Could night weaning make DS's sleep even worse?

[CyrilSneers]

DS is almost 1 and has never, ever slept through the night. I tried all sorts at around 6 months to get him to sleep better, none of it worked, so I thought 'bugger this' and we just co-sleep to lessen the pain.

Wakings are getting more and more frequent though and I would like my bed back soon. I would also like to night wean-not really because I think it'd help his sleep, but again I'm just a bit fed up with the nipple feast every hour.

I'm worried that night weaning will make his sleep even worse though as I generally boob back to sleep, so will I just be losing a major weapon in my arsenal when I can boob to sleep in 10 mins? What are your experiences with night weaning? Although I don't expect it to make DS's sleep better, I don't want it to make everyone's sleep worse!

Bumping for help from night weaning veterans

I don't know but I'll be night weaning my 21 month old.
I hope not, but I will be watching with interest.

Recently did this with my 8 month old. Wasn't co sleeping but one night I just thought "enough"! I put her in her crib and let her cry while I hid. Not one of my finer moments but she slept for a couple of hours. The next night she didn't wake for it at all and then a few nights later she dropped the 10pm feed. She sleeps reasonably well now and if she wakes I leave her for a few minutes before going in and cuddling her but I don't feed her. It's working so far but not counting my chickens!
It's hard. I think you just need to reach your limit and once u do just bite the bullet. Good luck

Also not co sleeping anymore but night weaned my 8 month old over the last 6 weeks or so. Just dropped one feed a a time, so started thinking I won't feed him before 2am. When he woke I patted him and stroked his head untIl he quieted down, then left him, went back in if he started crying and repeated. Then moved to 4 and did the same. Now it's 630 and last week he has slept 7 until 5 which I don't think is bad, bearing in mind he was waking every 3 hours at 6 months old (and every hour at 4 months!).
Now just need to get him sleeping until later than 5 but if I don't feed him until 630/7, I think he will get it. I don't leave him to cry ever but I do go back to my bed if he is calm and awake.
Hope whatever you do works!

Do you feed to sleep? My experience with dd1 was that we got to a point where I needed to do something she would take hour+ to feed to sleep at night and then waking up numerous times. I felt better prepared to tackle the problem of getting her to sleep (and getting my evenings back.) I had also read lots about sleep aids and the possibility of breaking the feed to sleep cycle hence not needing it to get back to sleep in the night.

We shuffled the night routine a little stopped feeding to sleep (wasn't easy first 3-5 nights) pretty much after 2 weeks we had less night wakings overall hardly any really. As we has broke the cycle we then night weaned as such and it was pretty much a non-issue then I said no milk and dd accepted that. Might be worth thinking about.

Well you're hitting a sleep regression so that won't help.
Night weaning did help my ds but he did stil wake (just not as much).
I stopped co sleeping at around 10 months because it disturbed them.
Have you ruled out reasons for night waking? Food intolerances (spicy food, windy food like brocolli, dairy or soya intolerances are all options), ear issues, tongue tie...?

Oh yes feeding to sleep - I stopped that with dd quite early on just by feeding earlier and then winding her. So she got used to not falling asleep on the boob (she never does even if exhausted).

My DS is one in a couple of weeks too and I've been feeding him to sleep. Not co-sleeping as I found it too difficult, so actually getting up and going to his room to feed him throughout the night.

His sleep was getting worse and worse, to the point about three weeks ago when I was getting 20 minutes at a time. He'd wake, I'd feed him for 20 minutes, he'd need to be held for another 20, then in his cot for 20. It nearly killed me.

After looking for advice on here and reading the Andrea Grace sleep book, I started to teach him to self settle, with the aim of night weaning once he could.

Learning to self settle has been a breeze. I think he must just have been ready for it as there's been very little crying. He's gone from being a really poor napper to having two naps a day, usually in his cot, for a couple of hours.

We're down to one overnight feed now, which I'm so happy about. Still definitely not 'sleeping through' but such an improvement.

Well I am currently in the process of teaching ds to fall asleep without boob...can you hear the screaming in cyberspace? I am sure half my bloody street can. Dh started putting him to bed wheras previously we have just boobed to sleep (also cosleep). We are on night two. Last night was horrific and no ostensible improvement thus so far tonight. At a complete and total loss. No help just sympathy op.

How old dog? I found it better to feed earlier then wake then up a bit then cuddle to sleep. Then progress to putting in cot relaxed and put my hand on them, then reassuring with my voice then leaving.

I did it like creature suggests, although we're not at the leaving stage yet. He likes to stare at me while he falls asleep. I did back rubbing and a lullaby - now I just hum a few bars of it.

But I think he was just ready.

22 months. He is so strong willed and I think I need to break the habit. It isnt like me to be so firm be ause thus so far I have been very attached parent (although hate that wanky term, face it who isnt bloody attached to their kids?) But inthe last few days I have just though no, sod it I need to reclaim my boobs and my body. Feel as if I have been physically under siege for the last three years.

But thanks I willtry that method cant be worse than the carnage above my head.