8 month old waking to feed 3x a night

Lilgamesh2 · 2022-05-31T13:19:03+00:00

My 8 month old still wakes to feed 3 times a night. Is this normal? Will it decline by itself or do I need to take steps to get her to stop? She's EBF and doesn't take in many solids yet. Any help appreciated!

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Babdoc · 31/05/2022 14:23

A decent intake of solids would probably solve the problem, OP! She is obviously hungry. Mine were on three meals a day by then, having been born as eight and a half pounders with healthy appetites. They slept through the night from eight weeks.

BuffaloCauliflower · 31/05/2022 14:25

Very very normal, my 18 month old still wakes to feed 2-3 times a night. Many babies wake at least once until around age 2, an 8 month old sleeping through the night is not the norm. It’s not advised to night wean until at least 12 months

BuffaloCauliflower · 31/05/2022 14:26

Babdoc · 31/05/2022 14:23

A decent intake of solids would probably solve the problem, OP! She is obviously hungry. Mine were on three meals a day by then, having been born as eight and a half pounders with healthy appetites. They slept through the night from eight weeks.

Your experience is not usual, and waking at night is developmentally normal and rarely due to hunger

Caspianberg · 31/05/2022 14:27

Mine definitely still fed x3 times a night at 8months. And he was having fairly decent baby sized solid meals then as well. Still fed every 2 hrs ish daytime too.

bakewellbride · 31/05/2022 14:27

Night waking / feeding is normal a developmental, I wouldn't worry op.

Original poster

Lilgamesh2 · 31/05/2022 15:42

BuffaloCauliflower · 31/05/2022 14:25

Very very normal, my 18 month old still wakes to feed 2-3 times a night. Many babies wake at least once until around age 2, an 8 month old sleeping through the night is not the norm. It’s not advised to night wean until at least 12 months

Thank you for the comment but oh my god the thought of still doing this when she's 18months old is quite worrying! Is that typical?

OP posts:

Caspianberg · 31/05/2022 15:46

Ds is now 2 years. He hasn’t been fed overnight since he was 12 months. But he still wakes anywhere from 1-5 times a night unfortunately and ends up in our bed after I can’t be bothered getting up yet again.

Original poster

Lilgamesh2 · 31/05/2022 15:48

Caspianberg · 31/05/2022 14:27

Mine definitely still fed x3 times a night at 8months. And he was having fairly decent baby sized solid meals then as well. Still fed every 2 hrs ish daytime too.

Thank you, when does it end and did your DC just stop night feeds of their own accord?

OP posts:

Original poster

Lilgamesh2 · 31/05/2022 15:49

Oops cross post. Thanks @Caspianberg!

OP posts:

Skinnermarink · 31/05/2022 15:53

Babdoc · 31/05/2022 14:23

A decent intake of solids would probably solve the problem, OP! She is obviously hungry. Mine were on three meals a day by then, having been born as eight and a half pounders with healthy appetites. They slept through the night from eight weeks.

Slept through the night or you didn’t get up for them in the night? Not the same thing. Anyway, if the former, that wasn’t anything you did or didn’t do, that was pure luck and is the exception rather than the rule.

Mine loves experimenting with food and having a taste but he’s definitely not at the point where it’s making up any significant calorie intake. He hates being spoon fed so, I’ll wait for him to eat more in his own time. He drinks a fair bit of milk during the day though so we are at one wake up most nights, and sometimes he can pretty much sleep through. He is formula not breastfed though.

as a PP says though they don’t only wake due to hunger, it’s not unusual for adults to wake in the night either for various reasons. Developmentally normal when they’re small. Is she in her own room yet?

Roastonsun8 · 31/05/2022 16:12

I think your child would sleep right through possibly if you introduced baby porridge and other foods. 8 months is still young to expect them not to wake at all during the night.

RidingMyBike · 31/05/2022 16:18

How much is he eating? Mine was very into solids from about 7 months onwards (had 3 meals a day from about 6 and a half months) and her milk intake dropped from then onwards. Until then she'd been having 3-4 BFs and 3-4 formula bottles but had dropped to 2 BFs and 2 smaller bottles by 9 months.

They don't necessarily need milk at night by that age - mine slept through by 8 weeks but fed frequently in the daytime to make up for it! Fed on demand re quantities and length of BF. Can he fall asleep on his own or does he feed to sleep? Mine BF to sleep for the afternoon nap until about 8/9 months, then started to refuse that feed but otherwise didn't feed to sleep.

Caspianberg · 31/05/2022 16:22

@Lilgamesh2 - I just gradually weaned him off overnight feeds. gradually weaned down until he was only being fed first thing and before bed 12-18 months.

Overnight feeds I reduced once he was eating ‘enough’ daytime. I think I started saying any wakes between 8pm-1am dh would re settle him, and I would only feed after 1am, then after 3am only etc.. Only offered water before or overnight once stopped

BuffaloCauliflower · 31/05/2022 20:56

I’d say about 1/3rd of the breastfed babies I know his age are still having night feeds. Around half to 2/3rds still having night wakes regardless of whether breastfed or not (doing a quick mental scan of my 60 strong baby group) I sleep with him and feed lying down so it’s generally easy and a quick way to get him back to sleep. I’m gearing up to night wean as I’m pregnant but I don’t expect him to stop waking, though he might. Night waking is normal, even adults wake we just tend not to need help to drift back off.