How did you break overnight feeding habits?

DS will be 3 months and still wakes up anywhere from 1-3 times overnight for feedings. Is there anything I can do to break this habit or will it happen naturally at some point? Many people have mentioned he will sleep better once introduced to solid foods, but I'm returning to work soon and hoping to help speed things along. Not sure how I'll function in the office on so little sleep :/

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My DS (2 months) was waking up 2-3 times a night until 7 weeks. One night I changed his swaddle to the Halo Swaddleme and now he only gets up once. He usually goes 10-3 or 4 and then sleeps til 8.

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

Dd did it on her own. I never let her CIO when she woke for a feeding. The feedings just got later and later or she slept through them entirely. By 3 months she was sleeping 10-11 hours and waking at 530am, but that got later and later.

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

3 months is too young to break them out of night time feedings. It will happen on it's own as they get older.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My girls ate at 9:30 then went to bed. they broke the 12:30 feeding on their own at 7 weeks, but kept the 4:30 until 6 mo. At that point, they were getting up at 4:30 to eat then up at 6:30 for the morning so I went in and gave pacis and shhhushed them at 4:30. After a few days they just woke at 6:30. I think at 3 mo they still need to eat more overnight.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My daughter is almost 9 months and still wakes almost every two hours to eat. I am really starting to lose it! I really don't want to do CIO, but it might be the only way. I think that 3 months is too young to stop feedings...

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

Are you BF and FF? How many ounces does the baby take during the day and how many lbs is he. How often does DS eat during the day.
By 12 weeks I had my baby eating every 4 hours a minimum of 6 oz's per feeding. If you are able to do this, they say it is "safe" to CIO. I didnt cry it out at that point, but started dropping the feedings one by one. I did this by offering the paci. It worked like a charm and my DS started to slowly sleep from 9pm to 5am. Then over a little more time he would go longer. By 5-6 months I was sick of giving him the paci to go back to sleep, and he couldnt find it on his own. I went cold turkey on the paci and then did CIO. It was the hardest thing ive ever done in my entire life, but after 2 days of torture he slept through the night (12 hrs).... and (knock on wood) has since.

Message edited 6/24/2014 10:20:10 AM.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

It happened naturally for my ds at about the 4 month mark. One day he just didn't need the feeding anymore at 4am and was able to sleep to 6- 6:30 (when we get up for the day).

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

3 months is young. DD woke once per night until 6 months

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My son is 4 months and it started on his own around 3 months. I switched him from 4oz to 6oz at night at first (then during the day as well) and that seemed to help. Also warming the bottle at night and doing the same bedtime routine. (for us it's bath every other day, lotion massage, diaper, sleep sack, bottle, cuddle on the glider until he falls asleep).

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

3 months she woke up in the middle of the night. I never saw a problem with it. Sounded totally normal.

By 4-5m she was waking up LATER but still earlier than 5am if that makes sense. I never really worried about that stuff, she sorta figured it out on her own. I don't CIO. I felt night feedings were the best quite bonding time I'd ever have. And they were. That size you can hold them easily and feel their warmth. Oh them days!

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My DD adjusted her schedule on her own. She was a little over three months old.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

To be honest; I never really cut them out until he was a year. He sort of just topped waking up on his own and sleeping through the night. I BF and I felt like it helped w/my supply when he would wake up. And I just couldn't do CIO with him. Wasn't for me.

But like I said...he grew out of it on his own probably between 11-13 months. at 3 months he was probably waking up b/w 1-3am. that continued until about 5 or 6 months; then he'd wake up later and later as he got older until he eventually just woke up in the morning.

Message edited 6/24/2014 2:06:36 PM.

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

I'm in the minority here. My pediatrician actually wrote a book on getting newborns to sleep the night and I followed his advice. My twins were sleeping 10-6 by 6 weeks. They still wake up when they lose the paci, but they aren't looking for food. They are both gaining weight very well.

My ped doesn't say to CIO, but stretch them out an extra 5-10 minutes each night when they get up- eventually, they start sleeping longer.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

I think three months is young to start cutting out feedings. My DD is 4 months and she still nurses two-four times overnight. I put her down at 7 and I dream feed her at 10:30, and she's up at 1 and 4, usually.

We cosleep though, and I nurse her side-lying, so we both get rest, even though she's eating a lot overnight.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

I think 3 months is too early unless she starts on her own. My DS is 3.5 months & goes some weeks where he sleeps through the night and others where he wakes several times. They go through growth spurts and their needs constantly change as they develop. I feed on demand and he's thriving. I would follow her lead.

Also , with my DD, feeding solids didn't help with the night waking at all.

Message edited 6/24/2014 9:38:15 PM.

How did you break overnight feeding habits?

It may be my opinion, but I personally don't think it's too early. My twins sttn at 6 weeks. I followed a regimented schedule, stretching their feeding times from 2 hours to 4, adding extra 1/2 ounces at at a time. Then, at night, if the last feeding was over at 10, we did a dream feed at midnight. They slept from midnight to almost 7am. For me, that was awesome! After the 4 mo. mark, they slept 9 hours.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

My DS is 7 months and still wkes 2x per night to eat. He is in bed every night by 9-9:30, and then wakes up for the day around 8-8:30. We give him 3 "meals" of baby food per day, and as we started introducing food, he'd turn down the bottles. I guess his belly is full. So I guess he is making up for it now at night. I'd hoped that as I started food that nighttime would get better, but it hasn't. When I try to push more food on him, he just spits up more. When I truly felt that my DDs were waking at night just out of habit, and I was sure they were getting enough during the day, I started watering down their bottles at night (to make them less palatable for them), and then started decreasing the amount I gave them. Eventully (about 2 weeks), they stopped waking up to eat.

Re: How did you break overnight feeding habits?

With both of my kids they started STTN at 8 weeks old so as soon as they did, that was the last time they ever got fed at night. If they happened to wake up at during the night for whatever reason I would soothe them in their room and get them back to sleep but NO bottle.

However, if you're child isn't STTN and is still waking hungry and willing to take the bottle then they aren't ready yet to drop those night feedings. When they are ready, they will let you know. In the meantime you just have to hang in there.