Did your baby automatically drop the 5am feed?

[Stringervest]

DS is 11 months and generally I can't complain about his sleep. He sleeps through until between 4 and 5:30am, has a BF and then goes back to sleep until we wake him for the day at around 7.

Now that I'm back at work I often find myself thinking about my upcoming day and can't get back to sleep after the early feed.

DS is on 3 meals a day plus snacks. I don't think he necessarily needs the early morning BF and it could probably wait until he gets up at 7, but I'm scared that if I start refusing the early feed he'll just get up for the day and not go back to sleep.

Did your baby grow out of needing the early feed or should I be trying to do something to bring that about?

Mine dropped it on their own. TBF, my DH gets up for work at 5am so he used to do it before work.

Thank you @Onlineshopperforever. At what age did they drop it?

Mine didn’t until I night weaned at 9m. Kept waiting for her to do it naturally but it seemed like she was waking out of habit. Has slept through since (now 12m)

My DD dropped it on her own. I think she was just over 1 year.

HTH

@June628 thank you. How did you night wean? Did you just refuse the morning feed? Did your baby go back to sleep or were they up for the day from that point? And at what time did you give them a first feed?

Sorry. That's a lot of questions!

@Stringervest I sent DH in to comfort her because I didn’t think she’d accept anything but a bf from me. Tried water in a cup but she wasn’t interested at all. She did cry but it was more of a cross cry that she wasn’t getting what she wanted. I can’t quite remember but I think she did actually go back to sleep eventually, it took a bit of time but it only took 2 or 3 days and she didn’t wake up for it again. After a couple of weeks she went through a phase of early- ish wake ups around 5:30/5:45 but I was determined not to start feeding again so I went in and would try to shush or whatever back to sleep but if it didn’t work I’d feed after 6. That phase also passed and now she sleeps until 6:30/7.
I just wasn’t convinced she’d ever drop it by herself because she’s quite stubborn and although one wake up is quite good I was starting to resent bf and the broken sleep. Think it helped me carry on bf until now.
Hope that makes sense :)

Thanks! That's so helpful and makes me feel like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

DD has always been a really early riser. It only got better when she turned 2 and we got her a Gro Clock. She still wakes before 6 but stays in her room quietly. I don't want another one like her