Night time feeds

Andrea - posted on 10/04/2011

my son is 6 weeks and between 9pm and 7 am usually only gets up once between 3:30 and 4 am and occasionally around midnight. Each feed is usually about 20 - 30 minutes.

Shaylene - posted on 10/04/2011

my little girl is 8 weeks now and she wants to be held constantly the last couple days, it is frustrating at times but ultimately I know it wont last forever and just follow my instinct. Which I think is the way to go, nobody knows your baby like you do. If you think he or she is hungry at night then feed them, I don't think this 12lb rule applies to all as my little girl hit 12 lbs last week and theres no way I would make her self soothe yet. Remember unless your baby is colicky, crying is a distress sign and the "cry it out" route isn't recommended unless your at your breaking point at which time you should ask for help from someone close to you. Just do what feels right to you, don't let your instincts be clouded by the millions of different "rules" that get thrown at you (obviously besides the ones regarding milestones, development and things of that nature)

Nicole - posted on 09/29/2011

10 minutes your just becoming his midnight snacks! I'd cut them out so everyone can get more better sleep

Autumn - posted on 09/29/2011

breast milk isnt as heavy as formula so a breast fed baby needs to feed more often. but make sure you dont just pick him up right away when he cries, let him cry for about 5-10 minutes before picking him up because it might only be gas or a hickup and he might fall back to sleep. when he does nurse try and keep him awake as long as possible to nurse so that he doesnt wake up in an hour or two to eat for 5 minutes and go back to sleep! good luck!

Michelle - posted on 09/25/2011

I still night time nurse my 31 month old usually only one a night sometimes twice. Although she does have a good drink it is only for 1 - 2 mins and immediately goes back to sleep. It is as much my habit as hers now, I wake even on those rare occasions she doesn't. When she was small She had me up every hour through the night, but I never had the heart to leave her to cry. I think eventually she will stop it in her own time. I never gave in and put her in our bed tho. To all my friends and family shock and amazement I actually climb into her cot with her. That way I know I will never be comfortable enough to fall asleep with her. It works for me but probably shouldn't recommend it !!! Any tips for weaning her off without leaving her to cry ?

Emily - posted on 09/16/2010

My daughter usually wakes up and is not hungry also, to get her back to sleep I usually pat her behind, or put my Hand on her face or back and she usually goes right back to sleep knowing I'm there

Amy - posted on 09/16/2010

I have no idea if this technique will work, but I plan on trying it after 6 mo if Kellen is still getting up b/w midnight and 6am to nurse. It seems like a gentle method without the risk of learned helplessness that may occur from "crying it out". I don't want to teach him to stop communicating with me in the middle of the night by not responding to his cries. At this point, I can hear him wake up and put himself back to sleep sometimes. Those times when his noises escalate to crying, he doesn't accept his soother, but eats quickly and goes back to sleep after I put him back down. He's also teething now, poor guy. So the soothing him seems appropriate.

From the Canada Baby Care Book:
1. Establish bedtime routine.
2. Determine average or typical amount of food baby takes overnight (minutes or ounces) e.g. all minutes of breastfeeding divided by total number of feeds for that night. do this for 2 or 3 nights.
3. Decrease the breast or bottle feeds gradually over 10 day period: decrease each night feeding by 1 minute or 0.5oz each feed. If baby gets up more than normal also feed those times for same number of minutes/ounces. Depending on the length of time or amount of feeds this step should take 7 to 14 days to complete.
4. Help baby to fall asleep during this process by holding, rocking or singing to her--anything other than feeding her more than the predeermined amount for that night.
5. Be strong. This process may be more exhausting in the short term, but remember, you are providing the guidance your baby needs to have a more restful sleep and consume her required calories during the day.
6. Let your baby drink for longer periods of time or consume a larger amount during the day and at bedtime. This ensures she will receive the right amount of food, just at a better time.

The book also indicates that letting a newborn (0-3 mo) cry herself to sleep is inappropriate and that babies may need to be rocked/held to sleep until 6 mo when their sleep becomes more organized resembling that of adults.

Nicole - posted on 09/16/2010

willow may eat once, but usually sleeps right through. if she does feed, it's 4-8 ounces

Amy - posted on 09/16/2010

I gave rice cereal a try for 3 days and Kellen did not sleep longer at night. He still awoke at midnight, 3am and 6am. He was actually more irritable over those 3 days, which could be totally unrelated, but I'm stopping the solids until 6 months to give his digestive system more time to mature before introducing more solids.

