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Re: Night feeding

Although many infants will sleep for the majority of the night by 6 months, a
number of them will not.  These babies are not necessarily "trained night
feeders"  (I disagree with Ferber on a lot of points and tend to prefer Sears
in general, by the way.).  Babies are individuals, and some of them do need
the feeding, some need the comforting of night feedings.  Parents of higher-
needs children can try a "sidecar" arrangement with the infant/child's bed if
they are kept awake by children in their bed.
I encourage parents who are (unfortunately) not breastfeeding their children,
to "bottlefeed like a breastfeeder"--i.e., hold the baby for all feedings,
cuddle lots, sleep with or near the infant, etc., and generally do attachment-
style parenting.
Most children will move out of the parents' bed/bedroom by around preschool
age.
I agree that appropriate limit-setting is important, too.  Some kids are
problems at night because they aren't getting enough attachment parenting
during the daytime.  Some parents do have problems setting appropriate limits.
Each situation requires individuation.
Linda L. Shaw MD FAAP