Night weaning baby

[Livingoncaffeine]

Hi, any tips on night weaning a 7 month old baby? I’ve read such a mix on whether this is recommended or not.

On a good night he wakes around 11, 2 and 5 for a feed. But on a bad night it can be many more times!

Just wondering which would be the best feed to try and drop first? Would be getting my partner to settle instead.

He’s not fed to sleep at bedtime but does during the night.

Nightweaned DC1 at 12 months and he has slept through the night pretty much ever since, I’m so sleep deprived at the moment I feel it’s our only option to try now.

Should add he’s well established on solids too and has a bottle of formula as his last feed before bed.

Thanks!

It doesn’t seem like it’s for hunger but he’s relying on that to get him back to sleep, so every time he wakes in the night needs a bottle?

Personally I think it’s too young to night wean. 12 months would be more appropriate.

If baby already has a bottle of formula then could your DP do one or more of the feeds with a bottle? Or with expressed milk.

It was around that age that me and DH started sharing the night feeds. I was back at works so pumping during the day anyway. DH would do the wake ups with bottles until the milk ran out and then I’d take over.

The thing is they’re not even proper feeds, I reckon he’s probably only actually feeding for about 5 mins if that. So I’m not sure it’s worth the faff of a bottle. Although the 5am feed he does seem properly hungry rather than wanting comfort so maybe DP could take over with a bottle then!

It’s not too young.

After 6months your baby doesn’t NEED to wake to feed, and physiologically is able to go 6-8 hours over night without a feed. You just need to make sure they’re getting enough during the day.

I started weaning our boy at 7 month old which was earlier this year and he had a similar pattern to yours. I’ll just describe my approach.
7pm: He has a bottle before bed. falls asleep 7:30pm-8pm
11pm: a dreamfeed. I make sure this is a big bottle - 8oz.
3am: this is the one I eliminated first. In my case, I started offering less. Phasing milk from down from 6oz to 2oz over a week. Then I started offering with warm sterile water for that feed, which he wasn’t that bothered with. Then he just stopped bothering to wake at that feed. And now sleeps through to 7. He wakes, has a bottle and then a big bowl of baby porridge which he demolishes. He’s very happy with that set up and it’s make all the difference to us.
It took about 2 weeks for him to get the gist.

good luck!

I want to caveat that my baby was only feeding from bottle though. So may be other challenges with volume at the breastfeed.