Night Weaning
When is the Right Time and What You Should Consider
Night Weaning is a very personal and individual journey. Some babies will naturally wean themselves at night, but others may need a gentle nudge so it will look different for everyone. The right time to do it is when YOU are ready and can make the change. There isn’t a time that you have to do this by, and it’s important to know that just because you night wean it may not stop the night waking.
If your child wakes in the night for feeds, you’ll need to consider whether this:
a) bothers you
b) is developmentally appropriate
c) is habitual
d) is necessary for your child, either nutritionally, emotionally or physically.
Other Factors You Should Consider:
Timing:
Make sure that you are physically and emotionally ready for this change. It’s ideal to make this change independent of other big changes, for example, transitioning to a big bed, a new sibling or starting daycare. Big changes are managed best when they are done in isolation.
Preparation:
Think about how you will support your baby back to sleep when they wake at night if you’re removing feeding. You can choose to add in other sleep associations (such as patting, rocking, singing etc.) in advance, using the Habit Stacking process. Feeding them to sleep is often removing the quickest and easiest way to settle them, so if you remove this sleep association I recommend having a backup strategy to support them to sleep.
Co-regulation:
Expect your little one to protest this change. This is okay, but they will rely on you even more for comfort and support. We know that it’s through the co-regulation process that they find their calm. So, focusing on your own calm is key for their regulation.
Optimising Daytime Intake:
You will be reducing/removing the amount of calories they consume overnight, so you’ll need to be mindful of increasing their calorie intake during the day. Expect them to consume more through longer or more frequent daytime feeds.
Professional Support:
Reach out to a lactation consultant for support when making this transition, especially if you are planning to completely wean night feeds.