How to go about stopping night waking in nearly one year old?

[redandyellowandpinkandgreen]

Hello

DS is nearly one and still wakes once or twice most nights. He can sleep through, and has done, but it's the exception more than the rule and I can't remember the last time he did. He goes to bed fine, more or less the same time each day. He is breastfed morning and evening only really now. He eats well. He still wakes up in the night though, last night went to bed 7pm and woke at 1am and then 4am and was up for good about 7.30am.

I go to him in the night and feed him and he goes back to sleep in 5 minutes, if I don't feed he won't settle at all. The odd time I haven't fed he has gone back to sleep but it takes 45 minutes of more until he wears himself out.

I don't mind still feeding but I think he wakes up for it now, or maybe just the cuddle, I'm not sure. How do I get out of this? Just stop feeding at night full stop? Try offering a bottle?

I just don't know where to start.

When you say he won't settle, does he cry? It took me a while to realise that my DS (same age) can be a restless sleeper and often half wakes up early morning (3/4/5am), gets a bit disorientated, cries lightly for a minute and then either wakes completely and coos to himself for a few minutes before sleeping again or goes back to sleep straight away. Providing he's not distressed, i turn the monitor down low so i can't hear his coos or him jiffling about in his cot quite as much. I think the key is to be consistent with how you respond. Certainly i don't think your DS is hungry so could be waking because he's missing you and it's become a habit to have mum feed him back to sleep. If he doesn't cry and isn't distressed i'd leave him to it. After a few nights he'll hopefully understand how to get himself back to sleep. If you're uncomfortable with just leaving him then go in, pat him gently, tuck him in with his favourite teddy and then leave the room without feeding him. I'd only do that once and wait for him to fall asleep without going in again - however long it takes. And then perhaps after a few days of doing this begin not going in at all unless he's crying.

Yes, he wakes up crying and I will leave it 5 minutes but he doesn't stop. If I just pick him up he cries still and arches his back and won't be settled with a cuddle. I certainly don't rush to him I suppose. He always stands up and cries and won't lie back down. I left it 10 minutes once and he was still standing and crying. I think the standing is the problem as he can't fall back asleep like that can he! I have started to think it's because he's missing me. I work three days and read that can increase separation anxiety at night so I maybe I have to perserve with being there but not feeding him.

He slept through last night until 5am which was better than it has been.

Does he wake at fairly regular times each night?

If he does or even almost regularly then read THIS

Interesting thanks Solo. He does wake pretty regularly at 5am so I could try it then but any other night waking doesn't seem to have a pattern.

Well, it's worth a try IMO/E as my Dd was still waking at 19 months and driving me to distraction! it sorted her out and I've never looked back :)

redandyellow, this is my experience with my 9-month DS. I just started "doing something" about his constant waking and wanting boob at night (4-5-6 times a night!) last Friday. I stopped feeding him at night. Just stopped. The improvement was vast and fast. For the past two nights he only woke up twice, and last night the first wake up was due to an alarm going off in his room at midnight (he was playing with the alarm clock in the day and must have accidentally tuned it on). I know that twice a night is still not sleeping through 7 to 7, but for me it is heaven and I am hoping that the wake-ups will eventually go down to nothing.

Now, you say that your DS will just not settle without a feed. I know all babies are different, but this was out situation too. I tried to settle him without a feed many times before by shushing/patting/cuddling/signing/rocking/standing on my head etc. Nothing like this ever worked. DS would just get more and more hysterical, sit up, crawl all over the cot and cry. But when I stopped feeding him last Friday I also reduced all night-time interaction to almost nothing. All I did was stay in the room and gently putting DS back down when he was sitting up. I must have done it about 200 times over the course of the first night. HOWEVER - this way he 1) settled without a feed in an 1 hour and 20 min max whereas before it regularly took me 2 hours of screaming to settle him even with a feed, 2) he only woke up 3 times this first night, and 3) the total amount of screaming was no more than we usually experience. He was totally fine in the morning and is still fine. Eats loads better in the day too.

Give it a try if you fancy it. Your DS may surprise you. Mine certainly surprised me. I never thought he would give up his beloved boob at night so easily.