Does my 9mo really need night feeds?

[Ohtheaudacity]

Ds is 9 months, nearly 10. He still wakes twice a nightly for a breastfeed and seems to have full feeds when he wakes. I don’t know if I should try weaning these feeds gently or if he actually still needs them?

An average day of food for him is
7am wake & feed
8am breakfast - usually porridge and fruit
9:30am breastfeed
11am snack - such as a rice cake with cheese spread, some puffy crisp things, etc
12pm lunch - omelette with cheese and salmon, cucumber, grated carrot
1pm breastfeed
3pm snack - either avocado on a cracker, half a banana, etc
5pm dinner - equivalent of 2x Ella’s kitchen pouches and 2 small yogurts
6:30pm feed

I think he eats a good and varied diet, plus 4 daytime bf, it seems enough to me. He also drinks water from a sippy cup.

I’d really appreciate some advice 😊

He (almost certainly) doesn't need those feeds. He is in a habit of feeding at night that can be gradually changed to daytime by shortening the feeds by a minute every night. Just make sure you're consistent treating every night feed the same. I suggest Google Andrea Grace on night weaning.

Thank you @SnackSizeRaisin I’ll definitely take a look

I think it's still advised that most of babies calories before a year old should still be from milk, they shouldn't need three meals and two snacks a day until they are one

Maybe try and up the milk in the day? Swapping some snacks for a breast feed?

With these things you can let things happen naturally and all of sudden they'll stop. Could be randomly next week or months away! Or you can try and wean them. There's no right or wrong.

By nine months a baby should be getting more calories from food than milk according to the WHO. 375 calories from milk roughly to 455 from food.
Milk feeds are pretty normal at this age but they don’t need them they just like them! I indulged my last baby until she was 12 months but my others were night weaned much earlier. Andrea Grace is great with infant sleep I highly recommend her.

I agree that you could try replacing the snacks with milk and just do 3 meals a day. It's easy to imagine they need more food if waking hungry in the night but actually they need a lot of milk as well still at this age. 3 meals should be enough. And the pouches although handy are mainly water and not filling really. If you look at the nutritional info there is hardly any protein, fat or carbs. So maybe cut down and use just one as a mixer for some rice or pasta or potato.

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the advice. I don’t give Ella’s pouches, I make my own meals but was using the Ellas pouches as an equivalent to give an idea of how much he eats. I find it confusing as some say to increase milk feeds and others say to reduce them. If I replaces his small snacks with a milk feed he’d be having 8 bfs in a 24 hour period and for an almost 10 month old that seems like a lot?

At that age I did 4 bfs a day and 4 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper) but no snacks. Water to drink with meals. No night feeds. I mainly spoon fed though so most food made it into baby's tummy! Finger foods as a starter or on the side. And I had chunky babies tracking their centiles. So I would say in similar conditions then yes no overnight feeds required but slimmer or BLW babies might still need them.

No. Mine was still waking for feeds, but I started to realise it was for comfort/out of habit rather than hunger after a friend pointed it out. I just gave cuddles and put them back to sleep if he woke up, didn’t take that long to adjust.

A bit too much food offered imo (solids). This kind of routine doesn't need to be 3 meals and snacks until 1. Try and bf more in the day instead.

Main food should still be milk. Doesn't matter what else he has until he is (at least) 12 months old.

My lo at 9 months was doing
730am breakfast
830am 8oz milk.
11am snack if I felt she was hungry.
1230pm lunch.
1pm to 130pm 5oz milk
I didn't offer snack here.
5pm to 530pm dinner.
630pm snack. I gave it here rather than at 3 pm ish.
715pm 8oz milk.

Tbh I cut the night feeds out about 8 months old. I just offered water for a few nights. As your breast feeding, I would see if your oh can do it for a few nights. As lo will smell your milk. A dummy would help if lo uses one.

My lo was furniture walking by then and she is a tall kid like on top percentile, so when she wanted snack she didn't want milk I tried. I did mixture of blw and spoon fed by this age no purees. The spoon-fed side was generally breakfast only.

Hope this helps

In short, I actually think what you're doing is all good. Nice and spaced. Good variety. Still having feeds and such. Some Los take to weaning very well. If lo isn't overweight and hv is happy, I would carry on and cut night feeds. Isn't there a review between 9 and 12 months xx

Thank you everyone, I appreciate the advice. I don’t give Ella’s pouches, I make my own meals but was using the Ellas pouches as an equivalent to give an idea of how much he eats. I find it confusing as some say to increase milk feeds and others say to reduce them. If I replaces his small snacks with a milk feed he’d be having 8 bfs in a 24 hour period and for an almost 10 month old that seems like a lot?

