Has anyone nightweaned without help from DH?

delilah89 · 2013-11-08T12:06:32+00:00

That's it really. Need to nightwean but my OH is knackered and can't really be bothered to understand it and I'd rather do it on my own, if there's a way?

fhdl34 · 08/11/2013 12:31

I did it on my own but being pregnant helped because my supply dropped very suddenly not long after finding out. She stopped being able to fall asleep on the breast because there wasn't enough milk and she found that very frustrating. So I looked at dr jay's night weaning method. I then looked at reviews of it by others and found a very detailed account, which suggested counting down to 10 when baby was at drowsy point and then taking them off. This is what I did and eventually she'd come off before the 10. Then I'd just rock/cuddle her to sleep. This also reduced her night wakings considerably from every night to once or twice a night.
I have to say though, had my supply not dropped it would've been a much tougher job. This was around 16 months and she stopped completely at 18 months . She still asks occasionally but has already forgotten how to latch :(

ThePieSmuggler · 08/11/2013 12:35

Following with interest as my DH works away a lot and ideally I'd like to night wean in the next 6 months as we're going to TTC soon

WillSingForCake · 08/11/2013 18:37

I did. I just gave DD less and less milk everytime she woke. She was eating plenty of solids in the day, so I felt confident she was waking through habit rather than hunger. I'd reduce the time I fed for, and by the time I was only feeding her for a few minutes then putting her back in the cot she got the message & stopped waking.

TravelinColour · 08/11/2013 18:39

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Mae34 · 08/11/2013 20:50

Yes i did jay Gordon's gentle night weaning with both mine around 11 m dd1 and 13 m dd2...I always thought it made more sense to do it myself as otherwise as soon as I reappeared they'd expect milk.... For both it had a dramatic effect on sleep though I know not everyone finds that the case...

legallyblond · 09/11/2013 16:49

I did, but DD was quite old (about 18 months). She was old enough for me to explain that she was only going to get a cuddle, no milk, if she woke up. She did complain and cry, but I tried not to feel bad as I was right there, giving her cuddles and kisses etc... It worked just fine!

mammy2012 · 09/11/2013 17:54

Legally blond- I'm so impressed. How long did it take?

hmotb · 09/11/2013 19:10

I did very recently. My son is 21 months, and, like some others on this discussion I decided he was getting enough to eat during the day and was waking up out of habit. I started on a Thursday night, went in when he first woke and fed him for a few minutes. Then, every wake after that I went in, cuddled, offered water and then put him back into bed. He woke up about 4 or 5 times. Friday night I didn't feed him at all. He woke up 3 times. Saturday night he woke twice and them once on Sunday night. By Monday he was sleeping through. About 2 weeks later I was able to put him into his cot awake to go off to sleep. We had a little regression last week as he's been unwell but as of Thursday he is back to normal. I am still feeding first thing and last thing and am reading this discussion with interest as I will want to stop entirely within the next 6 months or so. Good luck

bountyicecream · 09/11/2013 19:18

I did at about 9 months just before going back to work. Dd was only feeding once on most nights by this time and eating quite well. So I offered some water. The first night she took a massive swig and was disgusted! But within a few nights she was fine. Maybe I was lucky though as totally weaning her 3 months later was a doddle too. But it can be done.

LittleRedDinosaur · 09/11/2013 19:31

I did it recently with DD at 10 months. Dropped one night feed at a time and picked her up and cuddled her back to sleep. Took ages at first but within a week she was only waking once and went back to sleep quite quickly. She's 13 months now and has slept through properly a hand full of times.
Good luck!

PurplePidjin · 09/11/2013 19:51

I did it at 9 months. Dp is amazingly supportive but had a stroke when ds was 5 weeks old so needs his sleep.

I read round all the methods on t'interweb and mashed them into something i felt comfortable with. He now, at 10 days off 1, sleeps 6-6:30 although I'm currently changing a couple of nappies a night due to teething but he settles as soon as he has a dry bum with no input from me.

I've used Ewan the dream sheep as a sleep cue since he was tiny. So, between 12 and 5am any wake up had me going in, turning on Ewan and cuddling him in the feeding chair until he went back to sleep. I had water, napoy and calpol on hand and if he didn't settle for a cuddle i worked out what was wrong. If he was playing, i put him down for 30 seconds (but stood next to him) then tried again until he was ready to let me help him sleep. That progressed to staying in the cot holding hands in about a week to ten days. He now doesn't bother waking unless he's uncomfortable.

I did a bit of controlled crying at bedtime to teach him it's ok to go to sleep on his own, but he normally feeds to sleep or at least very drowsy.

I'm a bit concerned your partner isn't supporting you though? Is he not part of your parenting team?

PurplePidjin · 09/11/2013 19:55

PS my advice is what i did with my breastfed baby. I think there are different techniques for bottle fed babies, like diluting the formula or making the bottle 1oz less every few days?

Victoria2002 · 09/11/2013 23:10

I did, CC and pick-up-set-down combo at 6m. It took about 3 nights.

MissingMyMarbles · 10/11/2013 01:12

Will read this with interest tomorrow....
DH has been useless regarding nighttime help. She was weaning so well: we were down to 1-2 feeds per night and this last week she's only had cows milk or water, but she's poorly and we seed to have completely regressed tonight, hence I'm on mn. Hopefully it will be back to normal tonight....

CointreauVersial · 10/11/2013 01:32

My three DCs just....er....stopped waking up during the night at 7-10 weeks. I can't remember doing anything specific to influence it, they just stopped. I never co-slept; maybe that had an influence.

MissingMyMarbles · 10/11/2013 07:03

Will read this with interest tomorrow....
DH has been useless regarding nighttime help. She was weaning so well: we were down to 1-2 feeds per night and this last week she's only had cows milk or water, but she's poorly and we seed to have completely regressed tonight, hence I'm on mn. Hopefully it will be back to normal tonight....

legallyblond · 11/11/2013 17:02

Cointreau .... You are very very lucky! With DD, the "method" outlined above took a week until she slept through. The first night though, she woke LOADS!

Onesleeptillwembley · 11/11/2013 17:21

Just do your best. I did with all 3 of mine - he was away.

DesperateHousewife21 · 12/11/2013 06:55

Im currently doing this with dd 12m. I knew she was only waking out of habit and want to reduce feeds now so I can have a bit of a life back!

Actually a sickness bug started it. She was feeding to sleep as usual and was suddenly sick, tried feeding her again and she threw that all up too so I didnt want to keep piling milk in her tummy so I just laid down with her (we co sleep) and she went to sleep. I carried on just cuddling her with lots of shushing for night time and naps and after a few days she got it. She had an off day about day 5 when the novelty wore off but she now goes down within 15-20 mins.

She's still waking once about 2am. Not sure why but I just lay her down and she goes back to sleep within seconds so not really an issue.
she then has milk around 6 just so I get an extra half hour!

legallyblond · 12/11/2013 10:58

I agree with Onesleep. I just did it out of necessity. DH was abroad for months. I didn't even think about it, it just was the situation!