How to get my 6 month old to drop night feeds?

[fermy]

My 6 month old boy is currently having a dream feed at 23.00 and normally wakes between 01.30 and 05.30 for another feed. If I don't dream feed him he'll wake for it. I'm desperate to drop the dream feed as I'll be going back to work soon and will be unable to continue this feed. Last night we gave him some good night milk at his bed time feed and he slept through to 01.30 and then 06.45. But after reading other discussions on good night milk I'm reluctant to continue giving it. Any other tips on dropping this feed? I'm desperate and can't get a straight answer from anyone! Many thanks.

What does he have and when during the day?

He has a BF when he wakes, a BF mid morning, a bottle of formula mid afternoon and at bedtime. He is also having 3 big meals a day between milk feeds.

He's in the midst of the tremendous 6 month growth spurt. His need to eat at night should reduce once he's past it.

I'm in the same position as you- my dd still wakes up for at least one night feed. Although this is a vast improvement on every 45 mins as she was doing

I've tried df and no df and none of it makes a difference.

I think its learnt hunger- she is hungry in the night even though she eats well during the day.

I have tried limiting the feed time slowly but she always cries for a full feed. So then it becomes a bit of a viscous circle as I end up feeding her which means she may take a bit less during the day- can't win!

Hope someone comes along who gives me hope for change too!

DD is 10 months and still does a night feed - also improved from every 45 minutes.

I started moving it earlier and earlier so we do the feed at 2am instead of 4am, and another at 6am or so. At least I get a few hours between them.

Don't know the answer really - she has always had night feeds. Even now when she is on solids and eating really well during the day she just won't do without a night feed. If I don't give it to her earlier she WILL demand it later.

I hope to eventually move it up to midnight and so on until it gets merged with the bedtime feed

Not very encouraging, I know.

Just thought I'd say that I'm in the same boat with DS. He's waking for feeds sometimes 5 or 6 times a night at the moment (he's 6.5 months). He's on at least 2 meals a day and is BF inbetween, but still seems to want the night feeds. Really hoping someone will come along and say "This is what you need to do! A, B, C" , but I know that won't happen!

I feel your pain...

I know, all I want is someone to say this is the best way, try this. But like you Kalikaroo I know it won't happen. I thought we had cracked it yesterday. DS had slept through his dream feeds for 3 nights waking only at 01.30 02.00ish for a feed and then at 07.00. But nooooo last night he was awake and full on crying/screaming at midnight, the only way to settle him was to feed him. I feel like I'm making a rod for my own back. I would be happy to carry on with his night feed if it wasn't for the fact I'm going back to work and DS will be staying at nannies once a week. I'm so jealous of all my other friends babies of the same age who are sleeping through the night for 12-13 hours! I feel like I just don't know what to do.

fyi - fermy, I lie to my friends and inlaws and say that DD sleeps through the night (well, minus feeds, she does). I got SO tired of "oh poor you!" "oh, maybe she will let you sleep some tonight" and the ever-present, first-thing-on-seeing-me "are you getting more sleep?"

I was knackered and tired of talking about it and tired of feeling like a shite parent because she was still feeding at night.

So I lie.

She's a delightful baby and I get tired of everyone acting like she some kind of weirdo for wanting a night feed. And she does sleep really really well - provided she gets her feeds at the right times.

The only person I've met who seems to understand that BF babies need night feeds is my ancient neighbour. I almost said my mum, but she doesn't really either. She did the controlled crying thing with us at about two months old, so she never went through this even though she BF'd.