An update on the non-sleeping, non-settling 10mo old.

[lou031205]

I just thought I'd give a quick update to give hope to all...

After cutting out night feeds two weeks ago, DD2 had started to sleep much better at night, but still not settling in the evening.

She is now 11 months, and I decided that yesterday was her last breast feed.

For the first time last night, DH managed to put her to bed at 20.00, and apart from being woken by her sister's ripcurling scream at 00.43, which woke us all, she settled and slept through until 07.30!!

I am pleased, and glad that I have made a decision about breastfeeding, but my boobs are rather tender!!

Hi there, haven't seen your original post, but am v.interested in how you managed to cut out night feeds.

DD is 8mo I stopped bf 2 days ago (but have been cutting down for weeks so boobs OK), I am at my wits end with 8 solid months of broken nights! I still end up doing 2 feeds during the night even though not bf now. Last night she was up between 1.30 and 3.30 where I finally brought her into our bed so I could sit down, and I had managed to stop that just a few weeks ago, now back at square one. I just cannot sleep with her in our bed as she fidgets and pulls my hair, and I worry she'll crawl out or get squashed. Would love to stop night feeds but I think she needs them as is such a poor feeder during the day (solids not going well and only drinks about 3oz of milk at a time). I think I'm going insane I'm so tired!

Well done to you though, any advice gratefully received!

Hi twinkleymum - it's hard work, isn't it. I have to say that I have two DDs, and with the first one, I really felt that she still needed milk in the night, and that if she woke she was genuinely hungry. She was always little for her age, too.

With DD2, she is well up on the centiles for her (corrected) age. She eats well in the day (although really at 8mo she hadn't been, so don't give up hope!). Because she didn't settle in the evening, and breastfed on me, I knew she was getting lots of milk. What I did was this (we have a bedside cot, so she has her own space but I could roll over and feed/comfort her):

Night 1: Fed her whenever she woke, then from 5am onwards, refused to feed, but gave her big cuddles, and hugs with reassurance. Told her she was a big girl now, and I knew she could do it. Took 1 hour to settle, but more ranty than crying. Never left her or ignored her.

Night 2: Same as night 1, but took 45 minutes to settle.

Night 3: Same as night 2, but stopped feeding from 3am. Took 30 minutes to settle.

Night 4: as night 3.

Night 5: No feeds after midnight.

As of stopping feeds on Friday:

Friday night: DH settled for the first time at 8pm - took 30 minutes - Slept through the night (except for brief waking when disturbed by DD1 crying, but settled with gentle pat for 5 minutes).

Saturday night: DH settled at 8pm - took 45 minutes - Slept through the night (except for brief waking when disturbed by DD1 crying, but settled with gentle pat for 5 minutes).

Sunday nap time: DH settled her, and it took 20 minutes, she slept for 1 hour and 20 minutes (she normally had been falling asleep on my boob, and then waking 30 minutes later)

We shall see...

lou sounds really good stopping at a certain time in the morning and then making it progressively earlier. so what time do they get their first daytime feed/breakfast?

Well, the way I did it was to think that whenever she wanted a feed after 7am, she was allowed it. So, if she woke at 6.30, I would hang her on for half an hour. If she woke at 7.00, she would be allowed to feed straight away.

Last night she went to bed at 7.10pm, and settled within 13 minutes. She woke briefly at 8pm, so DH went and resettled her (took 5-10 minutes), and then she slept through (including the screams of DD, who vomitted 4 times in quick succession, and the running of a bath right next to the wall of our bedroom) the night until 06.30.