Night Weaning Expectations

I think it's reasonable to a point... If you can work with her, you should be able to graduate her from nursing so often...maybe not to a certain point every night, but at least getting 3-5 hours in before waking to nurse. BUT you will need to remember that she will have periods (growth spurts or before milestones...) during which she will start cluster feeding, and it will feel like you do nothing but nurse her.

I would say to keep doing what you are doing, but go ahead and nurse her if she seems like she can't be soothed with your newer methods. 6 months is a common growth spurt age, so don't get disheartened if she seems to be doing well, and suddenly reverts back to wanting to nurse... Just give it a couple weeks and then try again. :)

Actually, she might be getting into the 6 mo. growth spurt, so I wouldn't cut her off entirely at night if she's truly hungry. That might also be why she's up so much at night.

Kellymom.com has a lot of good tips.

5 months is filled with a lot of changes that could be causing the night waking. Growth spurts are common around this age. Teething, meeting milestones, separation anxiety are just a few. What weight she is, or how big she is plays no role in her night waking. There is no "magical weight" were baby suddenly needs to not eat at night or simply wake up for comfort.
During growth spurts a baby needs to eat more often to build your supply up to their new needs. At night is when your milk is at it's best and a common time for cluster feeding to build that supply up.
At 5 months she's waking for a reason, not to control or manipulate you. I would stop trying to force the issue. It's quite obvious she's not ready for this sleep training and weaning, even if you are.

Your baby's body knows what it needs far better than any of us and far better than a pediatrician randomly naming a weight. She's hungry, feed her. You know by now if she is hungry or cranky or wet, so just go with it.
A baby's body is changing so incredibly fast, they need the calories and nutrients to keep coming! She is absolutely not spoiled or manipulative at this age, she is just getting a signal from her body that says "need food now" and her brain says "I get food by crying" and she cries.
You can work on getting her to eat more at a feeding so she will stay asleep longer- just like with a newborn, keep her lightly dressed and rub/tickle her toes to keep her from dozing off while she is eating. She will go longer and longer on her own, it just takes a while.
I highly recommend co-sleeping during this stage, it makes life so much easier, but it is not for everyone :)

Our ped had recommended that once a kid reaches 12 lbs, or 3 months, (whichever comes first), it is no longer biologically mandatory that they feed at night. Meaning they can survive 6+ hours without eating.

Best,
F. B.

I don't see any problem. My kids all stopped waking for a feeding during the night by the time they were her age.