Night nursing toddler

[h&m]

HELP!!! I've been a night nursing co-sleeping mom of 33 month old now his whole life. He was waking 1-3 x's in the night which was totally manageable but now he is going back to about 6 x's!!!!  I just can't do it! I have been contemplating nightweaning but would love any other suggestions, advice, etc.

Thanks!

[caenach]

No advice--just some commiseration! DD's 30 months and a dedicated night-nurser. We went through a few unpleasant nights last month in an effort to get DD to night-wean (or, at least, nurse only while going to sleep and then while waking up), but then allowed DD to revert when she got quite sick and really needed the comfort/fluids. :(

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

No "other" suggestions. We night-weaned DD at about 30 months, and it was the BEST. She was old enough that it wasn't a big deal (maybe 3 tears the second night?). We reverted back to night-nursing briefly when she was 3 and we were on vacation and she wouldn't sleep, but then stopped again when we got home. She continued to day-nurse until she was about 3.5.

[MayasMama88]

I don't really have any other suggestions for you, either. My DD is 16.5 months old and I've decided (somewhat hesitantly) to night-wean her, at least partially. She nurses all day and all night, and I was finding myself very irritable, in bad moods, and generally unpleasant because I wasn't getting enough sleep, and I felt like I couldn't get anything done during the day because she wanted my attention all the time! It's only been two nights/days, but I have already seen improvement. It's one of those things where you just have to be strong and stick with it until you and your LO are adjusted to the change. I don't like hearing my daughter scream and cry because I won't give her the breast every time she wants it, but I know it's something that I have to do for BOTH our benefit. We co-sleep, too, so it's not like I'm letting her cry-it-out, which I could never ever do. I comfort her as best as I can, and I've been noticing that her crying/screaming only lasts a few minutes and then she snuggles up to me and falls back asleep. Last night, she woke up and I told her it wasn't time to nurse, and she kept screaming and crying and wasn't showing any signs of going back to sleep, so I checked the clock on my phone and it had actually been longer since I last nursed her than I thought it had been, so I went ahead and let her have the breast. I think she really did need it then. Obviously it's got to be your decision, but as against night-weaning as I was, I'm finding that I don't mind partially weaning her, and I'm actually excited that we're both going to be getting more sleep!

[Tattooed Hand]

I nightweaned my almost 15 month old a couple of weeks ago because she had been waking up every 1-3 hours since birth and I was pretty close to collapse. It's only partial, we just don't nurse from 11-4, because I just need that 5 hour stretch in a row (plus a couple more hours) to feel like a human being. I too was surprised at how little crying there actually was. And she's begin sleeping in longer chunks, even 7 hour stretches. I think this was the absolute earliest she was ready, but it was the longest I could go, and I think we are both doing better with more sleep. I feel like I am a better mama, less cranky, more patient and with more energy and feeling more fun.