Advice on Night Weaning My 6 Month Old

Weaning a baby, will not suddenly make a baby sleep all night.

Our Pediatrician says to feed on-demand for the 1st year....and that breastmilk/Formula was a baby's PRIMARY source of nutrition... NOT solids and NOT other liquids. That is what I did with both my kids.

Next, 6 months old is a Growth-spurt time... in which their intake needs increases and they get hungrier and need to feed... so that their intake keeps pace WITH their development.

And no, I do not agree with your Ped saying that a baby "should" be able to sleep all night without feeding. That is not correct, and especially if a baby is going through a growth-spurt... which occurs every 3 months or so. AND, all babies have different appetites, daily. My kids had ginormous appetites and grew like weeds... and they needed feedings and were literally hungry.

It is not creating a "habit." A baby needs what it needs, and if hungry and growing.

Next, a baby often starts teething at 6 months. So that can wake them too.

And, at 6 months, it is ALSO a time where they are changing developmentally and hitting milestones, and THIS can tweak their sleep too.

So MANY things going on, for the baby, at the same time. It not being easy for a baby.

Sleeping "through the night" for a baby, means sleeping 5-6 hours straight. Each baby being different.

I would not "wean" a baby, when they are going through a growth-spurt. It is not the right timing. AND at this age, they also start "separation-anxiety." Which is when my kids as babies started.

Your baby is normal.

This is also according to our Pediatrician.

Also, a parent's snoring can also wake a baby, too.

All the best,
Susan

I have a two year old that still wakes up to nurse about two times a night. I feel your pain, my issue is that my son is still in our room, and I am trying not to wake dad who is going to work and school.There are times they are hungry or maybe just need us for comfort.
If this is a big issue for you I would talk to someone at La Leche League for some ideas. They always seem to have good ideas when it comes to nursing issues. There is no right or wrong way to do this, you have to decide what is right for you, and what feels comfortable.

S.H. gave you some Great advice! Also night weaning can make your milk supply drop.
My girls all woke to nurse until they were over a year. It was alot easier to nurse them for 5 to 10 min than to try other ways to get them back to sleep.

S.H. said everything I would have said!! I BF both of my children through the night till they weaned from nursing completely. My oldest is now 4yrs old and has just recently stopped getting up at night to eat. I didn't set her up for a bad habit, she was just litterally hungry. She's very active and just couldn't get through the night without more calories.

ok , he's only 6 months old and he will have growth spurts where he needs to eat at night.
I fed both of mine at night until they were a year old. Not every night. There is so much going on in their little lives that their schedules will constantly change, just when you think you've got it figured out they start teething, or working on a milestone, or a growth spurt and it changes again.
go pick up the book " no cry sleep solution " by elizabeth pantley , she's a mom with 5 kids.
Peds do mean well but aren't experts on everything baby related, only you his mom know best.
Pick up this book written by another mom.

Try to listen better to his fussing. It took me a while but I finally figured out what was a cry for eating and one for just comfort. There were many nights I just held my daughter and rocked her with no feeding. She just wanted to be comforted and reassured. I also agree with one of the other posts to put something in the crib for him to cuddle with. A small blanket or stuffed animal. My daughter has a small taggie blanket that she can't go without.
But to answer you questions I stopped feeding her on a regular basis at night around 8-9mo there were occassions when she needing extra at night but not very often. I would maybe try to cut out the 12am feeding first and just try to soothe him. If he is not outright crying I would let him be and see if he puts himself back to sleep. Also try to get your husband to help out if you can.

Hi M. - I remember my husband getting really frustrated by our kids not "sleeping through the night". I had to explain to him that for a 6 month old, sleeping through the night is 5 or 6 hours.

Your son sounds like he is right on track and acting perfectly normal. An easy way to tell when they are ready to go longer between feedings is if he nurses for a couple of minutes and then falls back to sleep. If he is taking in more than that and feeding strongly during those midnight and early AM feedings, then he is genuinely hungry.

Also, if he is just making noises and isnt really hungry, then allowing him the time he needs to go to sleep on his own is good for him. He is at the age where he is becoming more aware of his surroundings so try putting a couple of little stuffed animals or a soft toy or book in his crib to play with when he wakes up in the night. If he is fine without a binky, then I personally wouldnt train him to need one. I understand how it is being a light sleeper so try closing the door to the nursery or your bedroom door to muffle some of the sound? We used a monitor and I would put the volume down low and could tell by the lights how loud he was getting.