9 mon old night weaning

Sacagawea

For those of you with LO this age how did you night wean without lots of crying? My LO gets up 2 times per night and on bad nights 3, and it is killing my ability to sleep well and function throughout the day. I feel like every baby her age is sleeping through the night just fine, and I am so jealous.  I've tried timing her and cutting down minutes of nursing, but she isn't satisfied when I cut down the time and just cries until she gets a full session in. She eats about every 2-3 hours during the day with 3 meals of solids (just picks, and doesn't eat much of solids). Bedsharing is not an option (bed is too small and LO actually sleeps better in her crib). We have tried letting her cry, but just can't stand it after 15-30 minutes. Help!

tokenhoser

First, I figured out what I really wanted. He's not a good sleeper, and wishing for 12 hours of sleep won't make it so in this house. So I decided I'm fine with nursing him at 7 or 8 when he goes to bed, at 10 or 11 when I go to bed, and then only after 3 am. That gives me one chunk of 4+ hours.

Then I quit nursing during those hours. And it was hard. And he was mad. And there was crying. I or DH would go and cuddle him for a minute, then put him down and leave. Usually he'd go back to sleep in a few minutes (less than 10, and soon much faster). After about 10 days, he started sleeping that chunk. I still dream feed before I go to bed, but last night I was only up at 3:30 and 5:30 (then up for the day at 7:45). So much nicer than what we were doing.

So pretty much... decide what you want and stick to your guns. It could take up to 2 weeks to see results.

genekelly

I'm there with you.  It's really just started to affect me in the last 2-3 wks though where my daily functioning is a struggle by the end of the day.  I still would like to nurse him until a year though and my supply during the day is low. I'm worried about night weaning and then drying up altogether.

  He seems to take in ~12-13 oz usu with MH during the day and so I really think he needs some of those other nighttime sessions to get enough calories.  I'd like him to drop one of those feedings so I could get one 4-5 hr stretch of sleep at night.  I'm thinking of doing what PP suggested and forcing the issue so I can sleep b/w 10-3 or so.  He gave me a 5 hr stretch a month or two ago and it was amazing how much better I felt.  I hope LO turns a corner for you(and me) soon! 

bluejetta

I hit the same brick wall with sleep deprivation. My DD is a bit younger but we recently decided to try and push her night feedings later using Ferbers' graduated waiting.  She goes to bed at 6:30pm and wakes 2-3 between then and 6am.  Most often around 11pm and 2/3am and then 5am.  I was hoping to get it down to a solid 1 or 2 after midnight since I knew that she wasn't eatings a much during one of them and really only needed 1 or 2.

Our plan is to start with a reasonable interval (for DD 5hrs) and not feed before that and use checkins if she wakes before 11:30pm.  Then another 3 hours before any other feed same deal with check ins. 

Oddly, since we decided this she has slept 6:30pm - 2:30 am on her own. Don't know if it is the warm weather, adding some solids 2 times a day, or that she is less sleepy after her bedtime nursing that she is going to bed awake (thus less likely to associate sleep with nursing) but it is still our plan to not feed before 11:30.