Wean a Baby from Night Feedings - Consider what is reasonable for your baby's age. According to BabyCenter's 2007 article "Baby Sleep Training: Night Weaning," a 4- to 6-month-old baby should be able to go for five or six hours without feeding during the night. While this is hardly a full night's sleep, it is a step in the right direction. Ann Douglas, in her acclaimed 2001 book "The Mother of All Baby Books," says that from birth to age 6 months a baby typically wakes two or three times throughout the night. From the ages of 6 to 12 months, a baby will wake once or twice in the night.
Prepare for night weaning by creating a distinction between nighttime and daytime. Keep night feedings as calm and quiet as possible. Use a nightlight for nighttime feedings and diaper changes. Talk and play as little as possible and keep your voice quiet and soothing. Show your baby that daytime is for playing and nighttime is for quiet and sleeping.
Wean a Baby from Night Feedings
Create a bedtime routine. Help your baby feel the transition from daytime to nighttime by performing the same series of activities at the end of the day. A bedtime routine can include a bath, getting into pajamas, cleaning baby's teeth, reading a book or having some cuddle time in a rocking chair. Only include things you know to be calming for your baby. If your baby gets excited and boisterous during a bath, for example, have it earlier in the day (See Reference 1 and 2).
Teach your baby how to fall asleep without nursing or taking a bottle. Many babies wake during the night not from hunger alone, but also because their immature sleep patterns make them susceptible to waking several times during the night. Let your baby practice falling asleep by laying him quietly in the crib when he is calm and due for bed. If you wish you may give your child a pacifier or another comfort item such as a small blanket or stuffed animal if he is old enough to have these items in the crib. Try to get your baby to settle back to sleep at night by murmuring quietly or gently patting his back or tummy. This is more likely to be successful if your baby is not yet fully awake.
Reduce the amount that your baby eats at night. Slowly reduce the amount in baby's bottle or the time spent at each breast. With your doctor's permission, babies over 6 months of age can have their nighttime bottles slowly diluted with water, making a nighttime feeding less interesting. When your baby is ready, eliminate one feeding altogether.
For many parents, night feedings -- and the accompanying sleep deprivation -- are the most difficult part of caring for a new baby. While night feedings are unavoidable during the first few months of life, older babies may be physically ready to give up some of their night feedings. Parents can then gently encourage their baby to go for longer stretches during the night without eating. - by eHow
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