It's time to night wean...what next? - Page 2

[newvoiceMOMMA]

THANK YOU!  What a great article!

any recommendations on the family bed?  we have a queen right now and its a bit small for the three of us.  when my husband moves, he wakes up the baby!

I've heard that two twins are best on a king frame.  I was also thinking of not using a boxspring and just getting a frame with a built in support and laying the mattress on that, something low to the ground...perhaps something inexpensive at ikea. Also, should we put one side of the bed against the wall or use a guard rail on our bed?  He's one now and moves around alot, when he wakes up, I don't want him falling out!

[newvoiceMOMMA]

I really like that idea of the light.  Yes, it is something that a child can understand b/c its tangible!  what a novel idea!  thanks for that one!

how did you handle the tantrums when you didn't allow the nursing at those times at night?  he squirms his way up to the headboard and kicks me, continuously...hmmm?

i know this transition time will only last for a certain amt of time but, I almost have to hold him down so, he doesn't fall out of the bed or bang his head on the headboard...

when you spoon her do you hold her so she can't fall off the bed when she tantrumed?

9-5 with only one time up/night would be amazing on those healthy days/nights!

[D_McG]

Originally Posted by newvoiceMOMMA 

I really like that idea of the light.  Yes, it is something that a child can understand b/c its tangible!  what a novel idea!  thanks for that one!

how did you handle the tantrums when you didn't allow the nursing at those times at night?  he squirms his way up to the headboard and kicks me, continuously...hmmm?

i know this transition time will only last for a certain amt of time but, I almost have to hold him down so, he doesn't fall out of the bed or bang his head on the headboard...

when you spoon her do you hold her so she can't fall off the bed when she tantrumed?

9-5 with only one time up/night would be amazing on those healthy days/nights!

I deal with kicking/hitting the same way day or night. You kick or hit me, I'm gone. I would just walk out and let DH deal with them.

[RiverandJulie]

I dont think DS would quite understand the nightlight yet....although maybe I dont give him enough credit.  I will add it into the plan-which starts tonight.

New Voice, we have a queen bed and DS sleeps sideways and kicks!  So, yeah-that got small quickly.  I have a set of bunk beds that I knew I was eventually going to need mattresses for, so I bought the 2 mattresses adn they are stacked on top of each other next to the bed.  Currently it is DS and one of us in the queen and the other parent in the twin (the twin is a little lower).  I hope to move Ds to the twin soon, but right now, he gets upset if he is alone in it and that is a battle I am not willing to fight right now.

FWIW, we put him down in his crib, because he is like yours, squirmy and wiggly and wild, and i dont trust him not to fall out of bed or crawl headfirst out.  And, if he did happen to get down safely, I dont feel safe with him alone in our room.  He comes into our room when he first wakes up.  

Like I have said, he has alwyas been bottle fed and DH and I split night duties, so DS doesnt associate one of us with milk and will fight either one of us.

[voca]

Falling off the bed isn't a huge issue for us because what we have is two futon mattresses on low platforms. If she rolls out of bed she is dropping about an inch and a half onto carpet. However I do hold her snug when I spoon her, so that she will lie still. Otherwise she gets caught in an endless cycle of tossing, turning, dropping the pacifier, finding the pacifier, wanting her doll, not wanting her doll .... 

She hasn't really tantrumed throughout the process. Complained yes. Cried a little. But not full out screaming kicking tantrums, which she can have during the day. To be honest if she had had full out tantrums I probably would have concluded she wasn't ready for weaning and stealed myself for a few more months of night nursing. But since we sleep together I am probably not as tired as you. My general response to hitting or kicking is as D_McG said -- if you hit or kick me I leave.

Originally Posted by newvoiceMOMMA 

I really like that idea of the light.  Yes, it is something that a child can understand b/c its tangible!  what a novel idea!  thanks for that one!

how did you handle the tantrums when you didn't allow the nursing at those times at night?  he squirms his way up to the headboard and kicks me, continuously...hmmm?

i know this transition time will only last for a certain amt of time but, I almost have to hold him down so, he doesn't fall out of the bed or bang his head on the headboard...

when you spoon her do you hold her so she can't fall off the bed when she tantrumed?

9-5 with only one time up/night would be amazing on those healthy days/nights!

[RiverandJulie]

So it started last night...And of course-was not at all what I expected.
We made the decision to give him a full strength bottle when he first woke up-usually around 10-11.  Then, when he woke up again, withhold bottle-do whatever we could to get him back to sleep.  No bottle until 5:00 AM.  Then we figured he could have a full strength. 

We put lots of contingencies.  If he really cries for 15 minutes-he gets a bottle.  If we cant do it any longer-he gets a bottle.  We talked and discussed, I was really uncertain about the whole thing.

SO, it was warm last night, and he got up around 9 and was sweaty, so we moved him to our room early (much cooler in there).  But he went right down without a bottle.  Then he slept until 12:30.  Woke up and got his full strength bottle, since it was his first.  Then he slept until a little after 6:00 , which is almost his normal wake up time.  So, we got up-no bottle.  

Ahhh, babies-they always throw you for a loop.  6 hours!    Let's see what tonite brings 

Of course-now I am trying to figure out exactly what we did yesterday to make him sleep well........