How to stop breast feeding now?

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Updated on Nov 16, 2012
Hi all, I have a 1 year old baby. I tried all home remedies to stop her breast feeding in the night, but all in vain. In the night she gets up 5 to 6 times every day and i have to breast feed her. I have tried bottle also but she doest'nt accept it. How should i stop this? Thanks, Shalini

| Nov 16, 2012
Hi Shalini. May I ask if she has been waking up suddenly or has always been waking up for feeds at night? Most babies start sleeping through the night from an around 5-7 months of age. Some may take longer. My son is almost 9 months old and has just started sleeping from 9 pm till 7 am and I feed him only when he wakes up in the morning. If your daughter has never had milk from the bottle, then she may not take one when she wakes up at night too. It may be more of a comfort nursing. You could have your husband or someone else in the family comfort her when she wakes up and see if she is really hungry or just wants to be comforted back to sleep. It may take only a few nights for her to settle back to sleep without nursing. If you always comfort her, rock her to sleep at bedtime and nap times, then she may not know how to fall asleep on her own even when she wakes up at night. In that case, you may need to try to teach her to fall asleep by herself. Hope this helps and both your daughter and you can have a good nights sleep :)

| Nov 19, 2012
Hi, She wakes up everytime to feed only. i have tried to make her sleep in other room or with my husband but she gets up and cries a lot till i take her and feed her. and if someone makes her sleep she sleeps at that time but after some time again she gets up and repeat the same thing.

| Nov 25, 2012
Hi Shalini. It looks like she needs you to fall back to sleep. Maybe you wait for a few months and try putting her to sleep in another room again with your husband. You can also try to give her a little water when she wakes up instead of feeding her. She will not like drinking water and may gradually stop waking up for feeds. You could also speak to her doctor for suggestions as babies go through stages of growth spurts when they feel more hungry and may wake up at night for feed. Keep us posted on this. Hope she settles down soon.

| Jan 27, 2013
Hi Anurima, my 10 months old baby has always woken up at least once at night for a feed. I thought this would stop once we introduce solids... but it did not. Right now I give her a dream feed at 12 and then she will be up at 3 for a feed and then sleep through till 7. I tried sleeping in another room with her dad comforting her... but she cries loudly till I feed her... She won't even drink water. Once she has had her feed she will go back to sleep on her own.

| Jan 28, 2013
Hi Arunima. Since your baby is only 10 months old, you may want to wait a little longer to wean her off the night feed. But she seems to know that she will get her feed if she cries. Does she nurse for long or just for a few minutes to fall back to sleep? There may be various reasons for her to still be waking up for a feed and the worst part is we, as mothers, may never know the real reason! You could raise a new parent talk with your question and see what the other parents may have to say as your post here is not visible to most parents.