EBF 6.5 mo and STTN....tips

cambam7

Are there moms here that have babies that are STTN and EBF? My FF friend's babes are sleeping well. Not mine. She wakes every 2-3 hrs.

I talked to moms who bf and said that is why.

Any advice/tips/success from ebf moms on getting babies to sttn?

NPReed10

Cry it out. Worked for us & she's been sleeping through the night for 2 months now. Also, now that she's eating solids this seems to have helped as well.

paintedtulips

We were having major sleep issues, and was highly opposed to cry it out (CIO). I even tried it once (around 5 months) and gave up. We were rocking to sleep, co-sleeping and no one was well rested.. Finally (around 6.5-7 months) I gave CIO a go once more, and by night 4 he was STTN. He is exclusively BF with 2 meals of solids a day (small meals). Our strategy was  extinction (it sounds worse than it is). We have a really regular bedtime routine. Turn on his noise machine and night light, PJs and diaper into a disposable and into sleep sack at 6 PM, nurse, read 3-4 stories, then I turn on his stuffed animal that sings a lullabye, and leave by 6:30. I let him cry himself to sleep and don't go in. If he wakes up before 11 I let him cry, after 11 I will go in and nurse. I also nurse if he wakes up after 1. But, I will only nurse once between 11-1. These are the "rules" we set. But, I haven't had to even follow them. He doesn't wake up! Usually he sleeps until at least 3 or 4 AM and then I'll nurse, and he will sleep until our wake up time (5:30). But, even more often than not, he will sleep all night! Its worked fabulously! He is a happy baby! And my husband and I are well rested, happy parents!

Harpness

You are not alone! My DS is 7 months and is up 2-3 hours at night, plus still nurses every 2 hours during the day. Not a fan of CIO for us (not that it's bad- I've had friends who have great success with it) since he gets so worked up he starts a coughing fit. A handful of times he's given us 6-7 hour stretch at first. I chalk it up to him having been a premie and needing to still catch up weight wise. I nap when I can with him and drink coffee now as it's the only way to get through the days!

erin79

My first dropped his MOTN feedings on his own at 5.5 months.  We were EBF, and had not started any solids yet.

DD is still waking 1x/night at 7 months, so I don't have the answer, but one tip would just be to make sure she's falling asleep on her own at bedtime as opposed to being nursed to sleep every night.  If she's only falling asleep on the boob at night, then she'll want that when she wakes between sleep cycles overnight, too.

cambam7

I would like to try the cio method but I know it will disturb my hubby. He is a light sleeper and wear ear plugs to sleep. Plus, he tends to her every little whimper and cry. He won't last. The thought of her crying for 1 minute without an attempt to soothe is heartwrenching for him. I know I can last. I just have to find a happy medium.

She is eating solids 1-2 xs a day. We tried giving her cereal before bedtime to fill her up along with nursing after. That has helped a bit but not consistent.

For now, it's up every few hours