He seemed cold the other night so I did more experimenting. Having his sleep sack on (over sleeper) or off didn't have an impact on his sleep-wake cycle. He does however sleep longer next to me. My body likely regulates his temperature better. He's been sleeping next to me in a crib all along, but I've started leaving him next to me after the early morning feeds now that we're able to nurse lying down and we both sleep well during this time.

Jennifer - posted on 09/16/2010

My daughter is 5 months old, she wakes up once, onyl problem is, she doesnt suck on a pacifier, she falls asleep with her Bottle in her mouth!!! the minute i remove the bottle, she awakes.

Dalia - posted on 09/16/2010

My twins wake up each 3 hours and they are around 9 Kg and still breastfed every time i cant leave one of them cry because iam afraid to wake up his brother my nights are difficult, and for Sandy how you start solids its early up to 6 months?

Leona - posted on 09/14/2010

my princess is now 4 . 5 months an shes only up once a night and sometimes she surprises me an sleep through but im not used to that so i wake up anyway wondering why she hasnt. I have now learnt to sleep until i hear her an not wake at her usual times. She did go through a stage of waking every 2-3 hours not feeding or eating very little then going back to sleep. So i cut out these feeds an ahe didnt mind an went back to sleep. Good luck wish there was a users guide although mums circle is pretty close to it thanks ladies

Djrianna - posted on 09/14/2010

3+ times, not sure how many or how often as I'm half asleep. He nurses when I roll over because I kind of wake him a little, some of it is comfort nursing some is actual feeding. I don't mind cause I just fall right back to sleep.

Njideka - posted on 09/14/2010

Ladies, you have no idea how happy i am to have found this thread.
Odein (5months on 26th) was sleeping through the nite (9/10pm to 5/6am) until 1 week ago. I was completely baffled. he would wake at 2am, 4am and then 6am and would barely feed at those times before falling right back to sleep; suffice to say i haven't found it funny since i am back at work.
so i read through all your comments yesterday and last nite figured out that he wasn't awake becos he was hungry, he was just uncomfortable in some way. its pretty hot in Nigeria and we sleep with airconditioning, but during the nite the temp fluctuates (up or down depending on the weather). So last nite i noticed he was sweating at about 2am so i just removed his top blanket and he was off to sleep till 6am.
So waking up at nite is not necessarily about being hungry.

Monica - posted on 09/13/2010

I still feed my son about twice at night sometimes 3 times. Some nights he does really good and i only feed him once. Sometimes i hear him starting to squirm in his co-sleeper bassinet and i just automatically pick him up and start nursing him not paying attention to what time it is and if it's even been 3 hours since the last feeding. He's been teething lately so i think thats why he's been waking up more often. i dont mind nursing him more often during teething because i know that it soothes him and makes him more relaxed. but when he wasnt teething if i noticed he woke up before the 3 hours i would pat him on his chest and let him fall back to sleep.

Titilola - posted on 09/13/2010

My little diva was born 24th April 2010 and still feeds at night. I am doing breast milk exclusively until 6 months and I wonder if that's the reason.I'm really looking forward to when she'll sleep through the night. Good luck with your little one and feeding.

Tiffany - posted on 09/13/2010

my girly goes to bed at 930p wakes up at 3am, and then 7am usually for 30 minutes at a time.

Christina - posted on 09/13/2010

My son is just over 4 months old and has been sleeping through the night since he was 3 months old. I make him some cereal and a bottle right before he is due for his last feeding prior to going to bed and he sleeps all night long. From 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. 12 hrs straight without getting up. Dr.'s will tell you no cereal or food until 6 months but some babies are just hungry and formula just does not do it. Spoon feed it to them try not to put it in a bottle.

Brooke - posted on 09/12/2010

I still feed my 6 month old at night, I jsut recently started her on rice cereal so that has helped her not wake up every four hrs. But yes I feed her once in the night :) how old is your baby? sometimes they say not to pic them up because then they get used to you picking them up every time and letting them stay awake for a lil while.

Roimee - posted on 09/12/2010

i still do! he is waking up 2 to 3 times a night so i still feed him, but he only drinks 2 oz to 4 oz of milk.