Ah ok ignore my pouches comment then, your own food is probably much more nutritious! But if you want to cut out the 2 feeds he has at night, he will probably want the equivalent amount of milk in the day instead. So still 6 feeds. So you could give them instead of the snacks. Or he might take fewer but bigger daytime feeds.

You'll read all sorts saying that babies don't need night feeds etc. They can survive the night without milk, but who's to say they should just because perhaps theoretically they can. It sounds like your baby is hungry, so I'd feed them personally.

Also, bear in mind that breastfeeding isn't just about nutrition. It's also about comfort and in my view that it not a bad thing. I've never wanted to deny my child comfort if they feel they need it. Personally I don't think it sets them up well for future life to teach them they can't rely on me for comfort when they need it.

It is completely biologically normal to still be feeding throuvh the night at 9 months so if you're happy to do it don't worry about it.

If you want a really informative and helpful read on the subject I heartily recommend "Sweet Sleep" by La Leche League. Brilliant book.

Breastfeeding at night is completely biologically normal and it isn't recommended by breastfeeding specialists like Kathryn Stagg to night wean until around 18 months when baby has dropped all milk feeds in the day and only feeds to sleep at night.

Lots of people do it earlier for their own convenience of course, but if you're able to do two nursing sessions at night you might find baby naturally self weans in time. My baby has three or four small feeds a night, same age as yours. I don't see it as a problem because the function isn't just for food, it's comfort, teething /pain relief, separation anxiety all sorts!

Breastfeeding at night is completely biologically normal and it isn't recommended by breastfeeding specialists like Kathryn Stagg to night wean until around 18 months when baby has dropped all milk feeds in the day and only feeds to sleep at night.

Nothing wrong with feeding at night if you want to but it's equally biologically normal to continue breastfeeding during the day for months or years after night weaning. Many babies night wean themselves at 6 months or thereabouts. So there's nothing abnormal about nudging them in that direction.

Lots of people do it earlier for their own convenience of course, but if you're able to do two nursing sessions at night you might find baby naturally self weans in time. My baby has three or four small feeds a night, same age as yours. I don't see it as a problem because the function isn't just for food, it's comfort, teething /pain relief, separation anxiety all sorts!

Again it's not a problem if you're happy but for many people it impairs their health and relationships to be sleep deprived for months on end. It's not just "convenience". Sleep is a biological need for adults as well as babies.

I also take issue with the idea that babies wake up because they want comfort. They don't. It's the opposite - they want comfort because they are upset about being awake. So helping them sleep better is a good thing. A baby that is used to sleeping in a cot won't suddenly get separation anxiety in the middle of the night either. Maybe it feels nice to comfort them but it would be better if they had good sleep skills and didn't need comforting. Illness and teething gets blamed for a lot but babies who sleep well only rarely need comforting for either of those reasons. Like maybe one night per month on average.

I will say that in general he is a good sleeper. He does only wake up to feed or a cuddle at 5am when it gets a bit chilly. He just cut his first two teeth and we didn’t even realise because he didn’t make any fuss at all. I have decided to keep both night feeds until he’s 1, then will try to send DH in to offer water and cuddles for one of them. I’m just shattered. My eldest is 4 and still doesn’t sleep through so I basically haven’t had a full nights sleep in 4 years. I got shingles recently because I was so run down. I’m still confident he’s getting enough food and fluid in the day and I am reluctant to reintroduce more daytime BFs. Thank you all for your advice I have really appreciated it.

Oh and if he would only take a bottle none of this would matter! Haha

No need for night feeds.
I wouldn't change anything about your solids feeding routine, looks amazing to me!
You might find your baby might eat more for first morning feed. Baby will take as needed.

If you're struggling then why not just try cutting the feeds shorter by minute each night? You've nothing to lose by trying, if he gets upset then just go back to the status quo. But chances are you can wean him off in a week without any bother. He will take what he wants in the day - no need to rejig everything but just be open to the idea that he may want more or longer daytime feeds as night feeds reduce. Good luck whatever you decide to do

Of course he doesn't. It'll just be a comfort/habit thing.

I'd night wean if you want the sleep and continue if you're not fussed. I'd bear in mind that it may be easier/quicker to night wean now rather than later.