What is the normal/typical # of night wakings for a bed-sharing nursing 22 month old

[Nightswimming]

Hi,
I have a 22 month old that is still breastfeeding and bed shares with us. He also has a few food issues we are still trying to figure out. I am wondering what the range is for normal # of night wakings for a healthy, toddler that still nurses and bed-shares. On a non-teething night he is waking about 3-5 times a night wanting to nurse for 5-15 minutes each time. Is this normal or do you think I should be looking into other reasons why he is waking so much (we are both off dairy and this made him wake less I think)?

Thanks!
--Katie

[milkmamamerina]

It sounds a bit high and certainly if you are getting exhausted, it's worth looking for ways to reduce the night wakings.

It's probably pretty difficult to know if your child is more active during the day than others, but if he is there is a good chance you will see your child sleep better and have better days if you look into the Feingold diet. It is simply a diet that omits some very common preservatives and artificial colors and flavors which can be a neurotoxin to about 50% of children. We have noticed our four year old has had great results at sleeping better and with daytime behavior as well...Our main culprit in my son's "wholesome" diet was Wheat Chex that contained the preservative BHT

[kgreenemama]

My DS will be 22 months next week, and he still nurses and sleeps in our bed. His wake ups range from 2 on a rare and excellent night to 5 on a rare and terrible one. Average - 3x

[Luke's mama]

I am in a similar boat to kgreenemama--almost 21 mo old ds wakes to nurse between 2-5 times each night! I remember the good old days before he turned one when he woke once, and on a bad night it was "twice"!! He is teething and talking more, so I am hoping it is developmental and will pass.

Thanks to pp about Feingold diet info--will have to look into it.

[TiredX2]

At 22 months both of my children were waking every 1-2 hours through the night, still.

Just so you know, 18-22 months is a very "high" nursing time and many children back off a bit (esp at night) right after they turn 2. If you look in the Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy forum, you see the same pattern of HUGE amts of nursing around the 17-22 month range and often a drop off in the 23-26 month range. Of course, that drop off can be to just 20 x/day for some kids!

[nelson]

"At 22 months both of my children were waking every 1-2 hours through the night, still.

Just so you know, 18-22 months is a very "high" nursing time and many children back off a bit (esp at night) right after they turn 2. If you look in the Breastfeeding Beyond Infancy forum, you see the same pattern of HUGE amts of nursing around the 17-22 month range and often a drop off in the 23-26 month range. Of course, that drop off can be to just 20 x/day for some kids! "


Posts like this make me hopeful

[jmmom]

my first son still nursed every 2- hours at night at that age, then at age 2 suddenly started sleeping 8-10 hours straight. their brains still need the b-milk, and nighttime is a great time to get it. plus if you need to it's usually easy to night-wean tear-free once they're fully verbal, a bit after age 2. hang in there and good luck!

[Roxswood]

My 22 month old wakes anything between twice on a very good night to 10 times on an awful one. She is sometimes awake for a 3 hour block in the middle of the night bouncing around my bed.

She is a much better sleeper than her big sister at the same age LOL.

Her big sister now is 5y and sleeps from 8pm till 8am almost without fail. She began to sleep through with no pushing or encouragement at just over 3 years and did it practically all the time from 4years onwards.

[Nightswimming]

Thanks for all of your posts. It is good to know that his waking 3-5 times a night on a good night is within the normal range and that I do not need to make myself crazy trying to determine if he has any other food intolerances (he is off egg and dairy and I am off dairy) I have not figured out yet causing him to wake more often. However, I am keeping a food journal of what we both eat to see if there are any links between really bad nights of sleep and what we eat during the day.

Even though my son wakes 3-5 times a night most nights my husband and I do get enough sleep. That is what really matters!

[SeekingSerenity]

Originally Posted by Nightswimming

Even though my son wakes 3-5 times a night most nights my husband and I do get enough sleep. That is what really matters!

Whew! You're a lucky mama!! My 19-month old still wakes 4-5 times a night, but he always has. This isn't an increase for him, and is actually a bit of a decrease since he isn't currently teething. He's just a very active nurser. He does the fly-by thing about 8 times a day plus nursing down for his nap, and about 3 good solid "eating" sessions in addition to regular food. (You'd think he'd be huge, but he's about the size of a 12-13 month old.)

I don't get enough sleep but it's not because of the nursing. I have an almost-7 year old and a very wiggly 4-year old in my bed, too, plus the need to burn the midnight oil to complete homework. On a night I get 5 hours of "sleep" (that state in which I have to half-way wake up to nurse, move kids out of my space, untangle sheets, or remove Polly Pockets from my hair) I consider myself pretty well-rested. I've gotten used to the zombie-state that I live most of my life in!!

[Nightswimming]

Originally Posted by SeekingSerenity

Whew! You're a lucky mama!! My 19-month old still wakes 4-5 times a night, but he always has. This isn't an increase for him, and is actually a bit of a decrease since he isn't currently teething. He's just a very active nurser. He does the fly-by thing about 8 times a day plus nursing down for his nap, and about 3 good solid "eating" sessions in addition to regular food. (You'd think he'd be huge, but he's about the size of a 12-13 month old.)

I don't get enough sleep but it's not because of the nursing. I have an almost-7 year old and a very wiggly 4-year old in my bed, too, plus the need to burn the midnight oil to complete homework. On a night I get 5 hours of "sleep" (that state in which I have to half-way wake up to nurse, move kids out of my space, untangle sheets, or remove Polly Pockets from my hair) I consider myself pretty well-rested. I've gotten used to the zombie-state that I live most of my life in!!

I do not know how you do that! You must be an amazing woman and mom.

I feel lucky! We went through many months of him waking up every hour or so, and he is obviously up more now when teething or sick. I feel that he is finally sleeping better than he had been most nights and I am able to make sure I am in bed for about 9 hours a night which definitely helps.