night weaning at 15mths

[smellen]

hi
I posted about night weaning my LO at the end of last year! Successfully managed it for about a month in January, when he was 13mths, then teething/colds/bugs kicked in and we are now back to 1-3 wakings per night, which invariably end with me offering a boob to pacify him and get him back in the cot.

He naps 90-120mns between 1-3pm, goes down at 7pm. We follow a regular bath, books, beaker of milk (which he sips at) then boob routine, and I put him down awake in his cot, which he seems happy with. He loves all his teddies and cuddles up to them. Sometimes i hear him kicking his legs in the cot as he winds down, but he can settle himself. It's just at night he cries for about 5mns, and if I go in, then he has to have a boob or he throws the biggest paddy ever. He also throws a paddy if his father tries to settle him, and my OH also has to go out to work and needs a decent night's kip (I'm at home, so theoretically can get a nap if I park the older sibling in front of Cbeebies for half an hour whilst the nightowl sleeps).

I think I need to deal with this sleep pattern but am not sure what to do. Should I just try to wean onto water and put up with a couple of hours' crying for a few nights? Anyone in a similar situation? What have you done?

Tried to put him down for post-lunch nap today and he didn't settle. After 10mns I went back and he created big time for another BF. I tried to offer water, then cowjuice, cuddles, teething gel, to no avail. After 30mns with him hysterical, I capitulated and gave him another feed (or suck - god knows if there is any milk left in these jugs), and put him down just about awake (although exhausted after such a battle) after which he settled fine.

And yes, I'm using battle metaphors, because that's a bit what it felt like. Of course I know he loves BF on demand - it's warm and soft and familiar etc., but surely at 15mths he should be able to settle without this prop? Has anyone been in a similar situation - possibly which resolved itself magically... Encouragement, support, advice gratefully received.

Could it be molars?

hi, my 15mo did magically stop doing this about 6 weeks ago. i still bf him to sleep (no such going-into-cot-awake behaviour here sadly!) and he was waking lots at night. then at about xmas he got down to 1-2 a night, usually 4-5am. then 1 night baby monitor not plugged in properly i think, and i only vaguely heard him and so i left him moaning/crying for longer than i would normally and he settled himself.

he does still wake in the night once or twice a week and i have to bf him, but it is better than every night! most nights he cries for 10secs-1 min at around that time but settles himself. i have no idea really how it has happened, and other than leaving him a bit longer before going in i haven't done anything else. every time we go away for a night we are back to 3-4 times a night wakenings, so end up co-sleeping as i am too tired to keep getting up.

it is rather exhausting having broken nights for so long, you have my sympathy.

my problem is settling him for the night, increasingly he is not falling asleep on the breast but comes off still wide awake and then will not settle for up to 2 hours! and then my evening has disappeared. i think as he is bf less my supply is dwindling and there is not enough there for him. i was thinking of giving cows milk but thought that would be the end of bf, so am encouraged that you do that, thanks.

good luck with it

Thanks for reading my posts and taking the time to reply. I am tempted to go down the same route as you Weasle, ie. leave the monitor unplugged - if he really needs me I'll wake up, but I might sleep through smaller periods of unsettled sleep and he might then have a chance to teach himself to settle.

And yes ches, I think teeth/snotty noses have a large part to play in the current situation. On a good night, if he is well and not teething, he goes from 7pm to about 4-5am, has a feed, then back to bed till 7 or 8. Given that his brother used "go through" but wake up anytime between 5am-6.30am, perhaps this isn't the problem I'm perceiving it to be.

Clearly we had a better night last night, so am feeling more positive about it all. I was wondering if anybody's BF child miraculously weaned themselves (at night, or all the time) at around this time? I can't face making him cry hysterically for something that I have in front of me, if you see what I mean.