Strategies for partial night weaning

tee18 · November 2013

My previous STTNer has been getting up for the past 1.5-2 months. On a good night, only twice. On a typical night, 3-5 times. He's easy to put to bed, and easy to put back to sleep if he has eaten. I think he is getting used to getting a lot of calories at night. I'm fine with motn feedings, but think that 2/night is what he needs. The others are for comfort. My question is what are some gentle ways to encourage him to only need to eat twice a night? Are there any???

Lolalipsy · November 2013

Are you feeding solids before or after a milk feed? If after, then try giving milk first. I didn't and now DD won't drink milk through the day (apart from a little drink). All of my feeds are through the night. I've had to ditch solids until she has a milk feed. Day one and she's had 5oz milk ALL day. I'm beside myself.

bhjones1980 · November 2013

I have gotten him down to one MOTN feeding by only comforting at the other wake ups, rub his back, shush, etc. but do not feed until the designated 2am MOTN feeding.

Then he eats more at that feeding now so he fills up for the rest of the night.

It took about a week of soothing instead of feeding for him to pretty much drop all the other wake ups.

JuberP · November 2013

Hi. I don't post here much, but we just went through this. At our 6 month appt, the dr. said DD is fully capable of sleeping through the night. Last Wednesday night, DH set up shop in her bedroom at night. When she cried at night, he rubbed her back and shusshed her, turned on the sleep sheep and glowing seahorse. He generally soothed her back to sleep, without picking her up so she learned that she wasn't going to get fed. She started eating (drinking) much more during the day, and I think we've completed the shift to calories during the day. Over the 3 nights he stayed in her room, I think he only picked her up twice - once when she was really having a hard time (and popped her first tooth that night), and the other when she needed a diaper change.

I didn't sleep well those nights because I continued to keep an ear out for her, but it was nice knowing DH had it covered.

The past 3 nights, she's woken up in the MOTN and fussed for two minutes or less, then settled back to sleep.

I pump before I go to bed and wake up really full in the morning - ready to nurse a hungry girl.

bhjones1980 · November 2013

JuberP said:

Hi. I don't post here much, but we just went through this. At our 6 month appt, the dr. said DD is fully capable of sleeping through the night. Last Wednesday night, DH set up shop in her bedroom at night. When she cried at night, he rubbed her back and shusshed her, turned on the sleep sheep and glowing seahorse. He generally soothed her back to sleep, without picking her up so she learned that she wasn't going to get fed. She started eating (drinking) much more during the day, and I think we've completed the shift to calories during the day. Over the 3 nights he stayed in her room, I think he only picked her up twice - once when she was really having a hard time (and popped her first tooth that night), and the other when she needed a diaper change.

I didn't sleep well those nights because I continued to keep an ear out for her, but it was nice knowing DH had it covered.

The past 3 nights, she's woken up in the MOTN and fussed for two minutes or less, then settled back to sleep.

I pump before I go to bed and wake up really full in the morning - ready to nurse a hungry girl.

Yes, THIS^^^

I should add for the first few nights I only let DH do the soothing (and he didn't pick him up), so LO didn't smell me and think it was time to eat.

I only went in for the MOTN feeding that we are keeping for now.

raw1299 · November 2013

What i've been doing is trying to keep her up a little longer, and basically stuff her before bed. I give her a 4oz bottle and half a jar of baby food before bed. I've been doing that for a week, and she'll sleep from 9:30-6:30 in the morning- straight!

MeeksandMads · November 2013

I was also curious about ideas for this, so thanks for letting me lurk on this post

jesselayne8 · November 2013

If its before midnight, I send DH in to comfort DS. He will cry maybe 3 min and go back to sleep for a few hours. If I go in there he will cry until he is fed. Most night he only wakes for the 3am feeding which I would love to push back to 4 or 5am but I am giving him another month or so to do it on his own.

coffeeandbooks · November 2013

I agree with the comforting suggestions. Also, Gina Ford, one of the leading baby book authors, at one point stage recommends giving a little water instead of BM or formula. My mom swears by this too. She says she gave me water one or two nights and then I stopped waking up for a feeding.

I think if your LO is over 6 months, he is likely past the age where a little water is dangerous.

I haven't done this myself but I might consider it down the line. I certainly wouldn't do it for every feeding but I would try to deduce which wakings are for hunger and which ones are just for a graze.

Shoegal36 · November 2013

The exact same thing happened with my LO and I didn't get a chance to read all the replies yet, but since starting cereal 2x per day she now only gets up twice.

littledaisies · November 2013

I've been thinking about doing this but I feel like my LO is actually hungry. He wakes up between 2-4 times a night for a feeding. Each time he latches on and eats for a long time. Part of me wants to wean him but then I'm nervous he won't be getting enough. I'm having a hard time pumping enough for him during the day so I feel like he's making up for it at night.

tee18 · November 2013

Thanks everyone! My h and I are going to try a couple things to get him down to 2 feedings a night, we will see how it goes!

Shelenec · November 2013

LO wakes up between 3-4. I just started going into the room, turning on our sleepy time music and giving him his little lovey. He just holds it, gnaws on it for a few minutes and is back to sleep. Any time he is awake, he is never full on crying.

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Strategies for partial night weaning

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