To wean a boob monster

[Apachepony]

Well I'm probably Abu to post here for traffic but...my 14 month old just wants to nurse all night long. I have a high pressured job, and I'm on my knees - my work performance must really be suffering. Not of the "gentle" pantley methods are really working. Do I just go cold turkey, send my dh in and let him cry all night? At the end of my tether...tips welcome...

I night weaned my son at a similar age as I was pregnant, working full time and couldn't deal with his all night latch anymore.

The Jay Gordon link posted above is really good - I used that along with some guidance from Dr Sears on night weaning too (you should be able to Google it).

I did it mostly on my own but it helped when my husband slept with the toddler for a few days

I was in a similar situation to you at 14 months OP: co-sleeping boob monster, no longer fed to sleep but woke frequently through the night wanting milk. First I tried gently stretching out the time between feeds by refusing a feed here and there through the night with a view to gradually dropping a feed at a time but I think the inconsistency was harder on him than cold turkey.

What finally worked was refusing any feeds between 11:30 and 4:30/5:30. I would try settling him in those hours but sometimes OH had to take over and I'd go sleep somewhere else til morning. It took less than a week for him to get used to the new routine and within a few weeks he started sleeping 7-9 hours at a stretch. He still tries for milk 'out of hours' occasionally but I just say 'It's not time for milk. It's time for sleep. You can have milk in the morning.' Most of the time that's enough although sometimes what he really needs is a cuddle and he cwtches up nice and close and goes back to sleep that way, which I love.

Thank you everybody. I think I have a plan of action, based on just not feeding between 11 and 6 etc - a mix of what pp have said above. There is part of me that would miss the night-time snuggles when away for so much of the day - but it sounds like I may be able to get some sleep and keep my sanity while still reserving some cuddles post 6am or whatever.,,time to just do it I think!

Good luck!!

I night weaned at 13 months for the same reason. Kept the 4am feed for a few months and then DC dropped it of own accord.

For me it was about 45 mins screaming the first night, then 10 the next night, then none and he was fine. I put a closed beaker of water in the cot with him because I didn't want him to be thirsty. There was no way he was hungry - he ate and nursed like a demon all day. It was just habit and comfort, but I needed to sleep so that I could work, that was the end of it really.

I didn't wean during the day until 28 months. that was an absolute fucking nightmare though Didn't affect my supply or anything... though I always had too much milk so maybe that should be taken with a pinch of salt tbh.