When to night wean?

[Jewels06]

Someone suggested that in order to get my 9 month old to sleep better at night that I should start to night wean. We do co-sleep and I usually do feed him back to sleep. The only other way would be to rock him to sleep which I have done when he's been fed on both sides and won't go down. I hadn't thought of night weaning, I had assumed it was too young. So I'm wondering when most babies are night weaned? TIA!

[beebalmmama]

Personally I think 9 months is a little young to nightwean. But that being said I also think the nursing relationship needs to work for both of you. Are you having a difficult time at night with nursing? Or did someone's advice get you thinking about it.

I nightweaned my first when he was 18 months. He had always been an all night nurser and finally at a year and a half "I" could not do it anymore. I was continually exhausted and sleeping very poorly. I weaned him as gently as I could with dh's help. It was easier at that age because we could tell him "nursies and mama was sleeping" etc. I think it would be much more difficult at this young age to night wean. I also know for my 8 month old that night nursings are his chance to catch up on daytime nursings that get missed because he's so distracted playing, learning, crawling... I can tell when he's had busy days because he nurses a bit more at night.

[LadyCatherine185]

I would not nightwean before 1 year.

[torybug]

The Dr Jay Gordon website has great info on night weaning, and he recommends 1 year. I'm doing it now at 10 months though; DD and I are both suffering from the perpetual sleep deprivation and I'm hoping this will help her get more sleep at night (and hopefully nap better at daycare.)

[ein328]

We just night weaned dd- she's 11 months. We used Dr. Gordon's method and it worked beautifully- no tears, just crankiness.

That being said, the main reason why I did it is because my supply tanked with this pregnancy. DD would try to nurse at night, get little or nothing, then pitch a fit. Bedsharing and nursing is one thing- but having to get up and make a bottle at all hours of the night got really old. None of us were sleeping, and night weaning has made a huge difference in that respect.

[hrsmom]

You could try some gentle techniques at this age to perhaps reduce the number of night time nursings. Maybe not complete night weaning altogether, but longer stretches of sleep.