$Unique_ID{BRK02343} $Pretitle{} $Title{What Can Be Done About Continued Waking for Night Time Feeding?} $Subject{baby sleep food diet calories feeding disorder disorders babies children nighttime feeding habits night awakening sleepless sleeplessness waking awake child digestion digestive system} $Volume{S-26,I-26} $Log{} Copyright (c) 1992,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc. What Can Be Done About Continued Waking for Night Time Feeding? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION: My five-month old baby still awakens for his 2:00 A.M. feeding. Although it is tiring for me, I don't mind feeding him if he's hungry. My older sister also has a baby and she says I'm just spoiling my baby and that I must phase out this middle of the night feeding. What do you think? Can you suggest how I might help my baby to sleep through the night? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSWER: Most pediatricians would agree with your sister. By 4 months of age, 95 percent of babies can sleep through an 8-hour night without feeding. Physically they don't need the extra calories anymore by that age. Trained night feeding is one of 3 clinically observed sleep disorders in babies and children. The other two problems commonly seen are trained night crying and fearful night crying. For all three problems, parents must work at changing their baby's nighttime habits. Early intervention is important for sleep problems, because infants older than 6 months begin resisting change. To untrain a baby from nighttime feeding, it is essential to begin to increase the time between daytime feedings to four hours apart or more. The baby will then get used to going for longer periods of time without being fed. You simply cannot expect a child's nighttime habits to change if his stomach is trained to expect frequent feedings. A general guide and goal should be 4 meals a day by 4 months, 3 meals a day by 6 months. If your baby seems to be asking for more frequent meals during the day, give him some extra holding, attention or a pacifier. Feed your baby at bedtime, but don't give him the bottle in his bed. If your baby seems to need extra sucking, you may try using a pacifier. Once your baby's daytime feeding schedule is where it should be, nighttime awakening will probably automatically decrease or disappear. Until that natural change occurs, you might have to get up to feed your baby. But if you do, make it a small meal. Put your baby back in his crib when he's slightly hungry. If you breast feed, nurse him only on one side. If you are bottle feeding, decrease the amount you put in the bottle every few nights by one ounce. In about two weeks, your baby should be sleeping through the night. ---------------- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.