middle of the night feedings

[j-love]

We are in the process of dropping all night time feedings... Any advice/tips would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

[ra11en]

What is the LO's age?

When I was ready to break my DD's middle of night feedings, I started introducing very diluted juice. She was already on solids, and consistently slept all night with only rare occassions of night wakings. Up until that point, she was about 7 1/2 months old, I resigned myself to giving her her bottles of formula when she did wake up at night. Obviously younger newborns / infants actually need that middle of the night nourishment so it shouldn't be denied.

For about a month I gave her diluted juice which seemed to discourage her from waking for a bottle. Around 9 months I was introducing her to the sippy cup in preparation of transitioning off bottle, so I started only giving her juice in sippy when she woke at night. Then I moved to only water around 10months, also only in a sippy. She wasn't too delighted in the changes, but she quickly adapted. I was lucky.

[j-love]

My baby girl is 6mos. old. She has a 6oz. bottle every 4hrs. or so (with a fruit in the morning and a veggie in the evening). We give her 3oz. of diluted apple/prune juice every day (in sippy cup) for constipation. I know when she wakes up, it is only out of habit. Plus, our Ped. told us to cut them b/c she doesn't need the extra calories (she's a chunky monkey!). But she usually wakes 1-3 times a night wanting a bottle. My sister told me to try giving her water, but she will only take 2oz of water and then want formula. I didn't think to give her juice. It doesn't keep her up or make her hyper at night?

[RImommy]

You could try gradually diluting the formula until it is all water. My son was still not able to go all night without a bottle at 6 months. What time is her last feeding? Maybe you could try pushing that back and then giving increasingly watered down formula.

[j-love]

We have been trying to give her a bottle after her bath (around 8pm), but sometimes she just isn't hungry then. I will tell my hubby about the diluted juice and/or formula and see how that works. I am glad it's a long weekend..lots of time to work on it!! Thanks!!

[ra11en]

How did it go j-love?

No, the diluted juice we gave our DD didn't keep her up or make her hyper. We gave her very diluted v8 fusion which contains no sugar.

[j-love]

Update: We started giving her between 4-6oz a half hour before bed. The first 3 nights she still woke up and whined and tossed and turned for about 2 hours, then went back to sleep. For the past 2 or 3 nights she hasn't woken up at all, and is sleeping in her own room. YAY!!!