How did you night-wean gently?

[Illaria]

The "why did you night-wean?" thread has made me curious to hear how some of you may have night-weaned, and how you were able to do it is a peaceful and gentle way. I have been posting my current sleep deprivation, bed-sharing, all-night nursing issues in the nighttime parenting and working parents forum as I have been trying to figure out if moving ds out of the bed might help. However, night-weaning might be an option too, since ds (almost 13-months) doesn't eat or nurse very much during the day, and then nurses all night and I am having trouble surviving given my intense work/career context. Sounds like night-weaning has helps some of your toddlers sleep more at night, but also eat more during the day. I would love to hear what strategies of night-weaning have worked for some of you!

[Honey693]

[paulamc]

Our sons are the same age. DS also nurses several times at night, and I'm starting to dream about night weaning in the near future, if he doesn't drop a session or two on his own. I don't feel quite ready for it yet, but perhaps sometime between 15 & 18 months?? For now, I'd love to hear about others' experience with this.

[Baby_Cakes]

The way I did it was super, super gradual. I chose to night wean b/w the hours of 11 pm and 6 am. If Nora woke up before 11 pm, I would nurse her and put her back to sleep (we bedshare). If it was after 11 and before 6 am, I would first try just lying her back down (never really worked), and then I would try getting up out of bed and rocking her/singing. That usually worked. If it didn't, then I would pass her off to DH. If she fussed a lot w/him, I would give in and nurse, b/c obviously it was something she needed.
Over time, she stopped needing the rocking. I would just pick her up, lay her back down across my body or in the crook of my arm, and she would fall back asleep.
If she was giving me trouble at all, DH could take her and she would just lie down on him and fall right asleep -- no problems.

We still have our nights where nothing works and she gives us a run for our money, but most nights now look something like this:

9:30 nurse to sleep, put her down.
10:30 or so, I go into bed w/her, go to sleep. (DH sleeps in the living room)
1 or 2 am, she rouses, sits up, rubs her eyes, falls across me and goes back to sleep.
5 or 6 am, she wakes up, nurses, falls back asleep
7 - 7:30 - up for the day.

Most nights, that 1 or 2 am thing doesn't happen, but it happens at 4 am. Then she will usually sleep from 4 am till 7:30 or so.