How to get 8.5 month old to not wake so frequently in the night

[tootiefruitie6]

Hi there, I have an 8.5 month old who I have recently managed to get to soothe herself to sleep for nap time and bedtime in the hope she will start to link sleep cycles and sleep for longer. However she is still waking many times in the night for a feed so I am utterly exhausted and run down. I am reluctant to let her cry at all in the night as I really don't want to wake our toddler up (who is very difficult to get back to sleep once awake). Does anyone have any advice for how to get her to wake less in the night please? Should I start offering water instead of milk for example? Or do I just need to grin and bear it until she chooses to sleep more in her own time? Thanks

Is LO still feeding overnight? I don't think it will stop till you cut that out - water is one option. Offering less milk another. Trying to settle without a drink?

White noise for your toddler and CC for your baby. Took one night for us.

Thanks both. Yes still waking about 5 times overnight. I think I know you're right deep down and I need to risk a night or two of noise and stop the feeding. I just have this irrational worry that she will be hungry and I'm going to starve her or something.

Try it but only if you are fully ready. Trust that you will know the difference between cries. They need the comfort not the sustenance at that age. But you need to feel ready. Good luck!

I night weaned both mine with controlled crying at 9 months.

For my second I had DH on toddler duty. Basically if baby woke him, daddy would take him into our room / settle him and stay with him in his room. Basically take the heat off me so I could focus on baby.

Thanks so much @solomumbychoice and @Twizbe. She's already woken about an hour ago and refused to be settled with just water so I think I'm going to have to rethink this and go down the controlled crying route. Good to know it worked for you both though. How many nights did it take you and did you literally go cold turkey with breastfeeding at night or did you reduce it gradually? Thanks

Cold turkey. I fed to sleep until it stopped working which was when we did the controlled crying.

It took 3-4 nights. I was really worried about my eldest waking but he hardly noticed it.

Mine woke every hour at that age. I breastfed him back to sleep each time. It’s comfort, it’s not about wanting milk, or hunger. It’s hard but it will pass.

Thanks so much all. I appreciate the responses x