How often does your older baby wake to nurse at night?

[luckymamaoftwo]

I'm curious if I'm feeding my babe WAY more than others do at night. He's 8 months old. Often times I nurse him out of sheer desperation to get him settled again, as many nights he's awake every 90 minutes for reasons that I haven't yet figured out, but probably not that he's truly hungry. But even on a "good" night, he goes down around 7:30 p.m. and then I nurse him again usually around 10 p.m. and then around every 3 hours thereafter, with him waking for the day at 7 a.m.

I should add that I'm pretty much "asleep" while feeding him so I don't keep track of the time, per se, but I know that he is nursing quite a bit, still. Your thoughts? Experiences?

Oh, and one more question! With all this nighttime nursing, I feel like I need to change his diaper at least once as it is SOAKED. Am I alone in this nighttime diaper change for an 8 month old??

Thanks!

[zamia7]

My 13 month old has the same sleep patterns. I gave nightweaning a shot (a la Jay Gordon), and it was going pretty well, until he got sick, and I tried again, but he just stays awake until I nurse him (even if its hours) I do one diaper change, usually around 2. He is not hungry usually, except once, he just can't seem to go back to sleep without nursing a little bit. I am a human pacifier. I am very very tired every single day.

[porcelina]

My son woke every two hours from when he was 3 months to when he was 25 months (even more frequently during that first year)! We tried nightweaning several times, and didn't have any success until 26 months. Even then, it was still difficult/impossible to rid of the one waking around 4-5 am.

[akind1]

His wake/sleep pattern seems pretty normal to me. DS just started really STTN at around 10 months, but not consistently. (and by STTN, I mean 8-10 hour stretches). He won't sleep more than 5-6 hours at a stretch if he is near the boob, so the long ones only happen when he will stay asleep in his crib.

I don't change DS at all at night. it would wake him too much. I only did when he was less than 3 months old I think. (unless it is poop, in which case, he definitely gets changed)

[cileag]

My daughter went through this at around 8 months as well---AskMoxie talks about a 8-9 month sleep regression and I was so glad to hear that. It was like having a newborn again---every 90 minutes and was talking a long time to settle back down.

BUT, it was temporary and we're back to 1-2 wakings, with quick nurse or rock back to sleep.

[Calee]

My 8 month old gets up at least three times a night-last night it was 5. I know he is not hungry all those times, but I nurse him-it may be for comfort or thirst. All I know is that it gets him back to sleep quickly

I do not change his diaper in the night. He really isn't getting full feedings all those times, so he really doesn't pee ALL that much (his diaper is full in the morning, but he has not leaked)

[fruitfulmomma]

My 22 month old nurses to sleep around 8 and nurses between 3 and 5 times a night, though I wouldn't say she is awake, mostly she just nuzzles around until she finds it. Then she is up between 7 and 8 in the morning.

[Llyra]

It varied a lot, from kid to kid.

At that age:

-My DD1 didn't wake at night, for about ten hours.

-DD2 woke three, or maybe four, times to nurse, in about 10 hours.

-DS gave me one two-hour stretch, early in the night, and then nursed roughly every forty-five minutes the rest of the night. The last few hours of the night, he was basically nursing continuously, for at least two hours without unlatching and often longer.

[lemontree]

My DS nurses all night too. I usually have to do a 3am diaper change because otherwise he leaks, and it wakes him up. He gets really restless when his diaper is soaked and so I keep a dipe on the floor beside the bed. He is 12mths btw.

I have felt some relief over the past 3 nights since he has *only* nursed every few hours. (now you know i just jinxed myself)

[jennybear]

It was similar at 8-9 months. Now that she's almost 10 months we're back in a once/night pattern which is MUCH better for mama!

[luckymamaoftwo]

Thanks, mamas! Good to know that I'm not alone in the constant night-time feedings for an 8 month old. I was concerned that I was nursing him too often as a way to pacify him, and I really don't want to be set up for major issues later on but I feel better after reading your responses.

Gotta love MDC and all the experience and wisdom from other mothers!

[lovepiggie]

He wakes every 3 hours? I'm jealous!

DS, 13 months, usually wakes every 90 minutes - 2 hours on a good night. On a bad night, it's every hour. And he likes to pinch my armpit while nursing, so there's no sleep for me while he's nursing :S

[chel]

dd2 was a decent newborn sleeper, often only waking once during a 9-10hr stretch. slept so well i got my period back at 5m (ebf)
now at 9m, dd wakes 3-5 times during a 8hr stretch. i nurse most of the time just because it is a quick way to get her down, but she often wakes with a dry diaper (pees alot after waking)
we just bought a la z boy recently, as dd seems to go right back down as soon as i hold her over my shoulder, so we've been sleeping in the chair from 3-6am

[moondiapers]

Nadia is 8 almost 9 months and she just the night before last settled into a twice a night routine. Before that.....everytime she stirred in her sleep she woke up to nurse, UGH!!!! I'm hoping the twice a night thing continues.

[luckymamaoftwo]

Moondiapers-

Did you do anything to get her settled into twice-a-night schedule, or did she naturally do it herself?

[luckymamaoftwo]

Originally Posted by lovepiggie

He wakes every 3 hours? I'm jealous!

DS, 13 months, usually wakes every 90 minutes - 2 hours on a good night. On a bad night, it's every hour. And he likes to pinch my armpit while nursing, so there's no sleep for me while he's nursing :S

I empathaize because every 3 hours is DS good night...like REALLY good night. We're more often in the 90 min-2 hours like you and your DS. Let's hope it gets better soon!

[bluebunny]

DD is almost 11 months. She usually goes down between 7-8 p.m. but wakes between 10-11 to nurse and then every two to three hours until 6, getting up for the day at 8:30. I'm exhaused as I, too, am a human pacifier.

She slept MUCH better when she was 3-5 months, sleeping 5-6 hours at a stretch. I don't know what to do. I know she doesn't need to nurse, she just has gotten used to having me as a pacifier.

[Tattooed Hand]

Originally Posted by luckymamaoftwo

I empathaize because every 3 hours is DS good night...like REALLY good night. We're more often in the 90 min-2 hours like you and your DS. Let's hope it gets better soon!

I'm so exhausted and am not doing well at my job (WAHM). It just seems to be getting worse and worse. DD slept way better when she was younger. I've only been getting longer than a 2 hour stretch of sleep like 4 times a month the last 5 months!

[cocoanib]

At 7 months old, 2-4 times on average.
Mostly it's twice, but lately it's been more like 5.

[Flower of Bliss]

In roughly 10 hours in bed, my 14 month old wakes about 4-5 times I think. I sleep topless in bed next to her. Unless she's fussy or really restless, I don't really wake up too much. This was a huge trick I learned with DD1. I stopped looking at the clock and keeping track of how often she was waking and how much sleep I was getting. It helped immensely.

She's been cutting molars, and has been waking more often, staying latched on longer, and doing back arching and crying more often lately. I'd say in the last few weeks we've likely been waking more like 5-7+ times a night, and staying awake longer.

I don't change her diaper at night. If she's having a really rough night, and I notice her diaper is really wet, and she's not nursing right back down, then I wake DH to change her, but that's maybe twice a month. She sleeps in a fitted with a wool soaker (which is her normal daytime diaper too), and never leaks.