At what age did you night wean?

[Knitting Mama]

I'm not looking to do this any time soon-- Cecilia's only 3 months old, after all! But I'm just totally curious. When, if at all, did you night wean? How did it work for you?

[Funny Face]

My objective was to let him nurse at night for as long as possible. Ds nursed ALL NIGHT LONG too and it was REALLY hard at times.

I just nightweaned at 19 months because I'm pregnant. My supply is dropping and he was nursing CONSTANTLY and thrashing around in the bed in an effort to get more milk. My nipples hurt so bad that I laid awake most of the night gripping the sheets.

So, 19 months for ds. Dd was around 8 months but I would never do that again- it did it for selfish reasons and because other people told me she should be sleeping through the night.

[Funny Face]

Oh, and it's been about two weeks and he still wakes up 2-3 times a night asking for milk. He cries for a few seconds then rolls over and goes back to sleep most nights. Every once in awhile he wakes up more frequently.

I did Dr. Jay Gordon's method and went into it knowing fully that if he seemed to really be upset and affected by nightweaning that I would continue to let him nurse at night, even with the pain. Thankfully he did well. I know 6 months, heck, even 3 months earlier he wouldn't have been so ready.

[Kmama2]

It depends on the kid.
My dd had one 4-5 am "night" feed until about 15 months old when I called it quits. I knew it was just habit and she would be fine without it. I told myself next time Ill nightwean earlier as it was great to sleep all night and I knew she wasn't really hungry and could sleep a full 12 hours without nursing. I sent daddy in to her room when she woke up with a sippy of water and after like 3 nights she stopped waking up. But she was/is always been my great sleeper/ my easy going kid.
My 9 month son still wakes up 2 times a night most nights but at this point I don't feel comfortable night weaning him. He is a very active baby and doesn't eat much solids and is often to busy to nurse much during the day. There is just too much going on in his mind to settle down and nurse. His night feedings are often his biggest feedings of the day and I feel that he is truly hungry so I won't night wean until I feel that is not hungry at night whenever that is. He is also very small weight wise and height wise so he needs all the calories I can get into him.

[mommy22boys]

I always that they need to be feeding during the night until they are at least 6 months and eating solids. My boys still nursed quite often at 3 months all day and night.


Oh! I just re-read your post and realized that you said you are NOT planning to do this anytime soon. When I first read it I thought you wanted to do it soon! Sorry!!

I still haven't nightweaned my 14month old. But I am starting to think about it.

[mamazee]

The first one, I nightweaned at 24 months, but I wish I would have tried at 18 as it went very smoothly and it might have gone well earlier. The second one didn't need to be nightweaned as she was sleeping through the night almost immediately after birth. Yay!

[Knitting Mama]

Originally Posted by mommy22boys

I always that they need to be feeding during the night until they are at least 6 months and eating solids. My boys still nursed quite often at 3 months all day and night.


Oh! I just re-read your post and realized that you said you are NOT planning to do this anytime soon. When I first read it I thought you wanted to do it soon! Sorry!!

I still haven't nightweaned my 14month old. But I am starting to think about it.

Hahah, yeah, no designs on doing it! I'm just genuinely curious! I'm also curious about everyone's methodology. The only person I have experience with night weaning and cosleeping in a family bed had to go sleep on the couch for a few nights for her daughter to stop trying to find the nipple in the middle of the night.

[Ruthla]

I never did anything special to wean, at night or otherwise. If I'd had a child who nursed too much at night, and it was interfering with me getting enough rest, I might have nightweaned. But all of them cut back on nursing as they got older, and I never felt the need to nightwean or cut back on night nursing (except for offering DD1 water when she woke to nurse, when I was pg with DD2. that limited the nightnursing without eliminating it.)

DD1 nursed at least once at night, most nights, until a few weeks before she weaned at 2.5 years. DD2 weaned from the breast before she was really ready to wean (14m) but continued drinking a bottle of milk at night for a while. DS weaned at 4.25, and probably nursed in the middle of the night until he was about 3. The before bed and first thing in the morning nursings were the last to go.

[Nicole730]

I night weaned at 14 months due to pregnancy. He started nursing all night long and it is was so painful.

Not sure what I'll do with this baby. I'm thinking she will be in her own room sooner than our son was, so she will probably nightwean sooner. I feel like it is in her 'personality' to sleep through the night way before DS did. I will still nurse her overnight until she is at least 1 though if she wants it.

[Vancouver Mommy]

I nightweaned ds right around his 3rd birthday. My dd weaned completely at 15 months when I was 12 weeks pg.

[annettemarie]

Moving to Breastfeeding.

[*MamaJen*]

DS always slept pretty well, and night nursing was never too much of an issue after the early months. I'd usually sleep through it anyway. But I guess when he was about 24 months I started putting limits on night nursing.
He goes to sleep in his own bed, then most nights he wakes up at some point and calls to me and I bring him to my bed. Sometimes he'll nurse a little bit falling back asleep, but besides that, I don't usually let him nurse overnight, unless he's sick or really having trouble sleeping. I tell him "nursies go night night" and he usually accepts that.

[Llyra]

It was different with all of my kids, but all of them were nightweaned, one way or the other, by about thirteen months old.

DD1 was never nightweaned. She stopped waking at night all on her own, at a few months old. She is one of those miracle loves-to-sleep kids...

DD2 started waking only once a night at about ten months, and I decided to give her a little nudge and try to cut that feed, and it worked. It was very gentle; I think she barely even knew the difference. She wasn't cosleeping, though, at that point, and I think that makes a big difference. She was crib sleeping in her big sister's room by that age, although she'd coslept as a younger infant.

DS I nightweaned at twelve to thirteen months, because of my own very serious illness. It was a decision made after a lot of deliberation-- we moved him to a crib and nightweaned because I was so sick, and it was honestly not all that gentle a process. He cried a lot (in arms, always ) and the transition was very hard for him. He was clearly NOT ready, and I would never have done it had I felt like I had any other choice.

[SilverFish]

haven't had to here, my 4 month old has been sleeping through the night for ages now. of course, i guess it could always change, but even on the most disruptive days and nights (including travelling, going to fireworks!, going out, staying at family's homes) she still sleeps a solid 10 hours. i don't want to get too attached to this pattern, in case it suddenly changes, but i don't see myself being too thrilled to going back to frequent night nursing after all this time.

[jocelyndale]

I didn't.

DS nightweaned in the 32-34mo range. His schedule.