Sleep Myth of the Day: If my Child continually has a night waking at the same time every night, they must be hungry.
This Myth is FALSE! While exact ages for dropping night feedings differs from child to child, consistent night wakings may actually be negative sleep associations or sleep crutches that have formed from continually providing unnecessary night feedings. Typically this happens when your baby has gotten used to waking for a feed and then becomes dependent on receiving that feed in order to be soothed back to sleep.
Prior to dropping night feedings we ask our clients to consult with their pediatrician to make sure feeds are ready to be dropped and there are no medical issues standing in the way. Health and safety is our utmost concern. Most pediatricians we work with advocate for a healthy child to be able to reduce or drop night feedings by 7-8 months. Again, this varies from child to child and from pediatrician to pediatrician. But there does come a point when night feeds get in the way of a child being able to experience restorative, consolidated sleep, which is essential for their cognitive development.