Tonight we are night-weaning - eek!

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

DS is 20 months and we want to start TTC for #2 so I need to get more sleep.

So DH is in charge of night wakings over this long weekend, so so hoping it will work.

I am about to go to bed on my own and close the door - and hopefully not be woken until morning. Yay!

Good luck Alibaba! I had a vague plan to night-wean this weekend too but now we are staying away for Saturday night so have postponed for the time being. Dd is 18mo and bf about 2-3 times per night when not teething.

Let me know how it goes... a good outcome will spur me on to do the same!

Well done! I weaned DD3 about a month ago (she is 11 months). She was waking around hourly, constantly really. She now sleeps through unless poorly. No controlled-crying, just cuddles from Daddy until drowsy then into her cot.

Good luck! My DH is taking DS overnight tomorrow for the first time , he's 15mo, and I am not sure how they will go on, but I need to night wean too really - he only has a short snack mostly and slept through one night this week on his own - 2nd time this year[knackered]. Teething here though and some biting

DH can settle him better than me though - he smacks me on the chest to say 'Oi, give me those' but knows there's no milk from DH.

Thanks for good luck wishes, thought I would post an update of our weekend so far!
First night, DS went to bed at 8.30 and didn't wake at all until 5.30am! DH went to him and it took him 45 minutes to get him back to sleep - DS was NOT impressed and was having a proper tantrum. He was back asleep by 6.15 and then slept until 9am so we all got a lovely lie in!

Last night, DS didn't want to go to bed, possibly having remembered the previous night. It was almost 11pm before we got him properly settled, but I resisted giving him anymore milk after he had his normal post-bath feed.
He slept until 4.45am and then it took DH 1.5 hours to get him back to sleep , but then it was almost 9am again before he woke up.

So - we are feeling quite encouraged overall. I am finding it harder than I ever imagined, the tug I feel to just go and feed him when he's crying is almost overwhelming and I think that if DH wasn't doing such a fantastic job and just not letting it fluster him then we would have caved in.
Very much hoping that we are past the worst now and that tonight will be a bit easier!

Oooh good luck. We do it this way as well, with daddy going in and no sign of mummy.

It has worked for us but ours have been a lot younger when we've done it.

Fingers crossed for you!

Erm, have you tried just not feeding them? No 18 month old baby needs feeding in the night - this is just for comfort. Have you also asked yourself whether it is actually your own emotions preventing you from stopping night feeds? Remember you are in charge, not the baby/toddler. At 20 months a child should be able to understand that there is no more milk at nighttime.

nicebumbum - I don't care for the tone of your post! How is life up on that smug pedestal of yours?

If you read what I have written, not feeding him during the night is precisely what we're doing. You will also see that I've admitted my own emotions are struggling with it.

Thank you Imso He went to sleep straight away tonight so fingers crossed we will have a good night!

It's nice to see people with the same sort of ideas and with OHs who say "yes while I am off work over the bank holiday weekend is an excellent time for me to go to the baby every time they call at night"

I'm sure you will crack it quickly!

Imso I agree. So many stories on here from people with utter pillocks for husbands, I'm pleased I'm not the only one with a lovely one

Last night went pretty well. DS woke at 12.30pm, I think we disturbed him when we went to bed. Took DH half an hour to get him settled and then he slept until 7am this morning

hi ali, sounds like its going well

now even though I dont agree with what you are doing I respect your right to choose and I would just like to say on your behalf

nicebumbum
why dont you just trot on you irritating arse

Thanks Trinity

We're really doing it because we want another baby. With all the feeding during the night my cycles are all over the place and I'm not even sure that I'm ovulating.

Still having lovely BF and cuddles in the morning and before DS goes to bed, and I'm hoping that will carry on for as long as DS wants. I would love to tandem feed if we get that far!

What's not to agree with though? 20 months is a reasonable age to night wean, they're not being left to cry - I can't see why that is something not to agree with?

I dont agree with the stopping of breast feeding from the choice of the parents is all

no big issue
I guess I said it so ali would understand that I really am on her side and sticking up for her despite

i thikn the parents do have to feel comforatble and 20 months of breastfeeding is a great long time... and if teh neds of teh parents are not being met by bf continuing, the it is perfectly reasonable to stop night feeds..

In the meantime you can get ovulation sticks from ebay, very cheap - I think I got about 30 for about £3 inc P&P. No idea how well they work but for the price you can afford to take the risk.

I have night weaned dd this week (23 months). She went from waking 8 or nine times a night to sleeping through in less than a week. It's fantastic! I feel cheerful again for the first time in months.

Good luck with it.

nicebumbum, so what if a toddler is feeding for comfort? My 11 month old is feeding 3 to 4 times a night at the moment. She has a temperature of 40C, teething like mad and I suspect she has a raging ear infection. She needs all the comforting going!

I think 20 months is a reasonable age to nightwean. At that age they can cope with other ways of being comforted. There has to be balance between the parent's needs and the child's needs.

maybe not 30, maybe more like 10. But obviously you don't use them all month, unless you have ridiculous periods (as I did!)

Alibaba Glad it's going well. My DS managed fine without any feeds from me too, woke once for DH then slept til morning They are only half an hour away so I have been to visit this afternoon, fed him twice and left them for another night They are seeing lots of relatives and having a fab time and I am mostly at work.

DS was pleased to see me though and my breasts were very pleased to see him

Fair enough trinity was just wondering!

Re the OV sticks, they worked a treat for DD1. Conceiving DD2 - DD1 started sleeping through at 6 months and my periods returned. But I didn't get pregnant and ov sticks were showing nothing doing as well. We decided to have a break from TTC as I was going back to work - weaned DD1 completely on return to work (she was 14mo and only feeding once a day by this point) and I got pregnant that same month!

So for me the contraceptive effect was definitely there in a big way.

Really good luck with it all

Besom that is a brilliant quick result, well done you and your DD!

Trinity - I knew you were sticking up for me

moaningminnie - good luck, hope tonight goes as well as last!

Thanks for all the support everyone, DS went to sleep no problems again this evening and he's still fast asleep - fingers crossed for a good night!
I am really thinking about getting some OV sticks - all OV signs are there but whether or not it's actually happening who knows.

Drumrolllllllllllll

He slept through! Night before last he woke once for 15 minutes, and then last night nothing. DH and I woke up at 8, looked at each other and just grinned. DH went and stuck his head into DS' room and he was sat up in his cot playing with his cuddly toys, quite happy and not yelling to get at me and milk.

Really hope it continues, I feel like a new woman because I'm actually getting some sleep. DH is away with work for a week starting on Saturday so we will see what happens!

Well done!