To feed or not to feed?

[Moolia]

My dd is almost 6 months old. She goes to bed around 6:30 and wakes about 7. She wakes for a feed around 10/11pm and takes a 6-7oz bottle at this time (apart from this she is fully breastfed). She then wakes again around 4/5am. On a few occasions I've given her a dummy and she has gone straight back until 7 without a feed. Once, she even slept until 6:45 without waking up!! The last 2 nights she has stayed at my mum's and was therefore given a bottle but apparently would only take 2oz max at this time and then she settled straight back to sleep.
Obviously I want her to stop waking for this 4/5am feed but I wonder whether to do this by using dummy and cc or whether to just nurse for a few minutes and put her back down. This is obviously the less stressful option in the middle of the night when I'm feeling tired and trying to prevent my toddler waking up but is it just prolonging the night waking?If I keep feeding her, will she keep waking, more out of habit than hunger or will she eventually just stop?
I kind of sleep trained my ds so don't have any experience with just 'letting nature take its course' so to speak!

 

[sue_88]

She may eventually just stop, she may not. But if she's eating, she's hungry so I wouldn't deny her that.

Sure you can try the dummy first but if not successful then go for the feed, but this to me just seems to prolong it.

If feeding is the easier option, then do that. I'm 26 and still occasionally need a biscuit etc in the night!

 

[Moolia]

Thank you for replying. Is 2oz really waking out of hunger though? I wonder if she's waking out of habit and then taking a little milk to settle back because it's being offered and because that's what she's used to doing not necessarily because she needs it?
Last night she wrote at 5, I gave her the dummy and she went straight back off until 6:30. This suggests habit to me but I just don't know how to break it!?

 

[chicky160]

My ds woke for at least one feed until he was about 9 months. I just fed him and went with the flow, he stopped when he was ready. Now he sleeps usually from 7:30-7:30. I just followed his lead and he did it when he was ready. Personally I would rather give a feed even if it is a little 2oz top up that deal with the stress of constant dummy popping in or cc. X

 

[irish_cob]

They change all the time, go through growth spurts, go through sleepy phases, go through more wakeful phases. I don't think she's waking up out of habit, maybe the end of a sleep cycle and she needs a bit of help to go back to sleep. I don't think it'll last and I'd choose the least painful option to get through it. It still sounds like she's a fab sleeper, my dd2 who is nearly 10 months usually goes to bed about 9pm, is up for a feed somewhere between 2 and 4am for about half an hour then up for the day at 6.30am. 12.5 hours even with 2 feeds would be miraculous compared to the 9 ish hours mine manages x

 

[missusgee]

My LO goes through phases. A while ago he was definitely waking out of habit where a dummy would settle him. Currently I know he is hungry/thirsty and in a heavy wet nappy by his different cry. I'm going with the flow as I know it will pass as he's definitely going through a growth spurt. Thing is, I can either spend up to an hour trying to settle him and lying awake until I know he's asleep, or I can do a quick nappy change and give him a bottle (of which he'll drain all 10oz!) and sleep again knowing he'll be out for another 2-4 hours! :-D

 

[Teri7489]

Have you tried water? Isabella began waking in the night at around 7 months for a bottle but wouldnt take much at all (3oz max) so my hv suggested water. She continued to wake randomly and still does for a little drink of water then goes back to sleep. Turns out shes just thirsty but not hungry. She too has a bottle at 11pm of about 6oz (shes 10 months) xxx

 

[Foogirl]

I don't think it is as straightforward as if they are eating they are hungry. Offer most babies a feed at that time and they will take it. It is possible they see feed as a route back into sleep and that's why they take it.

To be honest, you know your LO better than anyone else, what's your gut feeling? From what you've written, It would seem like your LO doesn't routinely need a feed in the night. By 6 months they are getting to the stage where daytime food can be all they need. I went by my baby's own cues. She stopped looking for a night feed around that time and was still gaining weight fine without it so I stopped offering it and she started sleeping through. There were still some night wakings but as we were sleep training without dummies etc, it was more obvious to us that she just needed a little help to get back of to sleep.

Why not try upping daytime food intake and see how it goes.

 

[Moolia]

Thanks everyone. Once my ds slept through the night at 17 weeks I never fed him again in the night. It just never occurred to me. if he had a growth spurt he ate more in the day. If he woke at night, (which he obviously did go through phases of doing as some of you have described) then I cuddled him, gave him dummy, settled him in his cot, offered water etc but never offered food as a way to get him back to sleep so I kind of feel I don't want to get into doing that this time.
Foogirl, I agree with you that I don't think she really needs this feed. I've been trying to up her day feeds but I'm breastfeeding for the most part so it's hard to know what she's taking. When bottle fed she certainly doesn't take the recommended 7oz though!
Teri - I have tried water once or twice and she takes a bit before realising she has been conned! Ha ha! Haven't tried for a couple of weeks so could give it another go.
It's just so variable; some nights (like last night) she just needs the dummy and goes straight back off but others she really cries and I end up feeding her within bout a minute because I'm too scared of her waking my ds up and having to start the day at 5am!
I think I'll just go with the flow for now and hope that she drops it on her own soon!

 

[Foogirl]

Boobs really should have some sort of milk-ometer on them

How about offering an extra feed or two? Or will that just seem like you are constantly feeding? If it helps, I found adding Guinness to foods I was eating like casseroles, really got Abby sleeping through

 

[Moolia]

Ha ha! Well I'm already feeding her every 2.5 - 3 hours but I've been giving her the odd bottle in preparation for stopping breastfeeding as she's almost got 2 teeth now and so I feel it's nearly time to stop!
Last night she slept until 6:20 and I think she only woke up then because she had done an enormous poo! She's been so grumpy with her second tooth almost through today though and we had lots of tears at bedtime so I'm thinking tonight won't be easy!

 

[Foogirl]

I thought I would quit when she had teeth. Ended up going 18 months. It was just too hard to stop!