Amy - posted on 09/12/2010

I don't by the "it's a habit" explanation. Around 3 months Kellen was sleeping "through the night", that is 6 hours in a stretch (down around 8pm, up for midnight feed, down until 6am for another feed and again ~8am and I'd do bum changes after each feed) and then around 4 months he started waking up every 2 hours and was very hungry (he has always had quick feeds ~10-15min...drains the twins, fast!). I assume he's experiencing the well documented 4 month sleep regression which coincides with physical milestones. He's now 5 months and he's getting up at midnight, 3am and 6am. I always offer him his soother first and if he doesn't take it, I feed him. I assume it's a growth spirt. If it's still happening at 6 months, I'll look into weaning him off the night feeds since he'll be having solids in addition to breast milk. I don't by the "it's a habit" explanation. Around 3 months Kellen was sleeping "through the night", that is 6 hours in a stretch (down around 8pm, up for midnight feed, down until 6am for another feed and again ~8am; bum changes after each feed and right back to sleep) and then around 4 mo he started waking up every 2 hours obviously hungry (he has always had quick feeds ~10-15min...drains the twins, fast!). I assume he's experiencing the well documented 4 month sleep regression which coincides with developmental changes including physical milestones/cognitive changes. He's now 5 mo and he's getting up at midnight, 3am and 6am (I only change his bum now at midnight and at 6am). I always offer him his soother first (as I have all along at night) and if he doesn't take it and doesn't begin to settle, I feed him. Around 4/5 mo they're undergoing a lot of changes that would likely require more energy. If it's still happening at 6 months, I'll look into weaning him off the night feeds since he'll be having solids in addition to breast milk.

It's not unusual to have night awakenings that require help getting them back down until 6 month as the sleep cycles of babies up to 6 months of age are not organized like those of an older infant or child in terms of how much time they spend in REM sleep. If you're feeling confused and concerned about continuing night feeds, just remember that as much as people want to treat babies like identical robots, they are individuals. Some may start sleeping through the night early and others may develop this capasity later. And it's not necessarily a linear progression. I say if he/she is hungry, feed him/her. Letting a hungry baby cry seems counterintuitive to to my role as a parent. Supposedly, babies consume enough calories during the day to no longer physiologically require night feeds from 6 months on. Each parent is probably the best judge of whether that is true for his/her own child.

I didn't expect to sleep through the night for at least half a year after giving birth, so this change in his routine doesn't faze me. At this point, I believe his body dictates his nutrutional requirements, not the latest edition of a baby book or what someone else has experienced with his/her baby. Sleeping through the night at 3 months was a pleasant surprise and he'll go back to it eventually. Canada's Baby Care Book has some tips for weaning babies from night feeds involving slowly shorting each feed by a few minutes over a recommended period of time. I don't know how effective this approach is, but I will probably give it a try after 6 months, if this new pattern persists, as it seems like a more gentle approach than others I've read/heard about. He's now 16lbs and healthy, so helping him to meet his nutritional needs during the day for the sake of continuous sleep at night (his and mine) will be worth some weaning efforts, if he doesn't start stretching out the time between night feeds on his own.

I hope in the many responses you've received, you've found the answers or validation for which you've been looking. Remember, you're a good mommy! Good luck!

Alison - posted on 09/12/2010

We are also trying a new method. I got leant a book called Save Our Sleep by Tizzie Hall and that basicly involves leaving ub for a set amount of time before going in and patting bub to sleep. I have modified what she said a little to suit what I think but it seems to b working, last night for the first time, bub managed to put himself back to sleep without my help. I was so excited lol, hopefully we can get a bit more of that happening

Melanie - posted on 09/12/2010

My baby is still up at least four or five times so we are trying the Dr. Sears method to get him to sleep better. This method basically just includes Daddy getting the baby to sleep with a pacifier so that baby can be soothed back to sleep with that instead of the breast or bottle if he wakes up before he needs to feed again. We're on night three right now and it is difficult, but has to happen! Daddy needs the bonding time, baby needs the sleep and Mommy NEEDS the sleep too.

Rachael - posted on 09/12/2010

Mine slept through the night until just before 3 months then woke between 1 & 3 hourly, started him on solids when he got to 4 months and got 5 hours, started giving him a second feed of solids just before bed and am now getting anything up to 8 hours - he's 18lbs now so more than ready for something more than milk

Katie - posted on 09/12/2010

My son is 5 months old and sleeps through the night. Every now and then he'll wake up and want a good feed but in the last 2 weeks he's only woken up once for a 15 min feed.

Laura - posted on 09/12/2010

My baby has been sleeping 10-12 hours throughout the night since she was 3 months old. In the past month she has woken up 3 times at around 4 am due to teething.

Beth - posted on 09/11/2010

my 4 month old daughter has been sleeping through the night since just before she was 3 months. she started out going to bed around 11 or 12pm and then waking up at 6 or 7 am, sometimes earlier. she hasnt once woken up at 3 or 4 like she was for her middle of the night feeding since then either. now she sleeps from around 9 or 10pm until 7 or 8am. i've had older moms and my WIC lady tell me that babies have to be at a certain weight to feel like they can sleep all night and that its different for all babies. even now if my daughter gets awake, she just moves around til she's comfortable, makes a few sighs, stuffs her hand or fingers in her mouth and goes back to sleep. it has definitely been nice having a full night's sleep!

