How to stop night feedings
By kimko5099
@kimko5099 (195)
United States
March 1, 2007 10:28pm CST
My baby is nine months old right now and is still getting up in the middle of the night between 2 to 4 times. Its exhausting and I know that I will need to get him to stop when I wean him at one year. I think its more of a comfort than him being really hungry. Sometimes I just try to put him back to sleep and it works and at other times he fights me back because he wants to nurse. And yes I do sleep in the bed with him. I didnt plan for it but it just happened that way beacuse it works best for the both of us. Let me know if anybody else has this problem or what you did to stop it. Thanks
2 people like this
8 responses
@wmaharper (2316)
• United States
2 Mar 07
Well, I honestly think it will be easier for him to sleep through the night, if he's not in bed with you. Because when he wakes up next to you, the first thing he wants to do is nurse, but if he were in his own room, he may just fall back to sleep on his own. I don't suggest going cold turkey (unless you really want to, it's harder on you that way though) I would address one feeding at a time. Start with the first time he wakes up, and see if he'll cry himself back to sleep, if not, rock him, pat him on the back etc.. try to get him to go to sleep without eating. If you find he's not giving up, fine, nurse him, You will have at least spaced out his feeding a little bit more and the next night he may not wake up as early. When you do end up giving a feeding, don't give him a full feeding, and put him back down, he'll probably go to sleep. YOu want him to start getting all of his feeding in the day time, if you don't give him a full feeding, it won't affect his daytime feedings as much. Once he's stopped waking for the first feeding (usually a couple of days) work on his last feeding, once that one's gone, work on the middle one's (these will probably be most difficult) and eventually he'll stop waking. It sounds like he is just waking out of habit, and you know he doesn't NEED to nurse. I really think it will work better if he's in his own room though, because he may just be waking because you roll over, or he hears you stirring. Children go through wakefulness periods throughout the night, and usually if you just leave them be, they will settle back into deep sleep, but he gets woken up because he's lying next to you. Good luck. you'll get your sleep eventually.(:
@wmaharper (2316)
• United States
6 Mar 07
yes, we had this same situation with my first. My sister lived with us, and so he share a room with us. IT was hard. He didn'tsleep through the night cosistently until he got his own room (9 months), and I just let him cry it out for a couple of nights and he was better. Since you cannot add a room (: here are some suggestions, I never could use them because my sister gothome in the middle of the night and would have woken him, hopefully they help you, put his crib in the living room/ or a bassinet and have hime sleep there. My pediatrician suggested hanging a curtain to make a partition of sorts, it will help muffle the sound a little and hewon't see you.. so you won't have as much of a struggle getting him to sleep. You could always surrender your room for a while, until he's sleeping consitently and sleep in the living room. I hope these ideas help. Good luck!
@kimko5099 (195)
• United States
2 Mar 07
That sounds like a good solution. The only problem is that we live in a tiny apartment so he has to be in the same room. I have the crib next to our bed but we just never use it. I guess i can try it out. I havent tried letting him cry it out yet. But I'm getting to the point where I'll try anything. The problem why he wakes up is that as soon as he rolls over he autimatically gets in his crawling position. I'm always awake before he is. Poor thing, I think he gets scared because he doesnt know how he got in that position in the first place.
1 person likes this
@grandkids08 (246)
• United States
2 Mar 07
Is you baby on soft foods yet? If so try feeding him right before bed time thats what we had to do. he got his belly full and slept all night long.
@kimko5099 (195)
• United States
2 Mar 07
He eats solids three times a day and I always nurse him before going to sleep so I knowhe is full. I think it is more of a comfort thing. He has never liked to take a pacifier, he like to use me as a pacifier.
@mfpsassy (2827)
• United States
2 Mar 07
My oldest was that way and yes some of it is comfort, bit a little bit of food before bed means he will wake up less. Ask yourself this do you munch on something after dinner? Babies are always moving , checking things out they use up quite a bit of energy. Just a little bit of baby cereal or some baby food a little while before bed along with nursing or a bottle should allow you to get more sleep if not you should consult his doctor.
@kimko5099 (195)
• United States
16 Mar 07
I'm actually nursing him to sleep and I know thats part of the problem. After all the advice about letting him a cry a little thats what I have been doing. I have been doing it just for a few days and I only let him cry for a little bit. Finally I think that he just gives up and he comes to me and goes to sleep without the nursing. Its been a hard journey lol but I think I'm seeing some improvement.
@ladymoonstone143 (1507)
• United States
2 Mar 07
At this age your baby shouldn't be feeding that much at night. Have you started his solid food yet or baby cereal? If you feed him before going to bed, then he will be quite full and will sleep through more or less the night. If it is just for comfort, try using a pacifier.
@kimko5099 (195)
• United States
2 Mar 07
He does eat solid food three times a day and I always nurse him before he goes to sleep so he gets enough to eat. He never did take a pacifier, just spits it out.
@bigtummy (51)
• Singapore
2 Mar 07
Usually, my son sleeps about 9.30pm. prior to this, he takes his dinner - fish porridge at about 6.30pm. At 9pm, he will take 240ml of milk before sleep. every night, we will rub some medicated oil on his tummy - to avoid colics. The environment for him will be a soft soothing music, fan or air-cooler. more importantly, do not allow him to play vigorously 2 hours before sleep.
@kimko5099 (195)
• United States
2 Mar 07
Usually his daddy gets home from work pretty late so he likes to play with him before bedtime, maybe thats one of the problems. I guess I can try not getting him to worked up before bedtime.
1 person likes this
@jhomanansala (25)
• Philippines
18 Mar 07
You honestly feel your baby isn't hungry? My expereince wth my baby is, before a long sleep at night, he would ask for milk, and he feeds himself well! Since he is bottle fed, it would last him at most 6 hours before he is again hungry. If it's mother's milk, tendency of course is he will be really hungry in 3 to 4 hours.
I suggest that if he is into solids, feed him a good complete supper 2-3 hours before you tuck him to sleep, and complement this with one more milk feeding before going to sleep.
Now, if its really psychological, sleeping in the bed with him is reassuring. Also, make sure that before he sleeps, everything is comfortable for him: the bed, room temperature, a good background music, you may even re-establish the bond with your baby by playing with him or by reading to him a short story.
@Sicantik (706)
•
2 Mar 07
I thought my son to sleep in his own room when he was nine month old and it took two weeks to get him used to the idea...
For you I think because he still sleep in your bed you can start by moving him into his own cot but still in your room for a few weeks.. As for the feeding if you are in different bed it is easier to cope you can try to ignore him when he cry, normaly he would go back to sleep after a while as he might think that he's only dreaming. However you have to make sure that he has enough food before he sleep. So you will know that he only want your attention not hungry..
I hope you can work thing out soon...godd luck to you...xx
