Dropping Night Feeds and Helping Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

Night weaning is the process of gradually reducing night time feeding sessions, and is a deeply personal journey that should be approached with careful consideration of your own unique circumstances and your baby's needs. I can't say it enough, that it is something you should only do if YOU are wanting to and that you are making the decision based on what is best for you and your family, rather than external pressures or comparisons to others.

External Pressures: Feeling pressured by family, friends, or societal expectations can often lead parents to consider night weaning before they or their baby are truly ready. It's so important to remember that every baby is unique, and what works for one family may not work for another. Avoid making decisions based solely on outside influences, go with your gut and trust your maternal instinct.

Comparisons: It's easy to fall into the trap of comparing your baby's sleep habits to those of others. However, it's important to remember that every child develops at their own pace. Just because a friend's baby sleeps through the night at a certain age doesn't mean yours should too. Trust in your instincts and focus on what's best for your individual child.

Societal Expectations: Society often places undue pressure on parents to have their babies sleeping through the night at a certain age. However, this timeline is arbitrary and may not align with your baby's natural developmental rhythm. Avoid feeling rushed to meet these expectations and instead focus on creating a sleep environment that supports your baby's unique needs.

Night weaning can be a positive step when:

Your Baby Shows Signs of Readiness: Signs that your baby may be ready for night weaning include showing less interest in milk feeds in the morning, refusing daytime feeds, or taking smaller feeds during the day than at night. Pay attention to your baby's cues and trust in their ability to communicate their needs.

Night Feeds Are Disrupting Everyone's Sleep:

If you and your baby are constantly interrupted by night time wakings and feedings, it may be affecting both of your well-being. It is hard trying to get through the day on zero sleep, then having to face a full night of getting up and down. Night weaning can help improve the quality of sleep for both you and your baby, leading to a happier and more rested household. The most important thing is that your baby is physically ready to drop a feed and you are emotionally ready to do so.

You Feel Overwhelmed or Resentful: Night feeds can be physically and emotionally draining, especially if they go beyond what feels manageable for you. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, resentful, or exhausted by the constant night time wakings, it may be time to consider gentle night weaning techniques and get in those longer blocks of night sleep for you both.

Sleep associations are the things your baby relies on to fall asleep. Milk feeds are one of the most common and strong sleep associations. Before taking away a sleep association, it's best to introduce a new one, to give your baby something else to become used to for comfort first.

This will also give you another way of supporting your baby to sleep. Spend at least 3 - 5 days layering in your new sleep associations before making any changes. This will help your little one to build familiarity with the new association as a way of falling asleep. It is also a great idea to use your new sleep associations for daytime naps as well, to maintain consistency.

Introducing new ones that are not feeding provides your baby with new options to help them get back to sleep after waking up. If your baby is used to feeding to sleep, this is the only way they will know how to fall asleep and naturally need your help each time they wake. By layering in sleep associations, you can shift from the feeding association to a new one.

A big part of dropping feeds is making sure that your baby is receiving enough calories during the day, as this will help to promote longer stretches of sleep at night. Babies are perfect little calorie regulators. They will naturally ensure they meet their daily calorie needs, so if they don't get enough during the day, they may wake up more frequently at night for feeds.

For babies not yet on solids, the focus should firstly, be on improving those day time milk feeds. Make day feeds longer and fuller by ensuring your baby is fully awake during feeding, in an environment free from distractions. Consider adding extra top-up feeds, especially before lunch, to provide additional calories for the night. If your baby falls asleep while feeding and doesn't get much milk, try moving the feed a bit earlier than usual.

Once on solids, continue offering milk before solids until around the 8-month mark. Afterward, switch to offering solids first, then milk.

The quality of your baby's food also matters. Opt for homemade options, as they are the best. From around the 10-month mark, aim to include protein with every meal, to further sustain your little one.