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*Edit* Just to add, I spoke to my wife about the possibility of reflux, and she brought up something that I had neglected to mention. The baby has one of those sleep wedges under the sheet in her crib, which is supposed to help avoid reflux.
Have the doctor check her for silent reflux anyway. Sleep wedges are not infallible.
I've read up on it, but it's weird, she doesn't do the back arching thing when she's being bottle or breast fed, it only happens when she's confined (i.e, in the bumbo chair, or being held down to be changed) or when she's distressed, like when she's sitting in her crib.
Absolutely, check for reflux but...
I think the back arching is how she expresses frustration. She doesn't have language yet. Sounds to me like a little girl (sorry to have to say this) who is not going to want to sit in her car seat and be buckled up. Does she do this when you let her crawl around and explore? Probably not. But she starts when you put her in one place and confine her? She's saying, "No. Let me do what I want! Which is not to be in this dumb old bumbo chair!"
(She's going to want a convertible when she's 16. Just wait.)
If you child is growing properly you need to wean her off of the night feeding. This is what my pediatrician recommended for our baby at 6 months. The baby is probably just accustom and used to having milk in the middle of the night. Try to decrease the amount she nurses in the middle of the night... My doctor said if I nurse her 10 minutes, then go to 9, then 8, then 7.... it will take a week or so but eventually she won't wake up for milk. My doctor also said to cluster feed before bedtime... meaning she may have some milk and "dinner" at 6pm.. then nurse again at 7pm and then go to bed by 7:15pm.
If you child is growing properly you need to wean her off of the night feeding. This is what my pediatrician recommended for our baby at 6 months. The baby is probably just accustom and used to having milk in the middle of the night. Try to decrease the amount she nurses in the middle of the night... My doctor said if I nurse her 10 minutes, then go to 9, then 8, then 7.... it will take a week or so but eventually she won't wake up for milk. My doctor also said to cluster feed before bedtime... meaning she may have some milk and "dinner" at 6pm.. then nurse again at 7pm and then go to bed by 7:15pm.
It's worked well so far for us.
If night-weaning is your goal, then that is fine. But there is no reason that a 9 month old "should" be night-weaned, and she certainly doesn't "need" to be night-weaned. Even less so for a 6 month old.
If night-weaning is your goal, then that is fine. But there is no reason that a 9 month old "should" be night-weaned, and she certainly doesn't "need" to be night-weaned. Even less so for a 6 month old.
The OP's goal was to have the baby sleep through the night. That would mean no nursing until the early morning hours... For a baby of 9 months old to get up 3-4 hours after being put down to sleep is a matter of routine, not necessarily need.
Again, if the OP wants his baby to sleep through the night and was not happy with the baby waking to eat 3-4 hours after being put down, night weaning would have to take place.
I agree that a baby doesn't "need" to be night-weaned if the parents don't mind waking up routinely throughout the night. That just wasn't the case of the original post.
I just took issue with the sentence "If you child is growing properly you need to wean her off of the night feeding." Perhaps the child doesn't "need" to be nursing at night, but she also doesn't "need" to be night-weaned. The OP said that "My wife has even said she doesn't mind the 12:30 - 1:00 feeding if she would just stay asleep for the entire second half of the night."
I just took issue with the sentence "If you child is growing properly you need to wean her off of the night feeding." Perhaps the child doesn't "need" to be nursing at night, but she also doesn't "need" to be night-weaned. The OP said that "My wife has even said she doesn't mind the 12:30 - 1:00 feeding if she would just stay asleep for the entire second half of the night."
Ok, I see what you're saying... no worries- just different opinions.
My son is 6 months old and we cut him down to one feeding overnight - at about 4am. If he wakes before 3 my husband goes in to soothe him back to sleep (also did the ferber). If he wakes up at 3 or later I nurse him.
My doctor also said we could cut out that feeding but I'm not ready. I don't think he is either but I'm definitely not. He eats really well at that feeding so I think he still needs it. And honestly I think he'll wake up earlier in the am. I would rather get up at 4 and sleep until 7 than have to start the day at 6.
What time does your wife usually go to bed? A friend of mine puts her son to bed at 7:30 and then feeds him around 11pm before she goes to bed. I go to bed earlier than that so it wouldn't work for me. But she said her son doesn't usually even wake up, just nurses and stays sleeping.
Are you opposed to your baby sleeping with you, in your bed?
Take a little lesson from your dog or cat, ha ha, they wouldn't put those babies in another room, that would be exhausting! lol
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