Community› The Bump Message Boards› Babies: 6 - 9 Months
Babies: 6 - 9 Months
New Discussion

If you did Ferber...

pb_bridepb_bride member
in Babies: 6 - 9 Months

How did you decrease/drop MOTN feeds?

I have the book and have read the relevant parts.  The bedtime routine is straightforward, and we have been able to put LO down awake at bedtime.  He falls asleep in < 10 minutes without much protest.

However, he still wakes 2x/night to nurse (I EBF), and I would like to drop to down to just 1 MOTN feed.

The first stretch he goes for anywhere between 4-7 hours.  There's no predictability: one night it'd be 5 hrs, the next 7 hrs, the next 4 hours.  I always nurse him for MOTN #1.  He then sleeps for 3-4 hours and wakes up again.  This is the feeding I'd like to drop, and just nurse him when he wakes up for the morning.

So how should I go about to do this?  Ideally I'd like him to go at least 6-7 hours in the first stretch, as that will put us to around 2 or 3am.  

Should I nurse him the first waking regardless if it's been 4 hrs or 6 hrs? Or let him cry until it's been 6 hours?  

And should I let him cry if he wakes up 3 hrs later?  It seems like it'll be confusing to LO - for some wake-ups he gets nursed, for others he doesn't.  How can he tell which one is which???

Finally, after he's done nursing, am I supposed to make sure he's awake when we put him back down in the crib and let him fall asleep on his own?  Sometimes he's totally out after the MOTN feed... should I wake him up? 

TTC since 10/2008  RE consult 6/2010 Dx:Unexplaied IF

Failed multiple cycles of Clomid+TI and Clomid+IUI

3/2011 inj+IUI #1 BFP. 4/2011 missed m/c. 

Fall 2011 inj+IUI #2&3 BFN

Jan/Feb 2012 IVF#1 BFP 2/23  EDD 10/31/2012 ~~~ Halloween ~~~

Our IVF miracle, Baby Boy M, arrived on 11/8/2012!
Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
image
Report Reply to Post

Re: If you did Ferber...

  • ThePinkSuperheroThePinkSuperhero member
    If your ticker is correct and baby is under 4 months, I would wait a little longer to work on dropping MOTN feedings; that's a little young, if I'm remembering what the book and my pediatrician said.  What we did once LO was 6 months was to consult the Ferber table on how to space out feedings based on how long baby already sleeps, and offered him water right off the bat for all MOTN feedings, since he definitely could sleep at least 6 hours straight.  He drank it & fell asleep calmed the first night, checked it out another night or two, and then that was it; he stopped walking up to feed.
    image
    image
    image
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • danieliza1127danieliza1127 member

    Ditto Pink, if your baby is really only 3 months old, it's way too soon to cut out middle of the night feedings.  It's usually around 5-6 months that you can do that, and even then, check with your pediatrician at baby's 6 month appointment to make sure weight gain is on track and it's fine to wean that feeding.

    We do Ferber and we still do a middle of the night feeding.

    There is a whole chapter that addresses all of your questions though, Chapter 6.

    image
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • DCMergedDCMerged
    Ditto PP about age and eating. However, I'll answer your last question: YES!
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"