If your LO does not STTN...

Ciarrai

but you're not still nursing/giving bottles, what do you do when they wake up?  DS has started waking up again at night.  He did great for a few weeks, but he's always been a crappy sleeper.  He used to get up at 10 or 11ish to nurse and then sleep through until 5 or 6ish.  That was fine when he was nursing, but my milk is virtually gone so he's not actually getting anything when he gets up (at least I can't see/hear him swallowing next to at all).  I've tried rocking him and snuggling him and giving him his paci, but he keeps wanting the boob.  I really really don't want to introduce the bottle at this point because he's already over a year and I'd rather not start that habit.  I also don't think he's really hungry because he's not too upset about not having any milk, but at the same time, I really don't want to be a human pacifier.  Any ideas?  I think I used to leave a sippy of water in the girls' crib at this age.  Maybe that would help just to give him a quick drink? Maybe this weekend I can have DH start getting up with him.  Any other advice/ideas?  We do CIO and it's always worked well, but DS is stubborn and it only works for a week or two and then he's back to getting up.  Plus he's teething right now and I won't do CIO when he's really hurting.

shopgirl78

I think we discussed this before but I few things I do:

1. Have extra paci's so he can find one.

2.  DS2 loves cuddling up with a pillow pet.  When he is tired and playing, he will come to the couch and point to a pillow...he likes them.

3.   I do give water (or milk--when he was sick) in a sippy as a last resort.   We are 100% bottle free now!

4.  I don't use a monitor, so I only know when he really needs me. 

5.  If he seems like in a lot of pain from teething, I give him tylenol. 

hikerbeth

I was going to say exactly that, leave a sippy of water in the crib.

I started that with each of my kids around 9-10 months and it's not fool proof, but I think it does help some of the time.  We live a really dry climate and I can't deny them a sip of water at night.

However, if my DS does wake after 3 am or so, I will nurse him because he's become a horrible nurser if he's not sleepy, so I want to capitalize on it until he's a year.

Angela814

DD1 still climbs into bed with us occasionally. After a few hard months of night weaning, she started going right back to sleep when I brought her into our bed. She always got more upset if DH tried to take care of her.

Ciarrai

He does have a pillow pet (and a pillow) in his crib.  He loves his pillow pet.  I also usually throw a few pacis in there but I know at least one of the times he was up last night he couldn't find any because I was still awake and heard him quickly.  I was able to pop the paci back in his mouth without him totally waking up.  We also don't have the monitor on anymore.  He's just down the hall so I hear him if he's really awake but not if he's just fussing.  We've also tried bringing him in our bed but he's still going for the boob or trying to play.  He thinks it's playtime and won't sleep long with us.  He did come in bed with us this morning at 4, but again, I had to nurse him to get him back to sleep anyway.

justEK

Have you tried a paci clip?

stacynikki

I have the same issue but DS won't take a paci.  I have really become the human pacifier.  To make it worse DS1 always wakes DS2 when he gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I do use a monitor because the kids are on the other side of the house but last night I turned it off because I was exhausted and DS2 wasn't crying but kept waking up and whining.  I heard him crying around 5:30, when he typically wakes up to nurse.  I can nurse him back to sleep till 7:15ish at this point.  I want to wean in a couple of months so I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the 5:30 nursing session!  CIO??