nightweaning - all night, or just restricted hours?

[sillysmile]

Hello,

From those who have successfully nightweaned, did you find it more helpful to go partway (e.g. nothing between 11pm-6am), or all the way (e.g. nothing all night long)?

Some background.. We're trying to nightwean our co-sleeping, bottle-fed 19-month old to cut down on the wakings (5-6x/night). I would love to just get rid of bottles in the middle of the night, but am worried that she's just going to be too hungry if we expect her to go a full 10 hours without eating anything.

Yet it feels inconsistent (and sort of mean) to give her bottles at some times and not others, and harder for her to figure out the "rules" vs. just "no bottles anymore" at night.

I would love any thoughts on this. Thanks!!

[sunnygir1]

I night weaned dd around 17 or 18 months, and she did fine. I think your lo is old enough to understand enough of what you say to do it too.

I started with no nursing midnight-5am, then bedtime-5am, then bedtime-wake up time (7 or 7:30).

I talked to her about what I was going to do before I started, then I talked to her about it while it was happening. She was so sad the first night or two, but I snuggled her back to sleep and she got used to it pretty quickly.

I think I gave her food before bed too, to help her not be hungry. But I KNEW she could go 5 hours without nursing/being too hungry. I also offered her water from an open cup when she woke up.

[D_McG]

With DS I eased into it. The first week I'd let him nurse when I went to bed and then the second week I said no more at all overnight.

With DD I cut it all out at the same time. I offered water to both of them but neither took it. With each it just took a couple of nights. GL!

[dosergirl]

We too are about to do this, DD turns 1 in a month and I think it is time for night weaning.

Sunnygrl1 you said you gave food before bed so she wouldn't be as hungry, just wondering what you gave her.

Also what time is bedtime for all of you, DD goes to sleep around8-830 and wakes around 930 to eat before going to sleep for a longer stretch.

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by dosergirl

We too are about to do this, DD turns 1 in a month and I think it is time for night weaning.

Sunnygrl1 you said you gave food before bed so she wouldn't be as hungry, just wondering what you gave her.

Also what time is bedtime for all of you, DD goes to sleep around8-830 and wakes around 930 to eat before going to sleep for a longer stretch.

Usually a chunk of plain rice cake, a few sesame rice crackers, some plain yogurt, green beans, or something like that. No sweets, although I think I would occasionally give her a chunk of apple or some applesauce. (She was older than your dd, though, 17-18 months)

Bedtime is 7:30 here now, but I think it was later then, 8:30 or 9, I guess.

[sillysmile]

Thanks for your input, everyone - I really appreciate it!

Just to give an update, we've been cutting down the nighttime bottles gradually over the past week (from 4 oz each to 1.5 oz each), and last night I finally bit the bullet and just offered water every time she woke.

While we were cutting down the bottles she had a few rough nights.. awake for a few hours each night and difficulty getting back to sleep, but very little crying

Anyway, last night went surprisingly well - she woke a few times, but was resettled pretty easily with just water. She's 19.5 months old, and that's definitely the first night that she's gone all night (i.e. 10 hours) without milk.

Hopefully tonight will go as well as last night

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by sillysmile

Thanks for your input, everyone - I really appreciate it!

Just to give an update, we've been cutting down the nighttime bottles gradually over the past week (from 4 oz each to 1.5 oz each), and last night I finally bit the bullet and just offered water every time she woke.

While we were cutting down the bottles she had a few rough nights.. awake for a few hours each night and difficulty getting back to sleep, but very little crying

Anyway, last night went surprisingly well - she woke a few times, but was resettled pretty easily with just water. She's 19.5 months old, and that's definitely the first night that she's gone all night (i.e. 10 hours) without milk.

Hopefully tonight will go as well as last night

Just curious. Will this somehow lead to you not getting up to give a bottle in the night? I've never bottle fed, so I don't know, but I purposefully gave dd water in an open cup because I didn't want to be nursing her all night and I didn't want to switch to a bottle for night either.

[Xerxella]

We let each kid keep a sippy cup of water in bed with them. (They're each in their own beds.) I notice they each drink a little at some point. I figure some people keep a cup of water next to their bed, so what's the difference.

