I'm NOT ready to wean fully, but Eliza will be one next week and I'm ready to drop a session or two. She nurses when she wakes up, before and after each nap (she naps twice a day), before bed, right now, twice a night and then whenever she wants to during the day, which is usually just when she's fussy.
What session would you drop first? AM nap or PM nap? Did you offer milk instead of nursing at a usual nursing time?
She eats three huge meals a day but no snacks. Would you add in a snack too?
Re: Talk to me about weaning
Yes, add a snack. I used yogurt to help me wean Truitt (Mathis self weaned, little stinker). When he would wake up, I would give him some yogurt as a snack before he thought about nursing.
I also followed the "don't offer, don't refuse" technique that Dr Sears recommends and it worked really well.
I would probably drop the night ones first, unless she is crying and you can't get her back down - but she should be able to sleep through them at this age. (Then YOU can start sleeping, too. )
Then I would drop the after naps. It would probably be hard to drop the before naps, b/c likley she uses it as comfort to fall asleep. And you can always just get her a snack right after she wakes us, if she is hungry.
Then just see what she asks for after that and go from there.
middle of the night for sure. She's old enough to be STTN or at least not need to eat. That might be a doozie to break... You're a patient mama!!! At about 8 months (with Luca, more like 5 with Lila) we cut out all night food. We all needed sleep!!!!
If only the night feeding(s) would just go away...
I Ferber'ed him successfully once, and it only lasted long enough for me to go on a girls' retreat. My husband didn't have to wake up to feed him overnight. I swear as soon as I came back, he started waking again. After that, Ferber has not been working for us. I keep hoping he will drop the night waking(s) on his own. This is one strong-willed child.
If I were you, I would pick a feeding that Eliza isn't terribly attached to. I would probably just try to distract her because I bet she'll forget about it pretty soon. You could use a snack or milk, but I think I'd try just changing up the routine first since she gets to nurse and eat a lot at other times throughout the day.
She's a teething monster these days, so I'm not ready to drop the night feedings. She goes through cycles where when she's not in a growth spurt, she STTNs with no help on our part, so I think when the teeth aren't a problem she'll go back to STTN on her own.
I'll start with the post afternoon nap feed first since I think that one is really just habit because I don't feel like I have a lot of milk then anyway. Plus, she's always trying to steal Marion's snacks when they play together in the afternoon, so that would be a good distraction.
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