Do children nightwean themselves?

[nervousmommy]

Can this happen? I'm not expecting it soon by any means. My son is 19 months old. I would to love stories if this ever happens. I'm not ready to initiate this. We want to have another baby, but I'm reluctant with how much my son needs me durring the night. He nurses about 3 times a night, but from 4am on, his on and off about every 1/2 hour and flips/flops until he wakes.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

My DS was 19 months old when I got pregnant and nursed quite a bit in the night (we have a family bed) but when I was about... 7 weeks pregnant (?) he started tapering off and rolling away when asked and cuddling with papa instead. Then there were two nights where I was very ill and slept on the couch because I was up and down all night and didn't want to disturb everyone and he didn't ask at all on those nights and from then on, he nurses most nights (5 out of 7) before bed and every morning when we get up but he only nurses in between 8:30 pm and 8 am about once a week (usually when he's had a nightmare or been woken up by a loud noise or something like that) and he rolls away easily after a few minutes.

Now the daytime... that's a WHOLE different story

[earthmama369]

One of my kiddos nightweaned herself. I wouldn't necessarily recommend going the route she did though!

She was 16 months old and she and I had just come through three solid months of sleepless, cranky, miserable hell. She got four molars and four cuspids at the same time, hit a growth spurt, and a couple developmental milestones (walking and talking in full sentences). Her brain and her body were SO busy that she just couldn't sleep. Everything settled down pretty much overnight and I think she was so relieved that she could sleep, she just did. And she stopped waking up to nurse. She continued to nurse during the day until the day before her fourth birthday, so nightweaning definitely didn't lead to full weaning.

[butterfly_mommy]

Mine did.

DS stopped nursing at night with regularity at about 27 mons or so. He gradually cut back from nursing every 2 hours from the time he nursed to sleep, which he was still doing well into his 2nd year.

At 2 he would nurse to sleep at around 9 and would nurse once between 9-1 nurse at 1, nurse at 4 and then nurse at 7.
He then went to nursing to sleep at 9 and then not nurse till 1, nurse around 4is then nurse at 7 ish.
Then nurse to sleep at 9pm nurse at 1am, nurse at 5 then nurse at 8ish
Then nurse to sleep at 9pm, nurse at 5, nurse at 8ish
In the last few weeks he has nursed to sleep at 9pm and then not nurse or ask to nurse till around 8-9 when he wakes up.

He would occasionally say I want to nurse and I would either not respond (pretend to be sleeping) or I would just pat his back and snuggle him and he would more then not just settle back to sleep. Occasionally he would ask again or just try to latch on and then I would nurse him. If I tried to talk to him or say "nursies later" or "not now" he would get upset and I would then need to nurse him so I just figured out the above and it works for us. I still consider it child led as he is the one that initiated the whole thing and it is only occasionally that he will ask. Like last night at 3am he woke me to say he had to pee, I got up with him and he did not pee but then I had to pee so he came with me. When we got back to bed I snuggled him up and a few mins later he whispered "I want nursies" but I pretended I was already asleep but had decided that if he asked again I would latch him on but he didn't ask again and didn't ask till 9am when he woke up.

Oh just wanted to add that DS still nurses during the day at least 3-4 times.

[grumpybear]

Mine nightweaned by himself as well.
He was around 2y8mos when he did that.
He is now 4y2mos and nurses only during the day

[russsk]

My son did, about 4-5 months ago, at about 2 years old. I was 3-4 months pregnant and my milk supply had decreased. He still nurses down to sleep for naps and bed, but that's it.

[clemrose]

When my daughter turned two (and I found out I was pregnant) we moved her to her own room. Before that she was waking and nursing ever 45 min - 1.5 hrs. After a few weeks she drastically reduced her nightwakings/nursings. I also started reducing the length of time she could nurse simply because it hurt. She started sleeping through or only waking once. She completely weaned at about 2 years and 4 months.

I don't think the nightweaning or weaning would have happened if we hadn't moved her but she was much more rested after!