Night weaning nightmare!

[OhToBeASeahorse]

Baby is 9 months. Sleep.is getting a bit better as I'm working on self settling. But she still usually wakes twice to feed and NOTHING placates her.

Any advice? At the moment she is feeding usually somewhere between 11 and 12 and 2 and 3.

I wouldnt mind the feed but I need to properly sleep train her and I think I need to be consistent with wake ups. I'm going back to work in 6 weeks and this is really really stressing me out. Thanks.

Hi, what I found helped with this was doing dream feeds. So we made the decision to move to in cot settling (from co sleeping and feeding all night long!) and limit to 2 night feeds. I know lots of people say that you should night wean but I didn’t feel comfortable completely night weaning until 1 and especially in the heat! So I would wake my ds up at 10 and 2 to feed him, any other wake ups he was settled in the cot (initially it had to be my DH who was doing this). Even if he woke up himself at ten to 2, we would get him back to sleep and then stir him to feed. Gradually he dropped the other wake ups and the last few weeks (he’s ten months) I’ve stopped the ten feed and he generally sleeps through until 2 unless his teeth are bothering him. The 2 o clock feed is no bother for me, I just wake up, go to the loo quick ten minute feed for him and back to bed and then he’ll usually go until 7/7.30. I’ll drop the 2 am feed when he’s one, I’m too nervous that he’ll then wake up at 4/5 genuinely hungry and won’t be able to get back to sleep because it’s light! It might not work for some babies but I would never have believed my DS would be sleeping like this a few months ago! I had really good advice from some ladies on here who helped me be confident to make a change so I’m sure you will get others along with lots of good ideas!

Look at your daytime calories. If baby is needing the night feeds for calories, then you have to make these up with additional daytime calories.

Be inventive and focus on any possible way to increase daytime calories. This is just a short term focus, to allow for night weaning.

Thanks! I am trying to load her up as much as poss. Atm she is having rice pudding made with coconut milk, chia seeds and banana as pudding before bed. The feeds at night are definitely feeds so I do think its hunger but not sure how I can get her to take more!

@Poppy709 this is really helpful thank you. I might try this tonight and see where we go. The other wake ups are definitely reducing...

It's not about loading her before bed, increase the calories through the day.

• Bigger breakfast. Higher calorie options (peanut butter, toast, oats, puree fruit in oats, full fat milk, proper butter etc). Consider offering two breakfasts - oats followed by toast for example.
• Milk after breakfast.
• Bigger lunch and dinner with more "courses". For example one meal could be:

• Savoury jar of baby food, spoon fed. Followed by • High carb, high protein finer food. Full fat options. Pasta, bread, cheese, eggs, hummus, avocado - this sort of thing. Followed by • Full fat yoghurt, spoon fed. Followed by • Soft fruit given as finger food. Followed by: • Milk. Reoffer the milk after half an hour to an hour if it's not all drank.

Finer food = finger food (although I'm sure the food will be fine too!)

Haha thanks FATE
She is dairy free but I'm trying to fill her up throughout the day