Any ideas how to reduce baby's feeds from 7 to 5 gradually?

Question

I am hoping to get him through the night this way. He is 10 weeks old now

Answer 1

The first several answers are right but I have to comment on those that recommend cereal. Cereal is an allergen for babies under 6 months old. Cereal has far less calories than formula or milk and a young baby's system is actually very regulated based on caloric intake...a baby that is given watered down formula will get hungrier often, etc. So giving a baby cereal will not solve a hunger issue but may create an allergy issue. 10 week olds need to be fed on demand. As far as getting your baby through the night, babies at that age will naturally arouse after 4 hours of sleep at night, some babies need to be fed, some do not. Give your baby a FEW minutes to see if he will settle back down to sleep before going to him and feeding.

Answer 2

My opinion is he is too young for you to tell him what he wants...babies know what they need and when they need it. He will lead the way when he is ready to go through the night. If you chose to give him cereal only do it at night, his little tummy is not developed enough to handle cereal.

Your health provider will be the one to give you the best advise...make sure you keep using the same person so they can help you track what has worked and what hasn't.

Go to the website below and ask some questions about sleeping habits when to start them.
when babys may start sleeping through the night
when to start on cereal

Good Luck! As the parent you should be able to know what it right for your baby...make sure you are thinking of the baby and not you!!
Maybe sleeping with the baby(get a cosleeper)
You could get more sleep during the day(naps)

Answer 3

Gee she only asked if she could reduce the number of feedings not the amount the child gets. You can try to reduce feedings and give baby more each time by slowly working his second feeding closer to the third feeding time until the two are one feeding, then do the same with the fifth and sixth feed ing of the day. Then you wil have the baby down to 5 daily feedings but stil the same amount of food each day. I said the second and third because most babies want food first thing and no waiting when they wake up. Then the fifth and sixth as these would likely be in the evening when you can drag it out a bit.

Answer 4

Some babies will begin to sleep through the night at your son's age, but most do not. He will probably not be ready to sleep longer at night until he is 3-6 months old and perhaps even older. You can encourage longer sleeping periods at night by waiting to go to him in the middle of the night. If he is just rustling around and making whimpers, don't rush to him immediately. Let him try to settle back into sleep himself. Even when he does cry, wait a minute or 2 before going to him. At night, make your contact with him very perfunctory. Only turn on enough light to see by. Take care of business quickly, change his diaper and give him his bottle or his nursing with little talking. During the day, do not let him sleep longer than 4 hours at a stretch. Get him up from his crib, undress him a little, rub his feet, sing and talk to him. Even if he does not wake up fully, his deep sleep will be disrupted a little. Let daytime be full of regular activity such as watch TV, listen to the radio, run the vacuum, let visitors come and hold him. Reducing the number of times he eats will only make him wake up at night since he will get hungry.

Answer 5

If you start ensuring that any feeds in the night are quick, quiet, with minimal fuss or eye-contact and no stimulation (no nappy change if you can help it), he will soon learn that daytime is for being awake, and waking in the night doesn't get him the cuddles and fusses that he enjoys during the day. Slowly, and in his own time, he'll sleep for longer stretches.

You could also try dreamfeeding last thing before you go to bed, about 10.30/11ish. You can gently pick him up without waking him, and feed him. He will feed in his sleep, he should only need gentle winding because he'll be so relaxed, and he is getting in a habit of not waking up. Hopefully when he has his long stretech of unbroken sleep it will be after that!

Although you can encourage good night-time habits, you can't MAKE a baby sleep through. If you can accept the night feeds, you'll start to feel much better about them. Honest!

Answer 6

Sorry, but he is much too young to wean off nightime feedings. Feed him more often now and he will be more secure and happy later. Sleep deprivation sucks but it is best for the baby if he eats when he needs to now. Some babies sleep all night at three months old, most babies need to have at least one feeding at night until they are nearer to six months old. This is one of the first but certainly not the last time you will need to let the baby's needs dictate the family's schedule and will have to put aside the thought of sleeping blissfully through the night for awhile longer. Chin up, he won't nurse in the middle of the night when he is ten years old, so it will end in time.

Answer 7

Buy the book "On Becoming Babywise." It's an absolute lifesaver with all the information on getting a baby to sleep through the night, but still have enough to eat and gain weight. Used it for my first son and he was sleeping through the night (10pm-7am) at 13 weeks. Our daughter is now 8 weeks old and she is going from 11pm-6am and hopefully will stretch a bit farther over the next couple of weeks. You are perfectly reasonable in assuming that a 10 week old should be able to get closer to the goal of sleeping through the night. Trust me on this one and get the book TODAY!

Answer 8

He's too young to reduce the feeds....the best thing to do is talk to your health visitor...and DONT feed him cereal in his milk until hes 5 months old....anytime before that is not good for a baby....you will get him thru the night in the next few months or so but dont rush just wait and see what happens....but please dont reduce just yet...or go and get a professional oppinion on your baby - its the best way all round...take care and good luck! x

Answer 9

try and do it as breakfast dinner and tea for 3 of them another as mid morning and the other just before you go to bed that way he shouldn't wake up in the night carry this one and gradually as youre weaning him when he gets to 3/4 months start reducing 5 bottles to 4 etc if you're really stuck though your health visitor should be able to help good luck xx

Answer 10

A 10 week old should not be sleeping through the night. He NEEDS to be waking and eating frequently. Remember that his little tummy is only the size of his tiny fist. And he is working hard to double his birthweight by 6 mos of age. Imagine if you had to double your weight that fast! You'd be eating around the clock too.