https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 04 Apr 2026 03:28:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862159 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 15:46:59 +0000 snarkybiochemist 2862159@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>E was night weaned around d 7.5 months, she had been getting formula bottles from 4.5 months until then. For us it was a combo of increasing her daytime ounces, increasing her solids, and moving her to her own room. For a few weeks prior to all this I had tried to just set a later and later time in which I would be willing to feed her, but that didnt work super well without the other factors. Moving her to her own room was what really did the trick, but I know that really isn't an option for you guys. Good luck </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862148 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 14:55:31 +0000 maddyz 2862148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 night weened SO easily at just under a year in Dec. I thought I was some kind of magical parent...</p> <p>We just took DS2's middle of the night bottles away at 28 months... and it was hell but totally worth the pain for a few days.</p> <p>Even when DS1 was night weened there were times when he was super sick or teething that I would nurse at night for a few nights. When he got better he would either just start sleeping through the night again, or I would send DH in to calm him. I felt like if nursing would calm him I would prefer that to more Tylenol....</p> <p>All this to say that kids are so different its hard to say. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862121 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 11:37:38 +0000 periwinklebee 2862121@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BUNBUN: @ChiCalGoBee: Interesting about the bottle - my plan was to keep pushing back the time before which I won't feed him but I hadn't thought about needing to combine this with bottle feeding. </p> <p>@bhbee: That's amazing! I love to hear when things go so smoothly. I agree that keeping him out of our bed I think is key. It's a little bit a point of disagreement between DH and I - the crib is at the foot of our bed and I agree with DH that there is a very strong temptation to bring him in with us when he's standing there crying hysterically mama, mama, dada. But after the holidays, I think we need to keep pushing on the crib. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862116 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 10:56:19 +0000 bhbee 2862116@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We did it when we sleep trained at 13m - I knew he didn’t need to eat at night. By night 2, he was done night nursing. We had also been taking him into our bed after wake up and he just couldn’t resist if he was near the source. He’s also a January baby who was sick a ton starting around 8-9m and onward and I don’t remember it being a problem! It may have helped he got tubes around his bday. But maybe he will surprise you, I wouldn’t wait! I was amazed how it changed on a dime. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862103 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 10:11:10 +0000 ChiCalGoBee 2862103@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I night weaned both my kids by 3 months, so I don’t have experience with an older baby, but happy to share what worked. I echo the advice to switch to bottles for night feeds, and then to gradually wean down the amount. There are a number of articles online that outline how to do this, but I would do a half ounce less at a time every couple of days until they stopped waking for that feeding. I really don’t think time of year was a factor for either kid as they were born at different times of the year. Best of luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862101 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 10:02:25 +0000 BUNBUN 2862101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: I see in your post that you travel for work. That's how I finally cut out the bedtime feeding. I went away for work for about 4 days, had DH offer a bottle, and DS started declining (refusing, but cheerfully) the bedtime bottle about a week or so later. </p> <p>The hardest thing was not taking him into our bed anymore. Once he got over that we were staying in his room for comfort, we were able to progress to dropping bottle feedings until we were at one and then none. It wasn't immediate, and we had some setbacks and hellish nights in the guest room, but anytime we bring him into our bed at night (even now, at 2+), we regret it because no one sleeps!</p> <p>ETA: I think we dropped motn bottle feedings by time. Like we wouldn't give him a bottle if it was before 12, then 2, then 4, then 5. We only recently got him to stay quietly in his crib until 6 when I bought an OK to wake clock. We get up at 5:45 for work anyway though. And he still gets a first thing in the morning bottle of milk! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862099 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:51:26 +0000 periwinklebee 2862099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BUNBUN: Thank you! Super helpful to hear how things went, and that the teething/illness didn't set you back too much... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862097 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:50:05 +0000 periwinklebee 2862097@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skinnycow: I would love if it just happened naturally! </p> <p>I travel about once per month for a day for work, and have noticed that my pump output has declined from like 18 ounces first thing in the morning to 10, so I'm hopeful that he's headed down the path of taking in less... </p> <p>We've been the same with taking LO into our bed at first waking and then nursing all night, but lately it seems like he can't sleep when there's a boob around. Instead, he just wants to punch and pinch it in an endless attempt to get more milk - not what I want at 3am in the morning. So we're doing more in the crib, but still with lots of wakeups... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862096 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:46:09 +0000 BUNBUN 2862096@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took a slow approach, once our ped urged us to cut out the nighttime feedings around 8 or 9 mo (full disclosure, DS has always been 90+ percentile). My main motivation was to move toward sttn.</p> <p>I started by trying to cut back on the length of his feedings, but he was really just comfort nursing, so I switched to bottle feeds at night. DH did the first few, but later DS would take a bottle from me.<br /> We did nighttime bottle feeds for maybe a week, and then he wasn't interested anymore, he just wanted a snuggle. I eventually had to sleep train so that he learned to put himself back to sleep, but the feedings were surprisingly easy to drop once we switched to bottles.</p> <p>I dropped the bedtime nursing session by switching to a bottle when he was about 1yr 1 month. That only lasted about a week and he would decline the bottle and just play. Switched to having a cup of water on-hand if he was thirsty, but not having a bedtime drink.</p> <p>For a while, when he was sick or teething, DH would get him a bottle in the motn. It drove me crazy, because DS really just wanted comfort, but DH was exhausted and impatient and knew a bottle would calm him instantly. It didn't set us back though, as I did my best to nip that in the bud.</p> <p>Good luck, and go easy on yourself. There's no rush :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862095 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:45:09 +0000 skinnycow 2862095@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't have any advice but wanted to offer some hope. My daughter wanted to nurse all night until she turned one. She slept in our bed starting with her first wake-up of the night (around 11-12) and then nursed off and on the rest of the night.</p> <p>Anyway - one day around 12-13 months she just started sleeping through the night in her crib and didn't need to nurse anymore. I was prepared to night wean her but it just happened naturally. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-about-night-weaning#post-2862092 Fri, 14 Dec 2018 09:27:45 +0000 periwinklebee 2862092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO will be a year in January. He is still eating a fair amount overnight and I feel like he's getting to an age where it makes sense for us to cut that out. </p> <p>However, I've read that it can be tricky to night wean during winter illness season. LO has been sick a lot (first year of daycare) and I suspect that will continue until spring. He's never been a good sleeper and illness really disrupts his sleep. If he's up sick and hysterical to breastfeed (as of now, when he wakes up at night that is all he wants), I don't have the heart to deny it. </p> <p>Am I setting myself up for continuous regressions if I try to do it during winter? How did night weaning go for you? </p>