Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

Waking out of habit?

18 replies

cricket · 22/02/2005 15:25

I have a 6 1/2 month old who is still waking for a feed at 4-5am after being fed a full 7oz at bedtime (7pm) and after having another 7-9oz at 10pm. He's a big hungry lad but I am sure he is not waking out of hunger as he seems to be eating good portions of solids during the day. How can I get him to drop this feed and have a bottle at breakfast (which he refuses at the mo because of the early hours one!)? Any suggestions? I need my sleep back!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Donbean · 22/02/2005 15:40

How about diluting the milk feed slowly.(the 4-5am one) Add an ounze of water, then two then three till its just not worth waking up for.

Laylasmum · 22/02/2005 15:42

My DD was the same as this and your right it is just habit what i did was offer 4oz one night then 2 the next then 1 oz and on the fourth or fifth night just offered cooled boiled water which she protested at of course but that was all she was offered and within a week or so she didn't bother waking up! ( you could go straight for the water option of course depends on how tough you can be!!) HTH

hermykne · 22/02/2005 15:50

cricket my ds is the exact same age and routine, and he too wakes at 4/5, so i have started and lapsed offering him about 2oz of milk, but will progress to the water. trying to get him happy with water mid afternoon so he doesnt roar the house down at 4am when given it then.

it is a habit i am sure of it and so hard to break

will keep an eye here to monitor any other ideas

Original poster

cricket · 22/02/2005 15:54

Thanks for the tips! - will try reducing the feed tonight. Have offered 6oz for the last two nights and waited as long as I could before going to him but hasn't seemed to have much effect yet! Will only offer 4oz tonight and let you know how I get on and hopefully reduce further the day after, ending up with water (altho he hates drinking water during the day!). Is it best to try and delay feeding him as long as possible as well or just feed as soon as he wakes?

OP posts:

hermykne · 22/02/2005 15:59

cricket if my ds wakes i leave him for as long as possible before feeding but its catch 22 , feed immediatly and he wake sooner for next feed , leave it and he'll associate crying and waiting for a drink!!

hermykne · 23/02/2005 08:40

cricket how did it go?
my ds woke at 2, feed him a bit as he wasnt really taking much - comfort factor proved, then he woke at 4 gave him 2oz in a bottle which he didnt finish, then he woke a 5 i settled him only for him to cry at 5.30 so i left him to it, went in once and at 6.10 i didnt hear anymore til i lifted him at 7.36, he was beginningto wake.

so i will keep doing this but also drop the feed i give him and just offer the 2oz bottle.

he had a good decent feed from me then at 7.30 so we'll see howthe day prgoresses.

Original poster

cricket · 23/02/2005 15:42

Hi there Hermykne - it seemed to go ok (fingers crossed!) - Fed Sam at 10pm and he had a whopping 9oz. Then he woke at 3am and 4am-ish but I left him as he wasn't crying just stirring. He went back to sleep again and really woke up at just gone 5am when I decided to feed him the 4oz. He was a bit taken aback that the bottle ran out so quickly and protested for a short while, but went back in his cot and was asleep again within 15 mins or so!! Result. So, tonight, I will go down to 3 oz and see what happens! Looking forward to the extra sleep already....

OP posts:

hermykne · 23/02/2005 17:55

cricket that sounds great, my ds is still breastfeed so its pretty dramatic for him in the night! but last night was ok just have to percievere

Original poster

cricket · 24/02/2005 09:12

Last night was much better - he woke up at 2ish and then went back to sleep until around 5.30...I then fed him his measly 3oz at around 5.45am but after that he was then awake and wanting to play!! So no more sleep for me...Seemed a bit silly only giving him 3oz then as it is really near breakfast but I stuck to it in case he got a bit confused (that's my usual state!!). So, I shall persevere and only give him 2 oz tonight....

OP posts:

Original poster

cricket · 24/02/2005 09:15

Hermykne - how do you go about reducing the feeds if you are still b/f? Not as though you can reduce the amount in the bottle is it?

OP posts:

hermykne · 24/02/2005 09:16

cricket my ds did the same woke at 2 or shortly after, gave him 2oz and then he woke at 5 but i didnt feed him and he settled back til 6 (quite quickly not like the night before), took him in beside me fed him (well)and he nodded off til dd arrived in at 7.30.feed him again but he didnt want it, this is why he feeds in the night - gets distracted in the day.

hermykne · 24/02/2005 09:18

cricket i express for the night feed (s) so i can control it, bit a pain in the neck but he's allergic to formula, well sensitive is the right word and he's getting it via food first.

on the plus side if i cant get more than 2/3oz well thats it for him.

Original poster

cricket · 25/02/2005 10:39

It's great that you're still b/f anyway Hermykne - I managed just under 4 months but then slowly changed to bottles. Last night he was an angel and slept through from 10pm feed (had about 8oz then) until he woke at 5am. I gave him the 2oz and then settled him back in his cot. He protested at first but then went back to sleep. I think the hardest part is going to be stopping him from waking up at all around this time...still feel knackered though and had a reasonable nights sleep...don't know how you manage with two!

OP posts:

hermykne · 25/02/2005 22:28

cricket thats brillant, my divil was a divil last night but dh thinks he has 2 teeth on the bottom coming, but i think he just likes to howl at night.
i just cant get him to really feed at 10/11pm and i think thats where my problem lies, plus the breastmilk is a bit thin at this stage.

my dd is 2+4 and she really is a good as gold so that helps.
if he slept from 11 til 6am i'd be totally refreshed and normal looking

Original poster

cricket · 28/02/2005 15:08

I am astonished - DS has slept from 10pm until 6am for the last two nights - thought he would scream when I didn't offer milk two nights ago but he had a few sips of water and went back to sleep (I kept the light off and fed him the bottle in his cot so maybe that helped?). Am feeling much more alive - just hope its a permanent thing rather than a blip!! Hope you have more luck with yours tonight - we don't have any teeth yet here but am dreading the first ones coming in as we will no doubt go back to waking up again!!!

Just wanted to say thanks for all the brilliant advice!!

OP posts:

suzywong · 28/02/2005 15:09

haven't read all of this, but as a veteran of sleep deprivation, I can definitely say that is mainly is habit and they will grow out of it, sympathies to you all

goreousgirl · 01/03/2005 00:36

Reading with interest - my 9 mo old was sleeping through with a feed at 10.30pm- 7am - now he has around 11oz at 6pm, then wakes for a feed midnight (just done it), then 4oz at around 4/5am, and nothing until 10.30am - really frustrating. Have tried water instead of milk - he guzzles, but just wakes up for milk or water a bit later!!

Has been ill/teething fairly consistently since Xmas, which doesn't help - but would SO love to see him sleep through again. Lots of night time dirty nappies at mo too - Lovely at 3am in the dark!

Original poster

cricket · 01/03/2005 14:47

I know what you mean GG and can sympathise! As soon as you think you have them sorted out, they change routine again!! DS decided to wake at 4.30am last night and wouldn't go back to sleep. Fed him a few drops of water each time he got a bit agitated (otherwise left him to play) but gave in and fed him a bottle of milk at 5.45am. It feels like a very long day today....

OP posts:

Flip