Eliminating 2am feeding. Wait it out? or actively try to do something?

KateLouise · August 2013

A while ago I asked for thoughts on eliminating DD2's 10pm feeding. It seemed like a fairly entrenched habit, and the general consensus was that I would need to do something if I wanted to change it.

Well I did start by bringing it forward. I pulled it forward around 20minutes at a time for 3 or 4 nights. then I got distracted, and other things got in the way, and just left LO to do as she wanted. She kept waking between 930 and 11pm, and then after another month or so she just stopped.

Now she wakes anywhere between 1am and 2am. (she was previously sleeping through to 530am ish after her 10pm waking. She still sleeps through till around 530 or 6am, so it's like she's pushed that first long stretch of sleep to 2am from 7pm)

So I guess my question is, should I do something to try and tweak it? Do something more assertive? Just leave it and see if it stops in her own good time?

Thoughts?

Thanks

Emerald27 · August 2013

How old is DD2? DS has only recently stopped nursing during the night, and he's 21 months. He does still nurse occasionally, but since he's in our bed I usually don't know about it.

If it were DS, I would stick it out and let him outgrow that feeding when he is ready. Who knows, though, how long your DD will need/want that middle-of-the-night nursing. It could be some time before she outgrows it, so if it's really not working for you, you should change it.

Depending on her age, I would try to snuggle her in other ways first so that if it's a need for comfort/closeness, she still got that even if she wasn't nursing. If she absolutely had to nurse to be consoled and go back to sleep, I would nurse her and watch the clock, allowing her to nurse less and less time each night (if possible, and I say if possible because DS is a cranky crazy man in the middle of the night if he doesn't have what he needs) until she either doesn't ask to nurse and is content with snuggles when she wakes, or she just doesn't wake at all.

If that would be too upsetting, you could send DH to her first to see if he can console/calm/snuggle her back to sleep, and you go to her only if that will not suffice. At that point you can try snuggles, and then timed nursing if that will not do.

Those are just what I would do, but every LO is different, and only you can know what will help your daughter sleep happily. Good luck!

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Eliminating 2am feeding. Wait it out? or actively try to do something?

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