7.5 m.o. feeding overnight

[Mummabear]

Hi,

I have a question.....

My DS is 7.5 months old and he still quite often wakes during the night and I give him a bottle. Several people are telling me that I shouldn't be doing this :confused: as he eats lots of food during the day so he doesn't actually 'need' the bottle overnight.

He doesn't drink much milk during the day anymore so I figure that an overnight feed it a good opportunity to get some more milk into him. It doesn't bother me, I feed him, cuddle and then he goes straight back to sleep and so do I.

Does anyone know if there is actually a good arugment as to why I should stop feeding him overnight??? If I offer the bottle and he doesn't want it (which has happened occasionally) then I don't push the matter, we just have a cuddle and he goes back to sleep, but if he wants it I don't understand why he shouldn't have it :confused:.

Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions would be great.

Oh, I guess I should also add that he is a big boy - he's not grossly overweight or anything, he's just a big boy - heavy and tall.

Thanks

[jarrahsmumma]

If he is waking for a feed, clearly he is hungry. What more reason do you need? :smiliedance: Just tell people he will sleep through when he is ready..

[KatherineIV]

Mummabear...

I have a nine month old and have been dealing with this issue for the past 3-4 months. My DS was awake every hour and a half during the night wanting about 20-50mls of milk. I was an absolute wreck due to lack of sleep... DS isn't a big napper during the day so unfortunately I couldn't play catchup.

My community nurse told me the same thing... he eats alot during the day.. he doesn't need a feed at night... she suggested I turn our baby monitor off (which I did... and we can't hear him from our bedroom) and get him up at 6.30am - 7.00am every morning. The first few days I would get to 12.30am and sneak the monitor back on because I was so worried about him.. after a week I turned it completely off. We are in week 3-4 now. We took DS camping with us on the weekend for three nights... and he was in our tent... Not ONE sound came from him. He sleeps beautifully now... 12 hours a night...

I was really hesitant to do it... and I was of the mind set that if he was hungry that I should just feed him... but after 4 months of only getting an hour and a half sleep in one stint max... it has made a HUGE difference for me personally..

I feel like a human being again.. hehe

[Mummabear]

Thanks for your responses girls.

Katherine, I'm glad you found what works for you. DS only wakes once, maybe twice a night so I'm not a sleep deprived as you, lol. It honestly doesn't bother me, which is why I can't understand why others are making a big deal about him waking for food. My Mum in particular is not making so much of a deal about him waking, but she says that he shouldn't be getting a bottle because he 'doesn't need it'. But I know adults that still wake with the midnight munchies :confused:

I guess I'm saying that if I don't have a problem with it and he's getting what he wants why the big deal?? Unless someone can show me a medical or psychological reason as to why I shouldn't be doing it????

[JE's Mum]

Don't worry too much about it Mummabear. I have only just stopped breastfeeding my little boy at 11pm and he just turned one. Everyone told me that he doesn't need it and I am making a rod for my own back, etc. He has always been at the smaller end of the scale and wasn't overly interested in solids until 10 months, which is why I kept it going so long.

I decided to drop the feed in our own time, when I felt he was ready and when I tired of doing it. He protested a bit about not getting the late night feed (mainly wanting to stay up until he realised the feed wasn't coming!) but has starting to settle down now after a week or so.

The way I look at it, if it doesn't bother you, do what you feel happiest doing. You are the mum after all. You will probably tire of it in your own time and then you might decide not to give him the bottle and just give him a drink of water when you are both ready.

Don't worry about it too much. These days, all the advice seems to be so focused on the sleep obsession (don't I know it with a wakeful baby!). Everyone says you have to "nip things in the bud early" otherwise you will never be able to stop it. What do they think, we are going to end up with a 30 year old wanting a bottle during the night! It's just rubbish. I have had no more difficulty dropping feeds at one than I did at 6 months. You just have to be consistent either way. Once the feed is gone, its gone. Remember you are the mum, do what you feel is best.

[jasminesmum]

My dd is 10 1/2 mths old and still wakes for a night bottle.

Although I would rather her sleep all night I feel that she needs it and she is only awake for about 10mins.

I guess she will eventually stop wanting it. :fingerscrossed:

Don't worry about what other people tell you and do what you think is best for your baby.

[JenNT]

Hey Rissssssssssss,

I agree with you however i have discovered with my treasured number 3 son that all kids are COMPLETELY different. Whereas the other two munchkins ate heaps of solids during the day and then would wake at night for more, i soon woke up to them and gave them water...they slept through without waking after a week..why wake for water....

Now i have monster child who doesn't eat solids aaaaaaaarrrghhh and he does get hungry during the night, fair enough, I would too if i stuffed around all day.So he gets a bottle when he wakes, drinks something like 20mls:confused: then :sleeping: :D

DO whats best for Ozzie, if he ain't broke yada yada:ecomcity:

cheers J.

[JenNT]

if he ain't broke yada yada

cheers J.

Now wtf i meant by that i don't know lol...if he ain't broke:confused: :confused: .mmmmmmmmm If it ain't broke....:yelclap: :smiliedance:


geeeez Jen proof read your posts!!

[KatherineIV]

Mummabear...

Sleep Deprived was an understatement.. I was a mess hehe

I think if you are happy feeding him keep doing it... There is no real right / wrong way to do things... I believe the right way is what you want to do...

The community nurse told me not to feed him ....MIL still wont agree to it and will feed him if he wakes... whereas my mum sticks to what I have in place... Arghh

If DS was to wake now and was distressed.. I would DEFINITELY still feed him..

[Rhys'Mum]

My two cents worth...

Sure he could probably live without it for a couple of nights and over a couple of days would likely up his milk intake during the day to make up for it. Many babies cut back on milk during the day when they start solids so it is not at all unusual and many have been trained to do without it at night through giving water, cc etc

BUT If he wants a feed at night and you are happy to give it to him then why change things now. When he decides he'd rather just drink all his milk during the day or you decide he's going to just drink during the day, then deal with it.

I have real issues with this "he doesn't need it" and "you need to know and control how much he gets" which seems to be really prevalent with the baby boomer generation. I appreciate it was how they were taught to raise their kids but we now know that its not necessary unless there is a medical problem. Why should we be compelled to 'control' our kids... guide, set boundaries, provide for, make available to, but not control.

[reAllytee]

If he is happy stick with it !
If your happy stick with it !
Bugger everyone else ! :rolleyes:
Bubs did this for a few months a while back due to a growth spurt & i just fed him i dont care because if he wants it cause he is hungry i give it to him. Just as he went from having the 3 bottles a day back to 4 around that same time & who am i to tell him he couldnt have it !
Oh the joys the joys !
Why oh why dont we get manuals ?!?!?!?!?!?!? :rolleyes: