In part two of our discussion on helping kids sleep through the night, pediatric sleep expert Dr. Craig Canapari and sleep consultant Arielle Greenleaf tackle night wakings and feedings.  (You can find part 1 here, including a video of both episodes). They provide guidance on when night feeds may or may not be necessary, how to handle night nursing for comfort vs nutrition, and tips for transitioning toddlers away from nighttime calories.

- Only a small percentage of sleep issues are caused by medical problems. Most kids need some type of sleep training or behavioral intervention.

- Check with your pediatrician before dropping night feeds - make sure your child is getting enough calories during the day first. 

- Night nursing is about more than nutrition - it also provides comfort. Wean slowly if desired.

- Toddlers generally don't need extra calories at night. But there is little guidance given on transitioning from milk feeds to solids at this age.

"I always like to say I am not, if a sleep consultant starts working with someone and says, without any digging, we're going to eliminate all feedings overnight really fast, we're just gonna take 'em all away, run for your life." - Arielle Greenleaf

"Honestly, a normally growing child over a year of age doesn't really need those calories at night. And if you find that you are meaning to give milk or anything else during the night you, I give you permission to cut it out and you may want to wean it slowly." - Dr. Craig Canapari

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