If your LO doesn't take a paci....

vajen

then how do you know if their night wakings are due to hunger? With DS, we could always try the paci first, and if it worked, then we assumed he wasn't hungry. DD doesn't take a paci, so I always just feed her when she wakes. Then I read about creating night feeding habits and I get worried. Should I try to rock her first to see if she'll go back to sleep without the feeding? Honestly, I typically just feed her b/c it gets us all back to sleep sooner!

doremi29

DS takes a paci at times but never at night.  On the rare occassions that he wakes at night we usually sucks on his hand which tells me he's hungry.  He'll usually eat pretty effeciently and go right back down.

LuvMyBostons

I've just been feeding DS at night when he wakes up. I'm not worried about him not STTN until about 6 months, when we might try to skip a night feeding. I'm hoping it works though, we will see.

prazenjc

LO smacks his lips/works his mouth like he wants to eat when he wakes up hungry. if he is just scared or wakes up for any other reason, he doesn't do that and can just be soothed and put back to bed.

 

Dr.Loretta

I don't.

DD typically STTN. Lately she's up once in the middle of the night, but we think it's either a growth spurt, teething, or a combination of the 2.

mrstarawalsh

I know because she'll start rooting right when I pick her up... then attack me like a mad woman.

Lulu80301

I try to rock DD first for a few minutes. Sometimes she falls right back to sleep, but when she doesn't I know she's actually hungry.