But, it sounds like it's going well for you. Good luck!

[Ks Mama]

Originally Posted by sillysmile

I would love to just get rid of bottles in the middle of the night, but am worried that she's just going to be too hungry if we expect her to go a full 10 hours without eating anything.
...
I would love any thoughts on this. Thanks!!

No, I don't think you can expect her to go 10 hours without eating... or even 10 hours of straight sleeping, period. Heck, I couldn't do that myself! I mean, I'd LIKE to, but...

I night weaned both of my kids right around the 2 yr mark, though we'd made some other nighttime sleeping routine changes before then.
Helping her establish a different sleep association - one of her choosing (or one you help her pick) can really help. That way, every waking & back to sleep doesn't have to be about milk, so when you do decide to reduce the amt of milk at night, its easier since she'll have alternatives.

I actually just wrote a (long winded!) post about the details, if you're interested!!http://www.kellynaturally.com/post/N...htweaning.aspx

Hope it helps you!!

[sillysmile]

Ks mama - thank you for the excellent post on your blog! DD was a very high needs baby and also still relies heavily on motion to get to sleep, so we will be using many of your tips. Glad to hear that an incremental approach worked for you (we like incremental changes

On question for you though..

Originally Posted by Ks Mama

No, I don't think you can expect her to go 10 hours without eating...

Do you think that most 19-month olds still need to eat during the night? I would honestly be ok with one or even two nighttime feedings, but it feels inconsistent/confusing to allow a bottle at some times and not others.

My DD would drink a few ounces every 1-2 hrs all night long (and have zero daytime appetite) if we continued to feed 100% on demand.. but I strongly suspect that part of the reason for this is that she has a strong "sucking-to-sleep" association, and really takes in more calories at night than she needs at this age.

I'm guessing that BF babies are less prone to overeating at night when fed on demand, just due to the differences between BM and formula and the flow of the bottle.

[sillysmile]

Originally Posted by sunnygir1

Just curious. Will this somehow lead to you not getting up to give a bottle in the night? I've never bottle fed, so I don't know, but I purposefully gave dd water in an open cup because I didn't want to be nursing her all night and I didn't want to switch to a bottle for night either.

I don't mind getting up once or twice during the night if DD is genuinely thirsty.. I'm more concerned about the sleep association where she's dependent on the bottle to get back to sleep (6+ times/night). She's also used to eating a lot at night, so I'm tackling it in two stages... first dilute the bottles until they're water, then change from a water bottle to an open cup. Does that make sense?

[sunnygir1]

Yep. So much to learn!

[Ks Mama]

Originally Posted by sillysmile

On question for you though..

Do you think that most 19-month olds still need to eat during the night? I would honestly be ok with one or even two nighttime feedings, but it feels inconsistent/confusing to allow a bottle at some times and not others.

My DD would drink a few ounces every 1-2 hrs all night long (and have zero daytime appetite) if we continued to feed 100% on demand.. but I strongly suspect that part of the reason for this is that she has a strong "sucking-to-sleep" association, and really takes in more calories at night than she needs at this age.

I'm guessing that BF babies are less prone to overeating at night when fed on demand, just due to the differences between BM and formula and the flow of the bottle.

No, I don't think that most need to nurse frequently through the night - in terms of needing the all night nutrition at that age. But I still think 10 hours is a long stretch to go without waking.
I also agree with your differentiation between breastfed & formula/bottle fed at night... so I'm wondering, do you think if you started "watering down" baby's bottle at night, it might be helpful? She might not need the FOOD, but she certainly can still need the sucking & comfort she gets from the bottle. Try adding a little more water a little less formula each night until its only water...

[ktmama]

I'm in the first stage of nightweaning my almost 15 mo ds. We started about three weeks ago. He has woken up forever at the three hour mark (roughly about 10:00) and I decided to keep that nursing. Then I go to bed and he usually sleeps until 5:00! If he wakes before that, I don't nurse him, but I (or dh) do pick him up (if he wants) and will rock him back to sleep. Sometimes he just wants his paci. Right now I'm happy with him sleeping 7 hours straight. For us this is REAL progress!