how to wean your child from feeding in the middle of the night?

Answer 1

do you mean b'feeding? bottle?
how old is the baby?
why do you want to wean @ nights?
what if you get hungry during the night??do you get up & get a bite to eat?
why should your baby (with a stomach the size of their fist) be FORCED to go hungry ?

CIO (cry it out) is a horrible way to wean.
that is so mean.....why would you want to put you baby thru that trauma of taking away something that makes them feel good?
you might just have to tough it out !!
you are the adult that brought the baby here & you need to be there for them.
babies &7 their needs should NEVER be an inconvenience.
you shoild look up some attached parenting or natural parenting sites, Dr Sears & Dr Fleiss (yes Heidi's dad) have great info
DON"T make your baby cry for hours all alone & never getting comfort

Answer 2

Your child is ready for weaning if s/he eats for a very short amount of time (not when s/he reaches a certain age). That shows that s/he is waking up from habit rather than needing to eat. But you need to wait until s/he is at that point, otherwise weaning won't work. Some bottle feeders find that replacing formula with water works... the baby doesn't want water and goes to sleep.

I breast feed, so when my son started to wean himself off night feeding, I gave him a pacifier without taking him out of bed. Usually he would spit it out in a few minutes anyway and just go to sleep. You might need to pick your baby up at first, but you want to get to the point where you can comfort him/her without moving him/her from their bed. Eventually, your baby will stop waking up all together.

Answer 3

You don't wean your child from feeding in the middle of the night. He/She will stop on his/her own. Once they're about 6-8 mos. old, they'll start sleeping through the whole night. Babies let you know when they're wet, hungry, not feeling well, or whatever in their own way. You just have to learn to sleep when he/she's sleeping, and get more rest during the day so you'll be ready to get up when he/she's ready. It's just something mom's have to do...

Answer 4

It all depends on the age of the baby. If the baby is a newborn--0 to 6 months--he/she needs to be fed when he/she wants to eat, BUT there are ways to make sure the baby begins to understand that night-time is for sleeping.

First, make sure all physical needs are taken care of. Send your baby off to dreamland fully prepared for a full night's worth of comfort. That means a satisfied stomach, fresh diaper, clean clothes and maybe a bath, not to hot or too cold for room temp, and quiet environment, and make sure you're putting him/her to bed at the same time every night. You'll thank yourself if you do this now because later, when it's time for bed, your little toddler and preschooler will know the signs which mean bedtime...

BUT, if your baby is getting older (beyond six months) and still won't sleep through the night, it's time to ask yourself if he/she is starting an unhealthy routine. Then, it's time to say okay, you may have to just deal with thinking you need to eat in the middle of the night.
Follow all the same steps as before, but now, if/when your baby wakes up, allow him/her to cry for a few minutes before you go to pick him up. You can try letting her cry for five minutes for a few nights, and see if she stops. Go to her if she cries for five minutes, and at this point, see if it is something else that she needs or if it really is food that she wants. If she really wants food, feed her. The next week, try it for ten minutes, and keep repeating all the steps. You can increase it by small increments until she isn't waking up in the middle of the night.

Be aware that for some babies, they just want to know that mom is there when they cry, it's not even a need for food. It could be a dirty diaper. It could be a bad dream! If your baby is thriving, chubby, and healthy, there is no reason to assume that he/she can't get through the night without eating. Think of it--you're talking to other moms whose babies look healthy and happy, and whose babies are sleeping through the night. Your baby will not starve. You'll make sure of that.

Answer 5

try and give your baby a bigger bottle at night (right before bed) than his/her other bottles that are durign the day. when they wake up at night let them cry a little bit adn then try cuddling and rocking them back to sleep maybe give them their pacifier. if they still cry give them their feeding. never starve them but try this for awhile until they are able to sleep through. if they are about 3 months put a tiny bit of cereal in their last nighttime bottle. if they are more full they'll sleep better and longer. always try the other methods first before going straight to feeding cause u might be putting them on a cycle that wont break. this all worked for me my son slept through the night at 4 months and has since hes now 15 months!

Answer 6

If your baby is eating solids maybe you could feed the baby right before bed fill the baby's tummy up and see if the baby still wakes up at night if so the baby might not be ready to take that transition yet.~GOOD LUCK~

Answer 7

Your child will let you know if they are hungry. When they are fully satisfied, when their stomachs get bigger, they will be able to go longer. Also it depends on if you breast or bottle feed. Babies digest breast milk quicker leaving them hungry sooner than formula fed babies. My baby is 5 1/2 months old and I breastfeed, I would never let him cry himself back to sleep if I truly thought he was hungry. You can try to pat his back and soothe him, make sure he is not wet, if these do not stop the crying, chances are he is either hungry or has gas. If you suspect gas, wrap your hands gently around thighs and push knees toward stomach and gently roll baby from side to side, if it is just gas they will normally pass it and fall back to sleep. Good luck.

Answer 8

I just let my son be. If he is hungry in the middle of the night I feed him.

Answer 9

If the baby is hungry during the night, it should be fed, not weaned.

Answer 10

stop feeding them in the middle of the night. they will get over it.