Breaking Night Waking Habit. Suggestions?

Every child is different, but my son was definitely sleeping through the night by then. Have you started any solids yet? You may want to try some cereals or veggies during evening meals to make sure his little belly is full before going to sleep.

A friend of mine would go in when her daughter woke up and rub her back until she calmed-down b/c the doctor suggested that the baby wasn't hungry, but looking for consoling. After a couple of weeks, the midnight wake-up went away all together.

You say no, CIO but keep in mind that it does work! It's really tough to do and feels like you are a horrible person, but after two long nights and one short one, my son was sleeping through the night with very few (if any) exceptions. Read the literature on it b/c it's not what most people think!

I would do more (or start, if you haven't yet) solids during the day and get his little tummy fuller. His last bottle before bedtime, I would even put some cereal in it. I know that people don't like that habit, but I really do think it helped my son.

Then get rid of the bottle entirely at night. Switch to a paci instead of the bottle. When he wakes up, give him only the paci and then soothe him back to sleep. You know that he can get through the night without food at this point, so you're not starving him. He just has a habit.

DS started sleeping through the night at 4 mos, and as soon as he did that, I stopped night feedings. That told me that he was fine to go without.

But I will back up the other poster who said to take a closer look into CIO. It DOES work when you're trying to break a habit, and everyone has happier days as a result.

To be honest with you, I took cues from all my kids and I let them set the schedule they needed to eat at. If they wanted to eat 6 times a night, that's what I did.
Eventually they weaned themselves down to fewer feedings.
I don't think there is a "normal" to go by. Every child is different. Some require more sleep than others, some require more feedings.
If you want to wean him so you can get more sleep, I would consult your pediatrician and see if his nightly feedings are necessary. If the doctor says they are not, then you may want to try just comforting him with a pacifier or rocking him. I don't believe in CIO either. I am a mother of 4. I never used CIO. Instead I decided to be patient and deal with the loss of sleep and take cues form my children as to what they want and need. I have a 13 year old and 9 year old who are both honors students, a 5 year old and a 15 month old. Things worked out just fine for our family.
Go with what works for your child.

2 to 3 times a night are pretty normal.
I always fed my kids on demand instead of scheduling b/c they knew better than I when they were hungry.
Some kids need more sleep than others. My daughter never slept even as a newborn. She didn't sleep all night till she was 3 yrs old and still at 8 needs less sleep than most adults I know. My son was totally different, was down to one feeding a night at around 9 months old and slept all night at a year. I didn't do anything different with either one of them. Both were raised the same way, Babies sleep all night when they are ready.
My daughter is gifted and my son who is 5 , is also very smart.
It's a myth that babies don't need to eat at night.
Here is an average , but keep in mind this is only an average.
• Newborns to 3 months old: Feedings every 2-3 hours, on demand
• 3-4 Months: 2-3 feedings per night or every 3-6 hours, on demand
• 5-6 Months: 1-2 feedings
• 7-9 Months: 1, maybe 2, feedings
• 10-12 Months: Sometimes 1 feeding
• 12+ Months: Generally no feedings
Sometimes if you feed one more time before you go to bed you can stretch feedings. Increasing day time food can also help eliminate night feedings naturally.

I too detest CIO because it teaches babies they can not rely on their parents to give them what they need and it teaches parents to ignore the cries of their babies.

We have a 6 month old, too and experienced this problem a few weeks ago. The fix was super simple and does not have to involve CIO.

We were putting him to bed at 6:30 - 7:00. He would wake around 11-12 and then again around 3-4, finally getting up for the day between 6-7.

We have now started putting him to bed between 5:45 - 6:15. Yes, super early I know but he just couldn't hang on until the later bedtime. Once we started putting him to bed earlier, the "sleep begets sleep" has held true and he either only gets up once around 3-4 or not at all and wakes between 6-7. It's been a relief.

Try a slightly earlier bedtime. What's the worst that will happen? He's already getting up three times a night and I don't think 15-30 minutes earlier will result in a fourth waking.

Good luck - I know you're ready for the interrupted sleep to stop!! I was there a few weeks ago.