My health provider told me that my baby doesn’t need night feeds at this age, and I should cut back. How do I night wean?
As a group, we do not advocate for parent-led night weaning from breast or bottle, until at least 18 months as this is an age when your child has reached a level of development where they can understand what is going on. Weaning before this age, should be done under the guidance of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
Night weaning does not mean an end to night waking and should therefore not be something parents feel they ‘need’ to do to get their child sleeping ‘better’.
Most professionals who place an age limit on the necessity of night feeds do so with little evidence to back them and with very little understanding the all-encompassing role night nursing has in meeting our baby’s night time needs that extend much farther than the nutritional value of the milk they take in.
Additionally, most health professionals are generally undereducated about breastfeeding in general. We encourage all members to ask for clarity, evidence, and reasoning to back up a claim such as this. We also encourage you to report health professionals who are giving out advice and information that isn’t evidence based or within their scope of practice.
What is Normal Infant Sleep? (Part I)
Why Our Breastfed Babies and Toddlers Wake So Frequently…
Reasons Babies Cry and Wake at Night
