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your experience of weaning/night weaning pls..

Hello, it's been a while since I've been on here but I'm sure it's the right place for some guidance!



My DS is almost 11months, and still feeding lots, day AND night. daytime I don't mind too much, but the night feeds are a pain, though probably my own fault because I got him into the habbit of feeding as soon as he woke up, after which he'd go straight back to sleep. when I'm at work he takes bottles fine for other people.



It's getting knackering, and I know it's completely unnecessary for him to still feed at night, it's just a habit/comfort thing (even though he does take quite a lot of milk at these feeds) and he's on 3 solid meals plus snacks, eats tonnes so not worried on that front.



I tried one night last week to settle him with no feed and it was HELLISH! He screamed blue murder for well over an hour before I caved in image



I really want to wean him but what should I expect? how long should it take for him to get used to it?

I guess I should offer a drink of water incase he's thirsty? Also we are squeezed into a small flat (moving soon, phew!) so his cot is by my bedside, this doesnt make things simple really.



I'm getting myself worked up thinking about it, thinking will he ever wean, and feeling dreadful that I'm not giving him his comfort....HELP!!

Replies

  • I can't offer you any personal experience because my daughter stopped her night feeds by 9 weeks (very lucky!) However, the advice that was given to us at the post natal weaning group was to offer only water if they wake in the night between midnight and 6am after 6 months as they do not need night feeds. Apparantely they will soon get bored of waking for it and stop. I would say persist you will get a few hellish nights but everytime you give in it makes that hellish hour a complete waste of time. HV told me that 3 seems to be the magic number with babies, it can take 3 nights or 3 weeks but it seems to be that 3 is the number. I did CC (no lectures please I made this decision for me and my baby with all the facts and I do not want to change this thread to a CC discussion) my daughter and she responded with in a few days, it is actually amazing how fast they pick it up. Also speak to your HV I know some are utterly pants we are lucky to have a few good ones in our area and they will help you with this in your home if you need it xx good luck xx
  • Thanks for replying socks, really interesting to hear about the magic number 3, I did CC with Fin to get him to self settle to sleep in his cot for naps and bedtime, and as it happens I think it was after 3 nights he cracked it.



    You're definately right about persisting, otherwise you're letting them cry for nothing.



    Last night I went for it head on, it was not nice, but more bearable than I'd expected. My plan was no feeds between 11pm and 5am, gradually I will extend this. He went down 6.15pm, woke up 11.15, he cried for about 10mins then was happy with cuddles, shushing, patting etc thought it did take TWO hours for him to finally go back to sleep, he just seemed so awake and unsettled. He then woke at 3.30am, screamed, very dramatically for 30mins, then flopped down and went to sleep until 5.20am - where I fed him, he nodded off again until 6.45am.



    Roll on round two tonight, I wonder how it will go?
  • That is brilliant well done! Hopefully your little one will improve and you will get your nights back in no time xx
  • my ds is 8months he stopped sleeping through the night at4 months, and at 5.5 months i started weaning and hoped that this would put an end to the night feeds, but here iam still doing it!

    he would wake once at 3am 6 minute feed and back into bed still awake and settle down.

    i decided at the weekend that enough is enough! ive upped his food amount and decided im going to stop feeding him at night.



    last night was night 1, he woke at 3am and i did pu/pd a few cuddles, offered him water in a cup, which he took a couple of times, and finally got him to sleep at 0415. he didnt scream constantly just some tears for a minute when put back down in the cot, ikept on thinking right just put him on the boob ive had enough but i had to just remember that hopefully in a few days, a week it will be sorted.



    so im going to continue with this this week, and fingers crossed, keep posting so we can see what your going through please, alot of my mates who are bf, think im a tough love mummy by doing this but hey he doesnt need it and i need my sleep more esp when returning to work!
  • hi hunny,



    i stopped feeding at night time at about 8 months,



    she eventually realised it was comfort and a hug would suffice.



    is bubs having a good boob before bed? can u dream feed before u go to bed so bubs is full for the night?
  • well its night 4 and seems to be ok, he is sleeping 7pm-5am now then waking up and its taken me an hour to get him back to sleep, he isnt really crying just awake, hubbie has been doing some 12 hour shifts the last few nights so rocked him more than i should be doing, might leave him in his cot tonight for longer before picking him up.
  • We have recently had to go through this, LO was waking at 11pm, 3am and then any time between 5-7am, following advice we decided to not offer boob if she woke before midnight, the first night i tried to resettle for 40 minutes but had no luck and gave in and fed as it had gone midnight by this point, the second night she was happy with a cuddle and the 3rd night she thankfully didnt wake before midnight at all. the 3am feed in a bizzarre way dropped itself as after nearly 5 months of trying we finally got LO to take a bottle of formula during the day and we found that 3 meals (inc 2 yoghurts) and a 5oz bottle was enough to see her through the night, she woke up randomly last night at 1.30am and i felt that because she had previously slept through on the same amount of food there was no reason for her to be waking, so amazingly she resettled after a cuddle! I think it is a lot about having the confidence to know that they dont need a feed and then they dont pick up on the signals from you that you are anxious about it
  • well it definately went alot smoother than i expected, he has now slept 7-7 for 4 nights so touch wood we may have this sorted. he really didnt make a fuss at all at not going on the boob and stopped wakening, if he did wake at the start i would cuddle him standing up, as i though that if i went into the nursing chair then he would kick off for a feed.



    Im confident that he ovbiously isnt needing those feeds esp as afer 3 nights he was sleeping through.
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