Brenda - posted on 09/11/2010

My daughter used to wake up after about 6 hours every night and since she was in our bedroom and I didn't want her to wake my husband, I would feed her. I thought she should not be eating during the night, so at 4 1/2 months I moved her to her own room and put the monitor on very low so I don't hear her fussing- only if she's really crying. She slept through the night immediately and haven't had a problem since.

Valerie - posted on 09/11/2010

My 5 month old goes down at 7pm and is waking at midnight and then 4 am and then 6am. He is about 17lbs and is also starting rice formula in the evenings-I dont know what to do as I let him cry it out last night for a while but in the end I gave up and fed him. Its hard but I am desperate for a good nights sleep...any suggestions? Is crying it out the only way?

Jeanette - posted on 09/10/2010

Maeve has woken for nursing two to four times a night since birth. I really can't tell you how long she would feed for because I usually fell back to sleep before she did. The last week and a half has been better. I have been giving her rice and veggies after our dinner. Now she sleeps from about midnight to 6 or 7 each morning. If I ignore her, she'll fall back to sleep until 10 am without any fuss.

Nicolina - posted on 09/10/2010

Man, it gets so confusing when you get different advice about night time sleeping.

My little fella is 5 months old now. He was sleeping through from 9pm to 7am, however the last 3 weeks he's started waking up during the night at 1am, 3am, 5am and acting like he's hungry. If I give him some milk he goes back to sleep.

I've been feeding him because around the same time he also stopped drinking as much during the day (from bottles). He was a real guzzler, now he refuses to drink sometimes and I only manage 80-100ml a feed. He just clamps his mouth.

He's also been teething a little longer than that, some of them are pretty close to coming through and he has really bad upset days. I give him infant paracetamol and can sometimes get a little more milk in then.

I started baby food thinking he's ready for solids, just pureed fruit and pumpkin and he really likes it but it doesn't help him to sleep at night.

Some people say let them cry through the night feeds, some say he's hungry so feed him and some say to stop feeding solids as they're not really ready yet.

I feel like pulling my hair out cause I'm so tired and just walk around like a zombie half the time. I haven't been doing night baths though, maybe that's the difference. I'll try that, I'll try anything if it helps!

xxn

Samantha - posted on 09/10/2010

I started just giving mine a pacifier at about 3 months when she wakes. Now she sleeps through the night for sure. I bet you can wean this down to one feeding for sure.

Alison - posted on 09/09/2010

My bub gets breast milk at around 4pm when he wakes up from his afternoon nap(if he even has one, but thats a different story) then at around 5pm he gets some pureed vegies and then he has is bath or a shower with Daddy, then he has another breast feed at around 6pm and bed at 6.50pm, he's usually asleep by 7pm with no problems. Just wish he would stay alseep through the night. Last night he was only up twice which is an improovement, the last couple of nights he seems to have dropped the early 4.30/5am feed. He still has the 10.30pm and 2.30am feed though, would be nice if it was just the 2.30am feed. (or better yet none at all and he just went from 7pm to 7am with none)

Sandy - posted on 09/09/2010

i am no longer up during the night, we feed my 4 almost 5 month old baby rice cereal, right before she goes to bed and she sleeps until 8 am

Bethany - posted on 09/09/2010

Mine has been sleeping through the night for about two months, and about 3 weeks ago, she started waking up in the night. I tried solids, and her little tummy was not ready for them- she cried and was so gassy, I took her off them. Two days ago, I introduced solids again, and she is doing fine with them. She slept last night from 7PM until 6:30 AM. I was full enough to feed triplets this morning!

With each baby it is different- not all babies are cookie cutter images of each other- that's why they're so fun.

Alison - posted on 09/08/2010

yay, Zenel finally made t through the night only waking for a feed once, now lets see if he can keep it up :)

Ashley - posted on 09/08/2010

The last 4 nights she has slept until at least 6 am! Prior to that, she was getting up once a night between 3 and 5 for an hour and going back to sleep until 9

Samantha - posted on 09/07/2010

mi baby, born 06.04 goes down at round 8 or 9 at night then when i go to bed at round 11 i do a nappy change and last bottle, she will sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning, if she wakes up crying during the night i just give her the dummy coz i no that she can sleep thru the night and dnt give in otherwise she will get used to feeding in the night again

