Breastfeeding 20 month throughout night

[rea21]

Is it normal to breastfeeding 20 month old back to sleep about 8 times a night? Has anyone else had this problemp

Yes - me! I do think it becomes a habit that is very hard to break once they are past a certain age. Ds2 is 25 months and I have been addrssing this issue over the summer - too exhausted in term -time!

I started by putting him to bed in his own room at bedtime (we cosleep but he had always slept 7-9ish in our bed alone) so this bedtime feed was the first one I tackled, and I did this a few months ago - so when my child was about the same age as yours. The good thing about doing it so late is that you can explain more to them and they understand - even if they can't really answer properly! So I told him he'd be in his own bed and made it exctiting for him. I still bf at bedtime but within a week he was climbing into bed himself. I then sing to him a bit and now I leave and he is wide-awake but settles himself to sleep once I have gone.

This has resulted in his first sleep being a lot longer - he now sleeps there until 12ish, and when he wakes this first time he is happy with a quick cuddle (has taken a couple of months to get to this point though.)

I am now addressing the next wake (about 2ish) and I have been cuddling him in his own room until he drops back off - it's hard though and I may decide to go back to bringing him in with us at 2 - I still feel we've come a long way!

In answer to your question - it is normal and I think if you wait, he will stop eventually some time over the next couple of years. If you can't wait until then I think you need to start by putting him to bed awake and work from there. It's only a problem if it's making you unhappy though.

Good luck!

18-21 months is a huge developmental transition which often leads to more night waking and more need to feed. (The night waking often has nothing to do with bf and frequently affects non-bf babies too.)

Mor info here and here and here.

DS always used to be like this during developmental leaps, but so far his hasn't been bothered by the sleep regressions since 18 months (just coming up to 20 months now - but it could all go mad from tonight! )

Yep me too. I give up and bring her into my bed if she wakes after 11. Otherwise im too tired the next day.

Same here, although mine is 18 months (but I expect to be in same position by 20 months!)
She will pretty much only feed to sleep, then proceeds to wake throughout the night - sometimes just once or twice, sometimes I lose count of how many times.
We end up co-sleeping most of the night because it's the only way for me to get any rest, although I think she'd wake up much less if we could only get her to sleep in her cot for more than 1 or 2 hours at a time.
Haven't got the energy to deal with the situation at the moment, especially as she's just starting nursery so I don't want to rock the boat...