Here's an idea for the parents of babies who have given up waking for a 10:00 P.M. feeding but still get up to feed in the middle of the night: If your baby no longer wakes around 10:00 P.M. and now sleeps through until around 2:00 A.M. or so, try waking her for a feeding just before you go to bed. You may be able to forestall the middle-of-the-night feeding.

This is not a totally risk-free proposition. The main hazard here is that she might not get back to sleep easily, and you'll be left with a wide-awake (and possibly fussy) baby on your hands. The other disadvantage is that she will at some point no longer need that 10:00 P.M. feeding. Yet, if you continue to awaken her for it, you won't realize that she's reached a point at which it's unnecessary.

If she goes right back to sleep after the bottle or breastfeeding and if she doesn't wake up until at least 5:00 A.M. for another feeding, you can claim a victory in your quest for a better night's sleep for yourselves. You might want to consider trying this plan for a while.

What if you're feeding her on demand rather than on a schedule? Waking your baby for a 10:00 P.M. feeding as a means of precluding her waking up at 2:00 A.M. is feeding her on a schedule, rather than waiting until she demands food. The answer is that you can be a little bit flexible. You can feed your baby on demand the rest of the time and still wake her up at 10:00 P.M. for a feeding with a clear conscience. Rigidity has never been a virtue, and there's certainly no harm in feeding her on a combination of on-demand and scheduled feedings. So go ahead — give yourselves a break!