Night-weaning 15 month old

8 replies

RosieLee2019 · 17/02/2022 13:16

I’m done… DS has been waking approx every 2 hours or more since he was 6 months old, now 15 months. I co-sleep and breastfeed-to-sleep and this has been working ok, but now I’m done with it and just want a decent night’s sleep. But where do I start without it being really distressing for him??

I’m also conscious night-weaning might not resolve frequent waking so should I night-wean and sleep train at the same time or is that too much??

I need to change something but I don’t know where to start!!

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Piggy42 · 17/02/2022 13:19

Do you want to carry on co-sleeping as I wonder if weaning/sleep training may be tricker if you’re sleeping with them? Sorry not very helpful though!

Original poster

RosieLee2019 · 17/02/2022 13:23

I’m happy to stop co-sleeping and accept that I will probably have to if I want to night-wean!

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Bonjourlaclasse · 17/02/2022 22:43

I have just night weaned my 15 month old hoping it would improve the night wakings and make her sleep later in the mornings, but sadly it hasn’t helped anywhere near as much as I was hoping. She’s still waking a lot in the night and is a nightmare to get back in the cot so for the last week I’ve still been co-sleeping after the first wake up. and instead of feeding her to sleep I’m cuddling her instead so not really resolved that either.

Wondering about sleep training myself now as I’m going back to work in a week and I’m going to be very tired! she’s always been a bad sleeper and napper and hates being put to bed. Only napped in the sling/buggy for her first year of life. She can cry/shout for a long time but I’m thinking maybe something along the Ferber method as she needs to learn to put herself for sleep really, but she will fight it and I’m always too tired for it all. Then there’s teething, illness and she’s just started at nursery (refused to nap at all yesterday and today 😱 so been a nightmare to get to bed) so makes me wonder if all too much at once, but equally I really need to start getting some better nights. I look grey! So am sending solidarity. And hopefully night weaning for you might mean 7-7 without wakes!

HiKelsey · 17/02/2022 22:49

How many times does little one wake up for feeds? Do they have a dummy?

Original poster

RosieLee2019 · 18/02/2022 10:26

@bonjourlaclasse this is my fear! That night-weaning won’t actually solve anything (other than meaning that DH can poss do more) and may even make things worse! So maybe sleep training is what I need to do but I have been trying to avoid it as long as possible as I don’t have the stomach for it!! I agree, there never seems to be a good time either, with teething, illnesses etc. I went back to work in Dec and have been managing ok but the last couple of weeks have been pretty bad and I’m shattered :( and also very gray ;)

@hikelsey he wakes around 4-6 times a night although I don’t keep count any more! He would never take a dummy and I feel he’s too old now.

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Bonjourlaclasse · 18/02/2022 20:27

Well it’s not made things worse if that’s any consolation (and it’s got better over the last ten days). Also I’m just so glad to have stopped feeding as I didn’t just wean but stop completely as I was so over it. However as I said, cuddling my DD to sleep and only transferring her once fully asleep is my new problem! And when she wakes after about 10pm she won’t go back in her cot AT ALL no matter how deeply asleep she seems so I then have to co-sleep with her. That said she did then sleep til 7 this morning, most unusual, but I don’t want to have to sleep with her every night!

Tonight I put her down awake and then left the room (obv she immediately stood up clutching the side of the cot screaming). Went in after 1 min, then after 2 mins, 3 mins, 4 mins and by then she was asleep. Each time I went in I picked her up and cuddled her for a minute, then put her down patted her and said sleepy time blah blah. Will see how many wake ups there are tonight. For me listening to the screams doesn’t feel quite so bad when you’re so tired as you know something has to change.

beccahamlet · 18/02/2022 20:56

I've got 4 kids. None of them slept through the night until they packed in breast feeding at 12 to 16 months. They all slept through when they packed BF. That's my experience. Some of them had dummies.

Poppy709 · 19/02/2022 00:04

Stopping co sleeping and reducing night feeds when my DS was 9 months old massively reduced his wake ups and he was sleeping through by 11 months (after waking up hourly and me having to sleep with every limb touching him for him to even sleep for that hour - I was losing my mind). We did a lot of habit stacking beforehand so he was happy for DH to put him to bed with cuddles and bum pats, then he took over the night wakes with that settling technique. He was pretty cross but did go to sleep. As he was so small I did do 2 dream feeds and gradually phased them out. I don’t know if if would be harder with a 15 month old as him not being able to pull to stand helped with the in cot settling. Good luck!

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