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One of the most common and tiresome things in early parenthood is nighttime feeding. The expected biological process during the newborn stage is to wake up and feed every few hours. However, over time, even months, and even lack of sleep, the question that many parents are starting to ask themselves is: When to stop night feeds?
What Is Night Weaning?
In particular, night weaning is the process of minimizing or stopping the milk consumption during the periods of night sleep. It is not to quit breastfeeding or deprive your infant of comfort, or say that your baby does not need you. Rather, night weaning slowly adjusts calories consumption to be consumed during the day when a child can fulfill their nutritional requirements without the need to have nourishment at night.
One should realize that night weaning is not the same as full weaning and sleep training. Full weaning means the end of breastfeeding or formula feeding. Sleep training is aimed at teaching self-sleep abilities. Night weaning is aimed at the nutritional aspect of night awakening.
Other families do not distinguish between night weaning and sleep training, whereas others choose to separate the two. They both may be effective, based on the temperament of your baby and how you parent them.
Why Night Feeds Happen
In order to know when to cease the night feeds, it is best to know why babies wake up during the night in the first place.
During the initial months, night-time feeding is biological. Breast milk digests fast, thus breastfed babies might wake up more frequently than formula-fed babies. Night waking may also briefly be increased because of growth spurts and developmental leaps.
When the babies are nearly in the second half of the first year, the cause of the waking might change. Waking up may be associated with changes in the sleep cycles, rather than with hunger. Infants switch between light and deep sleep more often than adults. When feeding is their preferred method of falling asleep, they may request it again with every change of cycle.
They are also influenced by comfort and habit. At eight or nine months, there are babies who wake up at regular times just because they have gotten used to being at that time when they are to be fed. When such is the case, it is more about reassurance rather than calories when it comes to feeding.
When to Stop or Phase Out Night Feeds
The age offers some rough estimates, but individual differences are important.
Night feeds are necessary and cannot be discontinued between birth and three months. To facilitate the rapid development of the babies, they need more than one feed at night.
Four-six months later, other babies start to sleep in longer periods. Nevertheless, most of them still need a night feed, or two, particularly when breastfed. Instead of doing away with the feeds at this point, ensure that there are complete and productive daytime feeding sessions.
At the age of six to nine months, a large number of healthy full-term infants can physically sleep up to six to eight hours, milk-free. This is where the parents are usually first making the decision to even consider night weaning. Should your baby be gaining weight properly, taking solids and having strong daytime feeds, you can decide to wean off a nighttime feed gradually.
Night feeding between nine and twelve months is usually more habitual than nutritional. The majority of babies at this age are capable of getting sufficient calories throughout the day when your baby is starting to wake up at regular intervals, feeds in short intervals and goes back to sleep. This is an indication of readiness to go through a change.
Signs Your Baby May Be Ready to Stop Night Feeds
Rather than just considering the age, monitor the signals of your baby. Good signs of readiness are a consistent increase in weight, eating at regular intervals during the day, and having increased intervals between daytime feeding. When your baby only latches and never swallows after a short time at night, or falls asleep as soon as the feeding process has started, waking can be a habit, not one of hunger.
How to Stop Night Feeds
Night weaning can be done in a variety of ways, and which one is adopted varies depending upon the temperament of the baby and the comfort level of the mother doing it.
A progressive reduction approach is usually the least coercive. In the case of breastfeeding parents, this would be to reduce the length of the nighttime nursing breastfeeding session by one or two minutes every couple of nights. In the case of bottle-fed babies, this can be lessening the amount of the bottle to one-half or one-ounce per several nights. As time goes on, the feed grows smaller until it is no longer required.
During such nights, even small disruptions can make it harder for everyone to fall back asleep. During this transition, if you are still bottle-feeding, using a fast, low-effort solution can help minimize stimulation. The Superfast Portable Breast Milk & Water Warmer from Momcozy is designed for this purpose. It quickly warms breast milk or heats water to the right temperature in just minutes, so you can respond to your baby without long delays. Remember that once breast milk is warmed, it should be used within 2 hours and should not be refrigerated and reheated. Momcozy bottle warmers offer convenience, efficiency, and safety. Whether you need a simple bottle warmer for home, a portable one for travel, or an all-in-one smart device, we have the perfect solution for you.
