There's no hurry to phase out night feeds. You can choose what works best for you and your child. For breastfed children, night weaning might be an option from 12 months. For formula-fed children, you can consider phasing out night feeds from 6 months.
Stopping breastfeeding at night
You may decide that you are happy with breastfeeding back to sleep, but you are feeling pressured by others' expectations about what your baby 'should' be doing. Some books suggest that after six months babies no longer need night feeds.
Many young babies will continue to wake to feed at least one to three times throughout the night, which is entirely normal up to one year of age. Once your baby has reached the milestone age (depending on how they're fed), you can begin to wean their night feeds.
Gradually reduce the length of your overnight nursing sessions. If you are awakened like clockwork at the same two or three times every night or early morning to feed your little one, you can gradually start to reduce the amount of time spent during each of these overnight feedings.
Many toddlers continue to enjoy milk as part of their bedtime routine for a long time! It can be a great way to unwind at the end of a busy day, and is a strong cue that it's time for sleeping. Plus warm milk is well-known for helping people of all ages become sleepy!
To feed or not to feed in the middle of the night – that is the question. Experts agree that if your baby is younger than 6 months old, it's developmentally appropriate to feed them when they wake up hungry at night. But once they're past the 6-month mark, you can skip the midnight snack(s).
It is fine to include milk as part of your toddler's bedtime routine. It can be a great way of creating a 'count' down to bed time and many toddlers look forward to their milk before bed. In fact, many children have milk before bed for many years to come and that is absolutely fine.
Here's how: Reduce the volume of milk by 20-30 ml every second night. For example, if your baby usually drinks 180 ml, you would give 150 ml for 2 nights, then 120 ml for the next 2 nights, and so on. Re-settle your baby after each smaller feed with the settling techniques of your choice.
Start the night weaning process slowly and gradually.
Nurse your baby for a shorter period of time on each breast or give them a smaller amount of breast milk or formula in their bottle when they wake at night. Try to prolong the intervals between feedings by patting and comforting your baby back to sleep.
If you are bottle-feeding, consider giving your baby a bottle of water instead of formula at night. All babies (and adults) wake up at night. Babies may make noise or squirm, but they need an opportunity to help themselves fall back asleep.
This depends on your individual child's needs. It's common to see partial night weaning begin after the newborn period or around 4 months. The average age for night weaning is 6 - 8 months [3]. Very few babies continue to need night feedings after 12 months.
It's possible. Some babies do naturally stop eating at night, while others need a bit of help. Important Note: For babies 3 months and younger (who are staying on their growth curve), you can typically allow one longer stretch of sleep in the night.
Sometimes your toddler may go through phases of increased night nursing. Common reasons for increased night breastfeeding in toddlers include teething, decreased breastfeeding during the day because of distraction, developmental advances and reconnecting with mom.
'It's really normal for babies to wake lots in the night to feed in the early weeks and months. This is part of newborn behaviour that ensures they get enough milk but also to keep them safe. '
Distraction and postponement
Often they will accept a change like this quite easily, especially if you're consistent – perhaps by saying 'when we get home' or 'at bedtime'. You may be able to distract your toddler with an offer of an exciting activity like a trip to the park instead of a breastfeed.
Kids should drink milk in the morning, at the beginning of the day, and in the evening, before sleep, to maximize height growth. Drinking milk in the morning gives kids sufficient calories and nutritions (calcium, phosphorus & other minerals, and essential vitamins such as vitamin D).
Reasons babies wake at night
Nearly all babies know intuitively how much nursing they need for nourishment and for comfort. Remember that at this young age, babies' wants are the same as their needs. So when your baby awakens to nurse at night, respect his judgment. He really needs this feeding.
Lying down position is okay to get started with breastfeeding but just might turn fatal for the baby, as there are chances that milk may get absorbed into the lungs. Secondly, it may also increase the risk of ear infection in the baby, if the milk spills from the mouth and reached the ears.
Studies show that the majority of babies are still waking one or two times a night at 6-12 months of age regardless of whether they are breastfed or formula fed. In our practice as lactation consultants working with nursing babies young and old, many start sleeping through the night around 9 months.