Jodie - posted on 09/07/2010

unfortunately babies go through phases of rejecting bottles etc..partly as a simple exercise of their personhood and also around teething times when teeth are moving about under the gumline.. teats n pacifiers are often more firm n a little uncomfortable. Ive just spent a month of repeated offering of the bottle to get my babe to take it as a means of topping her up due to slow weight gain. its taken a while but we have success now... so dont fret too much about the bottle keep offering it, and trickle the milk into their mouths till they swallow. Try to offer it nice n warm like breast milk is, and when they are not ravaneously hungry...talk happily n make it fun.. let them play around with it with their tongue if needed n dont be too pushy with it. you will get back to it. If u think they maybe teething try some paracetemol too thatmay help

Alison - posted on 09/07/2010

Sheyna, unfortunately he wont take a pacifier. I've tried it several times and he just spits it out.

Sheyna - posted on 09/07/2010

Well my 4 month 3 weeks BF baby went from sleeping through the night 2 weeks ago to waking up at least 3 to 4 times a night. She is also not taking her bottle at daycare (that is filled with breastmilk) now. Is anyone else experiencing that? She used to take the bottle for a month now that she has been going to daycare and from 2 weeks ago she just flat out wont. It's so strange. She will still take my boob tho. I don't know whats going on.

Alison - maybe you should try just giving him a pacifier those other too times, that sometime works with my baby.

Jodie - posted on 09/07/2010

my aprilbub goes down at 8-9 pm sleeps til1-2am ish has a feed n then sleeps til 6-7am ish most nights.

Gemma - posted on 09/05/2010

What do we mean by "through the night"?



My LO is 20 weeks. She usually goes to sleep between 9 and 10 after a feed and wakes about 4am for a feed and bum change then every 2 hours after that. The last few weeks have been rotten as she has been waking every 2 hours from midnight onwards. The Health Visitor said it was a growth spurt and that she was actually hungry when she woke up.



How can you get your baby to sleep through? I don't feed every time. I only breast feed at night, although she has formula top ups during the day and a bottle as her last feed. I feed her when she wakes at 4am then give her a dummy at 6am and feed again at 8am.



Even if she didn't wake for a feed she'd still need her bum changed as she gets quite wet at night. She is hungry at 4am, having been asleep roughly 6-7 hours, and feeds for about 15 mins then has her bum changed and goes back to sleep.



She is good at settling herself, especially with her dummy, and always goes to sleep in her cot not in my arms.



Is it wrong that she is still doing this? She is roughly 15.5lb now.

Jenna - posted on 09/04/2010

My lil guy has slept since about 4 weeks. He is my lil rockstar!

Myetta - posted on 09/04/2010

My princess sometimes wakes up but will usually suck her hand or use me as a pacifier and drifts back to la la land...shes been doing that since 2 1/2 months

Amanda - posted on 09/04/2010

my daughter has been 12 lbs since one month, so it was not possible for me to cut feedings that soon. She is 5 months now and 17lbs. She has only slept thru night a few times, and it's my own fault. I still feed her once or twice when she wakes. I tried a few times to let her fuss and she did, but I usually end up just feeding her for fear she will wake our 2-year-old and it's so much quicker to nurse her for 10 min since she goes right back down. I know I have to be firmer and let her figure it out, but it's easier said than done.

Marcia - posted on 09/04/2010

I went to a sleep clinic for babies, night time feeds after 12 lbs are a habit thing... so they go over things like cutting out the night feed... he drinks a extra bottle during the day got him on a night routine of bath at 7 bottle at 715 and bed at 8... the first 2 nights he woke up at 3am like always to feed but you just let him cry it out or play or w/e the child does.. he taught himself soothing techniques... by the 3rd night he never woke up at 3 any more he woke up at 7am and now we are on a routine of 8pm bed 7am feed instead of 3 am... super nice to have him sleeping all night... we started this in June and its been wonderful! he was 2 months old!

Alison - posted on 09/02/2010

It's 2am now and I am listening to him grizzle. Not sure how long I should let him carry of for before I go in. He seems to slow down and almost stop complaining and then suddenly start again. I dont want to go in if he's about to go back to sleep but I dont want him to keep crying forever either

Leela - posted on 09/02/2010

My daughter is 4.5 months old. Till she was 4 months old, she was sleeping right through the night, but she started waking up 2-3 times a night the last couple of weeks. Its been hard. I have been advised not to feed her when she wakes up, and most times try to ignore it unless she really cries. If you feed them at night when they are not hungry it becomes a bad habit which is difficult to break later.

Alison - posted on 09/01/2010

@ Marcia - How did you go about cutting out night time feeds? What did you do when your baby woke up wanting one? How did you get him to sleep through?