The other alternative is to remove a feed at a time. In the event that your baby is getting up twice a night, you can start by dropping the first feed at the expense of the second one. You can get done with the second once you have gotten rid of the first feed.
Other families prefer a more gradual cold turkey style, halting night gifts immediately. The approach could entail increased protest in the short run, but could reduce the total adaptation. It is more typically adapted to older infants.
No matter how it is done, it is important to be consistent. Mixed signals: a process can be extended by feeding some but not all nights.
Tips for Different Ages
Age-specific approaches may ease the transition process and make it more developmentally correct when determining the time to discontinue night feeds. Here are tips for different ages:
6-9 Months
This is the time when numerous healthy children can sleep longer periods without milk, physiologically, and are thus able to. Some could, however, still need one nighttime feed, particularly during growth spurts. In case you are thinking of cutting night feeds at this period of time, you want to redistribute calories in a strategic way during the daytime and keep the security level at night.
Begin with fortifying nutrition during the daytime. Protein and healthy fats can be added to solids to aid in increasing satiety. Foods that can be used to help sustain longer sleep periods include mashed avocado, full-fat yogurt (in case dairy has been introduced safely), thinned nut butters, eggs, lentils, and soft meats. Even daytime meals will decrease the chances of real hunger at night.
Clustering feeding in the evening can also be offered. This is by giving a couple of milk feeds that are very close together towards the end of the afternoon and beginning of the evening before sleeping. Babies tend to accumulate more fat in this period, thus potentially decreasing night awakenings.
9-12 Months
Between nine and twelve months, most babies can meet their nutritional demands to the full during the day. By this age, night awakenings frequently occur as a result of habit, comfort or sleep association and not hunger.
When working on the timing of when to cease night feeds at this stage, you can start by comforting the baby without necessarily feeding them. Whenever your baby is up, you should react using gentle patting, patting using soft shush or a little rocking. In some cases, reassurance is sufficient to make them go back to sleep.
It is also important to have a routine bedtime. A routine -bath, pajamas, feed, story, and bed- can make your baby know what to expect. Stability creates safety and facilitates the process of transition.
12+ Months
In the course of twelve months, most toddlers are no longer nutritionally required to be nourished at night. At this level, the communication skills are being developed, and it is possible to introduce boundaries in a soft and straightforward manner.
Simple and consistent language can be used. Saying phrases like Milk in the morning or we sleep at night start to create expectations. It is true that though your toddler may not be able to effectively respond verbally, they are usually more than we give them credit for.
FAQs
What age is appropriate for night weaning?
The age at which most healthy babies start can be at the age of 6-9 months, based on the weight gain and daytime consumption.
Is night weaning gradual or cold turkey?
Either method can work. Gradual is usually more lenient.
Can night weaning help with sleep?
Yes, and no longer is waking to the thrust of hunger.
Will a baby naturally drop night feeds?
Many do between 6 and 12 months.
Is it OK to breastfeed a 1-year-old at night?
Yes. It is a choice of an individual, unless there are medical issues.
Can I give my baby water instead of milk at night?
Small sips can be correct after 6 months; ask your pediatrician.
Does comfort nursing count as feeding?
It does not give a lot of calories, but it strengthens the association with sleep.
How can I tell if my baby is waking up hungry or just out of habit?
Swallowing is active, and complete feeds are indicative of hunger. The implication of short latching is habit.
Can I try night weaning and sleep training at the same time?
Yes, but possibly it will make the transition sharper.
How long does the night weaning process usually take?
Between a couple of nights and a couple of weeks.
Will my milk supply decrease if my baby stops night feedings?
Yes, that--but during the day, it is usually made up.
How can I break a feeding-to-sleep association?
Early move feeding and regular non-feeding sleep signals.
Conclusion
When to discontinue night feeds is not so much about age,e but rather, it is a question of readiness. To most infants nighttime feeding is optional at the age of 6 to 12 months; however, their temperament, development and family factors count.
When your baby is healthy, rises and falls, and during the day feeds well, it may be time to think about gentle night weaning. Through patience, routine and encouraging routines, it is possible to make the transition a smoother process than you would have thought.
