How did you night wean your (older) LO?

Re: How did you night wean your (older) LO?

• APK141 member

  January 2015

  I have no advice. But I sit here, at 4:17 am, doing the sane with my 16 month old. He nurses (sometimes) in the morning and (always) at night. And when he wakes up in the middle of the night. My plan, once he's over this terrible cold he has, is for DH to take over bedtime for as long as it takes. We will continue with our dinner, play, bath, book, prayers, bed routine. Just after the book and prayers, DH will take him in and probably rock him.
  Not sure if it will work, but it seems like a good plan. I just know that, as the milk source, I cannot be visible during bedtime. (

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• ljhgrey member

  January 2015

  I was surprised how quickly we managed to night wean, took about a week total at 21 months before he was STTN. Before that he woke to nurse 2-3 times x night. I replaced nursing with a sippy cup of water. When he'd wake I'd go in and rub his back to calm him and give him the sippy. Worked for us. Lots of tears and wasn't easy, but once he realized there wasn't going to be any nursing, he didn't wAke aS often. Early mornings were the hardest- nursing was often how I got him back to sleep for a few hours around 5 am. Good luck!

  -LJ
  
  

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• blondie10m member

  January 2015

  To be clear I don't mind nursing at bedtime, just the motn wake ups. Momma is tired! I wrote this post at 3 am on my phone while nursing. I will feed before bed and in the morning as long as he wants.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• blondie10m member

  January 2015

  Thanks. I'm debating cio since it seems to upset him more when he sees me at night. I think going in might make things worse...

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• jennygirlmt member

  January 2015

  It was the same for both girls, 16 months was my breaking point. I always nursed to sleep, though I'm hoping with #3 I'll master the allusive drowsy but awake.
  
  They were waking 2-4 times a night. I would go in, hand a cup of water, say no milk and then rock them. They cried a lot the first two nights. Then it got to be less and after night 4-5 they slept through the night.
  
  With Dhs work schedule I didn't feel like I could make him o in. Also, they would freak when they saw him and become hysterical. Daddy at 2am? Spawn of satan. Daddy at 7am best friend in the whole world.
  
  
  I think past a year you can definitely relax on the fear of hunger and focus on getting them more sleep. Other than major blips while traveling and a few here or there they've slept 12-13 hrs since. Going to bed got harder in the last few weeks with Dd2 and I have to sit on her floor but for 8 months she would wave goodnight as I left.
  
  Good luck!

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

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• opheliainwaders member

  January 2015

  Similarly to @casey78, we started with helping her fall asleep without nursing (still nursed before bed, just didn't nurse to sleep - and we still nurse before bed at 19m). Then we started night-weaning her little by little.
  
  At first, we started with her first wakeup - 11pm. DH was in charge of that one (or any before 11pm), but I would still nurse her if she woke up AFTER 11. Then we moved the "deadline" to 1am, then 2, etc. until the cutoff for nursing was 6am. It took about 2 weeks. (Bonus was that after we dropped the 11am wakeup, she started sleeping from 7-2 almost immediately, and then moving the others was much easier. Getting rid of the first wakeup took about a week.)
  
  She now usually sleeps until about 7, but as long as it's legitimately "morning" when she gets up, then we nurse. 
  

  

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• spacedew1 member

  January 2015

  For those of you that used a cup of water how may nights did you offer it? 

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