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Naps great in day, needs nursing to sleep at bedtime

2 replies

LooWaterSunset · 15/12/2013 14:37

15mo DS is, on the whole, and touch wood as I write this, brilliant at napping in the day. We have lunch, then nappy change, then start talking about being tired and how nice a sleep would be right now, then we go into his room, he turns the light down, gets into sleeping bag (which has recently turned into a slight wrestling match but nothing too bad), he lies down wide awake and I tell him to have a lovely sleep, turn light all the way off and walk out the door. Occasionally a little complaint, but 9/10 times he'll go off to sleep for 2 hours.

But bedtime is completely different as he really relies on being nursed (BF) to sleep. He'll go to bed fine if he's about one millisecond away from unconsciousness, but if you dare try to put him in there, say, TWO milliseconds from unconsciousness then he's having none of it.

Any advice or suggestions about what to do to try to change the order of proceedings? I guess I'd like to get him to have BF before reading his book (before bath does not work). But trying to rouse him to then read a book, or even breaking it up to BF/book/BF upsets him.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
squidkid · 15/12/2013 17:03

How does he sleep in the night?

I only ask because my baby (14 months) always nurses to sleep and many nights sleeps very well. Other nights she wakes, but in any case I do not bf in the night any more. Also when I work evening shifts dad manages to get her to sleep ok (not quite as easily, but she goes down.) So I read everywhere and lots of people told me nursing to sleep would be a big problem, and would result in baby needing milk to get back to sleep throughout the night, but this hasn't been the case for us. What's the reason why you don't want to nurse to sleep?

I'm a big believer in whatever works!! I like seeing her drift off with the comfort my milk gives her...

LooWaterSunset · 16/12/2013 12:41

He's pretty good through the night. He was sleeping about 9-10 hours for a while but then teething and illness came along and he's been requiring a nurse, or two or several in the small hours, to return to sleep. I don't mind as long as it is short term and doesn't become habit.

It's just that I'm starting to think about weaning him right off BF (maybe TTC DC2 soon - yikes!) and I think it'll go better if he isn't dependent on nursing to sleep.

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