite mobile and learned lots of news things she may need more calories.

@reluctantbrit

I wake her at around 630am, as any later and it really messes with her naps. She then has a nap at 9-10 and another 130-230. Her dinner is at 5-530, and then last milk is at 630.

Food/milk wise she has:
Breakfast: slice of toast 7am
8oz bottle 9am
Lunch: sandwich/wrap/snacks 1230pm
8oz bottle 130pm
Snack late afternoon
Dinner: Ella kitchen sachet +fruit 530pm
8oz bottle 630pm

She will then usually wake between midnight and 2am for an 8oz bottle.

My 2 were around 5 months I think. I think we used to rouse them at 11pm and feed then change nappy and then hope they'd go through till 6/7. I think that started around 5 months then one night we forgot to feed at 11 and she just went until 5.30 or something so we carried on. They did have dummies though so if they did wake in the night that would normally settle them at that age. You just have to do what works for you.Have you tried a bottle water to wean off the milk?

1.5 for one dc, over 3 for the other.