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11-06-2012 at 6:15 AM
Annie Mari...
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Night Weaning & Ferberizing

How do I night wean?  DS is now almost 10 months.  We've been doing Ferber for what seems like months now (DS keeps getting sick, teeth, travel- then starting over again).  I still feed him 1-2 times at night & he is up only long enough to eat & falls right back to sleep in his crib on his own.  I tried cutting a feeding, but he only screamed forever.  DH is upset that he always has to be the bad guy because DS expects me to feed him if I go in there.

Bottom line- how do I night wean?  Can it be gradual or am I going to have to cut him off cold turkey? I really don't want to just cut him off- CIO has been hard enough on me.

 Thoughts?  Help?  Thanks!


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11-06-2012 at 8:37 AM
caseycritc...
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I had to let him cio because he was up just like your lo just to nurse. He did pretty good till he got another tooth. He is still up once a night but not normally till 3 or 4. Unfortunately i think you will just have to endure a few night. I let him cio for a hour before i nurse. But i still went in and told him i loved him... good luck.
 
11-06-2012 at 8:54 AM
crystaleye...
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Our girls have been STTN since 4 months, what we did was gave them a large bottle before bed and then a smaller and smaller amount for the night feedings until they were completely off of night formula. Pacifiers were HUGE savors. Once we stopped feeding them in the night if they woke up I would jsut go in and pacify them. There were night they'd cry but eventually they stopped.

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11-06-2012 at 9:32 AM
brewcitybr...
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Cut him off cold turkey. A 10 month old does not need to eat at night - he's nursing for comfort!

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11-06-2012 at 10:53 AM
mabenner1
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brewcitybride:
Cut him off cold turkey. A 10 month old does not need to eat at night - he's nursing for comfort!

This is not true for every child. DS sometimes wakes up hungry if he isn't feeling well, going through a growth spurt, or for whatever reason didn't eat enough during the day. He'll slam a bottle, then fall right back asleep-that's how I know he was actually hungry. He does this very rarely, but some babies are hungry at night.

 OP: Are you sure LO is eating enough during the day to eliminate the need for a night feeding?


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11-06-2012 at 10:55 AM
CWSKHC
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I'm so glad you asked this! I'm going through the exact same thing and my DS just turned 11 months! He was doing so great, STTN for days at a time, then we went on a weekend trip out of state and ever since he hasn't STTN. Granted the poor kid got a cold, then croup, then broke out hives from an allergic reaction all since then, but he went from STTN to getting back up 2 times a night. It's like he's 4 months old again! I wish I had the answer too, but I think it's just a very slow process. I didn't have to let him CIO the first time around, but now I'm thinking I'll have to. I do liket he idea of reducing the amount he gets overnight though. I'm officially going to cut him down to 2 oz for the overnight bottles.

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11-06-2012 at 1:36 PM
Annie Mari...
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caseycritchley:
I let him cio for a hour before i nurse. But i still went in and told him i loved him... good luck.

Is he still crying when I go in and nurse him after the hour?  I'm worried this will reinforce DS to cry to get to nurse at night (he's a stubborn little guy).

Also, I don't know that he's getting enough during the day... his weight did drop 20% at his 9 month appointment (but the dr is not worried).  How do I make him eat more during the day when he's so busy & distracted?

Thanks again!


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11-07-2012 at 11:46 AM
mexicolomb...
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Without sounding too much like a b*** here goes.  I have a lot of milk at night because of the big gaps in nursing/pumping.  My 9 mo old drinks a "lot" i think at night before bed, and once around 4 am then again when she's up at 7 am.  I think it's important to feed your baby plenty at night IF they don't seem to be eating much milk in the day. 

My nanny says she's only drinking about 2-3 bottles of 5 oz of BM in the day so I make sure she gets plenty of milk at night.  She does eat plenty of solids.  

Unless you're really dying without the sleep at night I would continue feeding the baby at night at least once if she seems to want/need it.  It won't last forever.  Eventually she'll STTN and won't "need" milk at night.  It's such a short period in their lives that they are babies and that you are waking with them at night.  

Good luck!  I'm not going to get into a discussion about the ferber method but I do not think this method works for everyone.  Be open to going with your instincts and not relying on a book for advice.  

11-08-2012 at 7:18 PM
jmlushboug...
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I would agree that Ferber's methods don't work for every baby. We used his methods with our son; our daughter would not be Ferber-ed.

That said, Ferber has a section in his book about night weaning. There's also good advice about night weaning in the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child book.

Night weaning is such a personal decision. You should do what's best for your baby and the family as a whole. If it's not working for you, that's a totally okay reason to make a change. FWIW, we have not night weaned (yet) but when (if?) we do, we'll use a gradual method rather than cold turkey. 

11-20-2012 at 4:48 PM
BrandiGree...
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brewcitybride:
Cut him off cold turkey. A 10 month old does not need to eat at night he's nursing for comfort!

This is NOT true at all! Do some research.

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