if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

DS still wakes up twice a night to eat. And it's not like he takes a few sucks and falls asleep, he polishes off a 4oz bottle each time. I have been trying my darndest to sleep train and he is taking adequate naps during the day. What is the best way to try to wean him off the night feedings? He's almost 4 months and usually goes no longer then 4 hours, recently only 3 hours almost to the second.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I think it's still too young to try and get DS off of night feedings.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I'd love to know this too. DD is 4 1/2 months and just started waking up in the middle of the night to feed. Usually she takes 6 ozs before bed (around 8pm) then has been waking up around 1-2ish and taking 4 oz, but then will wake up 3 hours later. She used to sleep from 8:30-4 or 5am but not anymore Of course just in time for me to go back to work next week.
When she does wake up in the middle of the night she's not crying, just talking to herself. Would you just leave her and see if she falls back asleep?? Am i doing the wrong thing by feeding her?? Sorry to take over the post, i just feel like i'm doing something wrong here!!

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I think you sorta have to wait until they are ready but both of my DD's slept thru the night feeding around 8-9 weeks. I didn't do anything - they just slept one night. For example, I would feed around 10 or 11 pm, and they went until 5 or 6. Once they did that for a few nights, I did not feed them when they woke at 3 or 4. If he takes a pacifier, I would try to put that in. I'm sure he'll just spit it out and oyu'll have to keep going back in. We did that and had a bad few nights but after a few nights, DD #1 stopped getting up. DD #2 still gets up usually once a night around 3 ish but we just go put her paci in and after like 2 times she goes back to sleep. {{hugs}} - I know how hard it is to still be getting broken sleep.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Posted by butterfly668

I'd love to know this too. DD is 4 1/2 months and just started waking up in the middle of the night to feed. Usually she takes 6 ozs before bed (around 8pm) then has been waking up around 1-2ish and taking 4 oz, but then will wake up 3 hours later. She used to sleep from 8:30-4 or 5am but not anymore Of course just in time for me to go back to work next week.
When she does wake up in the middle of the night she's not crying, just talking to herself. Would you just leave her and see if she falls back asleep?? Am i doing the wrong thing by feeding her?? Sorry to take over the post, i just feel like i'm doing something wrong here!!

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

DS is 8 months old and still wakes to feed. I wouldn't try to wean your DC at 4 months. If you do sleep train, then work on getting him back to sleep w/o any help/rocking after a feeding, but don't wean the feeding. JMHO.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I just left the pediatrician for my ds four month check up. He said for my sons weight and age he should not be waking up in the middle of the night for food. He said usally its for other attention. Since my ds was sleeping 10 hours and just again over the last 2 weeks have been waking up 2x a night again. He said it could be the teething, or he just wants attention. He told me to stop rocking my son to sleep and to stop the bottles right before bed. Wants me to feed him that keep him up for a half hour after his last bottle and just lay him in his crib to fall esleep on his own. I will try it and see!

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Posted by butterfly668

I'd love to know this too. DD is 4 1/2 months and just started waking up in the middle of the night to feed. Usually she takes 6 ozs before bed (around 8pm) then has been waking up around 1-2ish and taking 4 oz, but then will wake up 3 hours later. She used to sleep from 8:30-4 or 5am but not anymore Of course just in time for me to go back to work next week.
When she does wake up in the middle of the night she's not crying, just talking to herself. Would you just leave her and see if she falls back asleep?? Am i doing the wrong thing by feeding her?? Sorry to take over the post, i just feel like i'm doing something wrong here!!

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I agree with the PP's who said to cliuster feed before bedtime, and to put him to bed earlier. I was putting DD to bed, then waking her for a dream feed and she would wake up multiple times a night. When I put her to bed around 8 or 9, and let her slleep, she would sleep longer. It could also backfire but it's worth a try.

What is his schedule like now?

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Baby Sleep Solution by Giordano
(there was an earlier version called 12 hours of sleep by 12 weeks)

She gives a very methodical approach to sleep training very early. You don't have to follow the recipe to a T. I kind of did it my own way, but her insight is invaluable!

If your DC takes two feedings at night, you slowly wean off the earlier one first, give a half ounce less every few days. Feed when they are just waking up, not when they are full blown screaming hungry.

When I did this with DS he started waking up later and later for his night feeding, until he was waking up the time he usually wakes up for the day.

But that is the 2nd step, you have to do the 1st step first for it to work. Step 1, is making sure he was eating more during the day. He's 3m, 16lbs, and usually takes 8oz at a time, only 4 times day, during the day. That was his target, when he hit it, the night feedings like automatically started to change.

Her target audience is a working mom who has to go back to work 12 weeks pp. So she gives gentle CIO advice and other great tips. But I don't think you have to do it that early for it to work.

And I still can't get DS to sleep 12 hours a night, he still only does 8. But its good enough for me.

ETA: I never had to do CIO, I never left baby crying even for a minute. I let him fuss and whine a bit, but that was it.

Message edited 6/29/2010 11:48:31 AM.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Message edited 6/29/2010 12:07:01 PM.

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

my ped told me if DS is sucking down an entire bottle, he is hungry. well here we are at 21 months and he still wakes for bottles 3-4 times a week

Re: if you baby still wakes at night to feed...

I'm not one that forced STTN, i always felt when they were ready, they would do it. But, my ped encouraged me to force it with DD1 at 6 months because he said if I kept feeding her at night, she wouldnt need to eat more during the day, so I could be stuck in a cycle until I forced it. With that in mind, an easy transition might be to cut back on the size of his bottles during the night. What if you start making them 3 oz each. Or making the second one 3 oz. then 2 oz, and so on. Maybe that will satisfy your DC for the moment and wean the need for night feedings.

My second DD is 5.5 mths and still usually wakes at night for a feeding. I never pushed anything, but she usually now goes from 9:30 until 4:30 before waking up. At that point, I take her into bed for her feeding and co sleep until I wake up for work (about 5:45/6:00). However, this past Sat and Sun she STTN (9:30 to 7). I think it's because I was home Sat and Sun and nursed her all day. Last week was my first week back at work, and she doesn't each much while I'm gone.