Night Weaning

[Bookmommy]

I know some of you do not agree with this, but for those who can help please do. My DD is 15 months & I want to night wean. I just am not getting enough sleep. She wakes a least 1 time per night sometimes 2. Where to I even start. She usually nurses to slepp at 9 or 10 pm. So if she is not nursing during the night should I make sure I nurse before I go to work, which would be about 5:30 am?

[treehugginmama]

I'd say once or twice a night to wake to nurse is pretty good. I'd love that. :LOL

I would definitly wake her to nurse before work.

[Alison]

At 15 months Andrew would wake three times a night minimum! I'm jealous of what you have! I tried night weaning, never had any luck, so I can't help. Wish I could! Have you had a look at the No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley? Didn't get Andrew to sleep through the night, but it did help at least. I got his wakings down from three minimum to only 1 or 2. That was so much of an improvement though for us!

Alison

[clothcrazymom]

I think 1-2 times a night at that age is WONDERFUL too!

I know that's not what you wanted to hear though.

For me....I tried to get him to go back to sleep without nursing around that age but it wouldn't work. So then I waited a couple of months later and tried it again...still didn't work....waited a couple of more and then it worked around 20 months or so.

I very loosely did what Dr. Gordon recommends. I wouldn't let him cry though. He would fuss for a few seconds and I would hold him close (in bed) and sortof rock/jiggle him and go shhhh shhh shhhh go back to sleep nursy when it's light out. Something like that. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. After it worked a few times then it started working most times and then all the time and then pretty soon it wasn't necessary at all...he would just roll back over and go to sleep.

I think our energy is the big key here. If we are tense or upset then they really absorb that and it doesn't work well. If we are truly calm and ok with things then they usually are too

[zombiemommie]

Is he eating or drinking enough in the daytime ? Maybe you could increase the number of day nursings (add one or two) (or bottle of BM if he takes that wherever he is where you are at work) or make sure he is getting an extra snack of quality high-calorie food. Maybe he is just hungry. My son was always hungry at night (read: nursing two very full breasts to emptiness) at night. Another things is "reverse cycle nursing" which happens to younger infants (altho I am sure to 15 month olds too) where they make up for not nursing in the day at night, for either nutrition or comfort measures.

I'm sure you must be exhausted having to wake up once or twice at night and then go to work all day ! If you don't co-sleep, maybe give that a try so you don't have to physically get up and trudge to where the baby is.

Let us know what works for you and good luck !

Oh P.S. Nursing at night at least once also helps to keep your milk supply up. You may notice that if you cut out the night nursing, you will have a decrease in your supply. Just a FYI.

[kvan]

:

[PancakeGoddess]

When we night-weaned, our kids were about a year older, so I don't know how well this would work. Personally, I know it's hell some nights, but waiting until around 2 seems a lot better to me. Until the baby has the hang not night-nursing, there will be a LOT less sleep, not more. This could be a very long week or two.

1. We used substitution (favorite healthy snacks and other drinks)
2. Never used cry it out, always give cuddles and comfort, including even walking around in the sling.
3. Reassurance that we'd nurse when the sun came up (when sun came up, we'd be sure to show the light and say those words, so they'd begin to learn what that meant)
4. Make sure everyone is healthy and not teething when we try.
5. Be prepared to have setbacks and start fresh again later (particularly true with a younger baby.)

That's my opinion.

[Bookmommy]

Well the good new is we do co-sleep. If we did not I would be dead. Anyway I guess I will just try to make it a little longer. I don't think she understand the concept of nursies going to sleep yet. I think I will try again at 18 months.

[erlyco]

Just noticed this thread and thought I'd link you to my nightweaning diary from a few weeks back.

DS was almost two so you might not be able to try this stuff yet, but it has worked pretty well for us...

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=274069

[TiredX2]

Hopefulmom---

Perhaps you could just rearrange the nursing to be more convenient to your sleep schedule?

If DD is waking 1-2X nightly and goes to bed around 9, when do *you* go to sleep? I would suggest nursing her around 9 and then waking her up as much as you can for a full long nursing while you are going to sleep. Then, perhaps she can let you sleep a bit longer in a row.

(BTW 5 hours in a row is considered "through the night" so you are probably pretty close to there).