night feed

qwertytlk

Hi, my son is 13weeks, he is taking 7oz bottles every 4.5-5 hours. He usually sleeps from about 9pm untill between 2-4am when he takes about 3 or 4oz bottle, then he goes back to sleep untill 7.30. When a couple of my partners sisters who have kids asked about his night feed they were shocked i was still feeding him at night and said i should 'fool' him with a bottle of water at night and eventually he would stop waking up. Just wondering is this a normal thing to do, especially for such a young baby. Or will he just stop waking up himself,without this water trick? I thought he was doing a great job of sleeping at night etc. He is our first so its a learning curve for us. Opinions plesase.

How Strange

Lordy lord! I breastfeed so my son has a 24 hour open bar but even with formula fed babies who are full for longer I think if they're that young and waking up for a feed then just feed them. He's only 3 months old. There'll be plenty of time to wean him off night feeds but he's still only a little baby.

edellc

seriously stop listening to your relatives mine where the same and it messes with your head so stop

firstly every baby is different I too breastfeed but cheated as my baba did get bottles too as he was a hungry little hippo and he woke up every night to have a nappy change and bottle and guess what he is 13mths and I have only gotten him to stop in the last week (gave up the breastfeeding at 6mths and he was weaned fully onto bottles and solids then)

When my not so little one did wake up I always offered water first as you know yourself that you may be thirsty not hungry but always offered the bottle/breast after the water as just offering water and then putting them back down can lead to numerous trips up and down the stairs for you as baba may genuinely actually be hungry

At three months it is perfectly natural for them to wake up hungry so baba and you are doing exactly what should be done

Moonbeam

aww, if he is hungry feed him:)
Mine both slept through the night quite early but that wasn't due to anything that I did.

mrsberries

You got to love the family advice!! My family kept telling my baba was starving and I was underfeeding her, and now they keep on commenting what a pudding she is! Honest to god, just ignore. Parents really do know best.

I combo fed mine. Ater trying a few different things I started to feed her every 3 hours during the day, with the last feed (at 11pm) being a couple of extra ounces. She started to sleep through the night then from 9 weeks. Now shes totally regressed and at 5 months Im as tired as I was at 5 weeks Best of luck with it all

Cat Melodeon

His tummy is only tiny at 3 months and if he's waking up hungry, feed him, don't try 'tricking' him, you'll all end up miserable. One night feed at 3 months is pretty good going, I think my lad was waking twice until he was 5 months (breastfed) but as we were cosleeping it really didn't faze me. He's been a brilliant sleeper since he turned 1, but we really didn't try too hard before that as we were all happy with how things were.

As everyone else has said - your baby, your call, don't mind anyone else and their 'shock' (I mean like omg, you feed your baby??? at night???!). Some folks would have you believe that their babies slept through the night from when they were a week old, never ever cried and were eating 4 meals a day with a knife and fork from the time they were 3 months old. Rubbish, all of it!

egan2020

My daughter is 19 weeks today and she was on exactly the same schedule as your son when she was 13 weeks. When she was 17 weeks, she started sleeping from about 9 until 5 a.m. at which stage she would drink about 2-3 oz and go back until 7.30. Last night, she woke about 5.30. and I decided to wait it out a bit until she was crying properly. It didn't get this far and she settled herself back to sleep after about 10 minutes and woke at 7.30.

qwertytlk

Hahaha thanks guys... So you didnt all fall off your computer chairs with shock at this night feed. Thats good. Think il just pretend to them next time they ask cos it just starts a big debate that i couldnt be arsed with tbh. Thanks. P.s just thinkking that when he starts on solids in a few weeks that he may be fuller longer an not need night feed. Either way i dont care, i think were all doing pretty good considering i had practically no time to prepare or get used to it all(only found out i was preg at 24 weeks!)

tupoftea

Firstly congratulations. Just take it as it comes, babies decide when and if they are ready to sleep through. My son is 7 months now and he is eating solids and has gone off bottle a bit during the day because of this so now we are getting up again at night because he is thirsty and wants a bottle then. Have tried to regulate the amount of solids versus bottle but little man has his own ideas. If my family asks I say he is doing great;) no need to draw peoples opinions on you, even if they mean the best. All these people who have these miracle babies who sleep through so early are very lucky and the rareity I would say. Enjoy every minute!

mrsberries

qwertytlk wrote: »

(only found out i was preg at 24 weeks!)

Janey MAC :eek::eek::eek: That must have been some shock!!!!

qwertytlk

Lol mrsberries! It sure was. And i only found out by fluke, i genuinely had no idea so if it had of been up to me i wouldnt have even done a test at the time i did. Then to find out i was 6months... Literally couldnt believe it. And still didnt untill he was born.

patsy.maneva

Hi,he is only a small baby and it is too early to stop the night feed.Generaly kids just grow out of it themselves at different age.I do not approve the water trick myself.My daughter was born a very small baby and she woke up until 1 year during the night for a feed.Than she just gave up herself.I hope this helps.

elaney

My fella was a year before he stopped looking for a bottle at night too.
I tried the water trick on a couple of occassions but he would only wake
an hour or so later. Some babies are more hungry than others. He will sleep when he is ready.:)

qwertytlk

Thanks for all the replies. I wass quite happy with the way things were,untill the other halfs family decided to be so shocked but now so from what iv read here, im back to being happy with the night feed again. Just wondering,at this age should i be offering him some cooled water as a drink between feeds? It just occured to me as one of the repies said something about him possibly being thirsty. Im not talking at night, but just in general?

Hannibal Smith

qwertytlk wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. I wass quite happy with the way things were,untill the other halfs family decided to be so shocked but now so from what iv read here, im back to being happy with the night feed again. Just wondering,at this age should i be offering him some cooled water as a drink between feeds? It just occured to me as one of the repies said something about him possibly being thirsty. Im not talking at night, but just in general?

my family used to comment on how we fed my son. He is our first, was slightly jaundiced so we fed him every 3 hours, as per the hospital instructions...we used to wake him to be fed Anyhow, once we got established family hounded us till we knocked out the 3am feed...as soon as that was gone, they hounded to knock out the 11pm feed, at which point I told them I'd knock it out when I felt my son was ready for it to go and not when other people decided he was ready. That shut them up

So do whatever works for you!

mrsberries

qwertytlk wrote: »

It just occured to me as one of the repies said something about him possibly being thirsty. Im not talking at night, but just in general?

The guidelines say the milk should be sufficient for thirst up to 6 months. My understanding is you may bring in some water when solids are introduced and they take a little less milk.

However my mother and mother in law are always mentioning I should give her water. I smile and nod but I only take instruction from my doctor/health nurse

qwertytlk

Lol mrsberries, i know what u mean... I have a few things i want to ask the phn about but she still hasnt got back to me about 3month check. Il keep things as they are untill i see her anyway. Thanks:)

How Strange

Yes the recommendations from those health professionals with breastfeeding knowledge is that breastmilk alone is sufficient. There's no need for water. I brought my son to France this summer and even in mid 30oc heat breastmilk was enough. He had plenty of wet nappies and was always bright and alert.

Sometimes, especially when it comes to breastfeeding, even the health care professionals give conflicting and inaccurate advice.

egan2020

At the three month check up, my PHN told me that it was okay to give bottle fed babies an ounce of water a day but I don't think this had anything to do with thirst, it was more to do in case the baby didn't have a dirty nappy every day.