HELP

[lisadb]

Hi I have a nearly one year old little boy who is breastfed. I started weaning him at 6 months and he is taking to food well (having three meals and snacks). He is still wanting feeds through the day and night though. He is not too bad in the day will just have a little bit a couple of times but at night he still wants something every hour or so. I am having real trouble getting him to sleep all the time, in the day he only has small naps and at night he will only fall asleep while feeding then I have to try and get him into his cot without waking him (which is harder then is sounds). Can anyone suggest something to help me I want to start giving up breast feeding as I think its time but I just can't get hime to sleep at night without it. I leave him to cry for 5 mins or so but he gets so worked up he cries himself wide awake, I try singing and shushing him but he just reaches for the breast and screams and he won't take a dummy never has. I am out of ideas and don't really want to leave him just to cry as I feel it just wakes him up more. Any help would be much appreciated

Much sympathy to you. I can identify with a lot of your post, and I was working full time and out-of-hours by then so it was a serious endurance test!

In your shoes I'd take him into bed and let him feed as and when. We did this with DS and he woke less when he was in bed with us. He then self-weaned, after dropping down to only occasional night feeds. I wore a vest or t-shirt in bed so it wasn't so easy for him to help himself, and we all got a bit more sleep without having to do anything drastic.

Not sure if that sort of approach would suit you but it's what worked for us.

Thanks I do actually take him in bed with me and usually we both fall asleep and then I put him in his cot but he just won't stay settled and I have to keep bringing him back in bed every hour or so I just don't see any improvement at night even though he is eating solid food now

I think sleeping for longer periods of time is developmental and not related to solid food, despite what the previous generation tells us!

Have you got room to just keep him in bed with you once he's woken? We had DS start the night in his cot and then come in when he woke, and he slept between our pillows. In fairness he still comes into our bed now, and he's not the world's greatest sleeper, but I instinctively feel that's got more to do with me not being firm enough now he's older than with me being too responsive when we was tiny :)

To be honest I do end up keeping him in bed as I usually just fall asleep by the third or fourth time its just I can't see how I'm every going to give up breast feeding really would like to soon even though I enjoy it

Hi Lisadb, you're doing fantastically well by the sound of it.

I agree with TDD - sleep is a developmental thing. It is also often related to things like growth spurts and teething.

As I've posted elsewhere, my DS didn't learn to self-settle until just over one. He was still a rubbish sleeper even after that (sending the theory that self-settling leads to good sleepers into touch) and needed lots of nightfeeds until suddenly, a few months later, 6 teeth appeared almost all together. Pretty much straight away, he started sleeping through. I'm convinced his waking before that was down to teething pains, even though he didn't have any classic signs of teething.

If you think it might be teething, perhaps try Calpol before bedtime (only for as long as needed, of course).

Also, do you have a DP who could do the bedtime routine instead of you? It may be that he finds it easier to settle without bf if you are not around?

Whatever you decide, don't worry too much. He will learn to settle and sleep through in time.

He actually got his teeth the last month or so about 5 so far but he doesn't seem to be teething just wants the breast at night. My partner has tried to settle him but again he just gets reallt worked up and my partners pretty soft and can't have him upset for too long so i get called