night weaning...

[mommyh74]

I'm having issues, not at nap because he attends Montessori school all day (where he is on a routine and there is no option to nurse...he can put himself to sleep)...but at home he is VERY dependent on me!! He is 20 months and nurses through the night...I have GOT to put a stop to it!! Since birth he nurses every time he is tired. It's been 20 months of never sleeping through the night and trying to nurse and sleep, but now that he is older he is like a contortionist and squirms around...my breasts and chest hurts SO MUCH from the pulling and the stretching...I can hardly sleep from that pain. At least at night I now nurse him in his room (where we have a routine of rocking and singing) and then we go in our room (where he sleeps) I lay next to him and he will fall asleep...but now he is dependent on me to lay next to him for 15-40 minutes. He'll still wake up in the middle of the night 1 - 3 times and whine and cry. HELP!!!

[BabyNMe_101]

Mine is only 9 months and nurses allll night and sleeps with us... but on nights where I just can't take the constant feeding (after she just fed and fed and fed), kicking, rolling, flopping, etc., anymore I put her in the crib. I really love having her in the bed, but enough is enough... I'm tolerating the flopping around less and less. Shes's only in the crib maybe 2-4 hours a night, but it's working better for me and her... when I go back in to get her, I find her sleeping like a rock, and I know it's working, even if it's a little rough on us both. I'm trying to claim my bed back little by little.

[MotherMoonPads]

I am in the same boat with my 28 month old daughter. When we moved we put her in a big girl bed and that worked for about 2 weeks until she realized she could walk to our bed and crawl in I can't stand nursing her 3-4 times a night she is way too old and I need sleep. I haven't slept through the night since I was pregnant with her.

[colin-mylilguy]

I wanted to just give some encouragement and support as one who as BTDT. It can and DOES get better! You can teach your baby what you expect, as far as appropriate behavior, in a gentle and loving way and you will be teaching them to be considerate and gentle at the same time! Two birds with one stone! Woo-hoo!


Here is a link to kellymom.com (every nursing mom's best friend for sound advice and encouragement) that talks about teaching "nursing manners": http://kellymom.com/ages/older-infan...ing-manners-2/

Here is another link that I found helpful: http://kellymom.com/parenting/velcrochild/

I found it really helpful for me to look at things from my child's perspective (since I'm the adult and he doesn't yet have the ability to do this) and I realized that by having realistic, healthy expectations of my child, I could be more patient, and I was able to find ways to meet both of our needs while maintaining a peaceful sleeping experience for all of us.

Best wishes to all you. I hope you find what you are looking for.