How long does night weaning really take??

[itsawildride]

I'm BFing my 2.5 year old DD. She's always woken in the night, but has generally resettled easily. For about 6 weeks though she has now become very difficult to re-settle and I am spending 30 - 120 mins with her every wake 2+ times every single night and it is, well, a lot!

Considering night weaning... I've read lots about it taking 2 or 3 nights, but I find it really hard to imagine my DD would forget and by night 4 would be happy to be resettled a different way. Knowing her, it'd take her ages to forget. Does anyone have any experience of this? Keen to keep feeding in the day, especially for a little while, at the very least to soften the drop of hormones!!

One night for us, magically. Months of feeding back to sleep multiple times a night and then we switched her to a floorbed and she slept through from that night onwards.

About two nights of them being furious and not wanting alternative comfort, then about four nights of settling within 15-30 mins of waking with less grumpiness and willing to be cuddled, and then after that we still bedshared but I just had to reach out and give them a quick stroke and they went back to sleep.

They didn't forget though, my nearly three year old told me this morning that I have nice boobies but she drank all the milk 😂

I'd first look at her schedule, if she still naps I'd try reducing the duration with the view to drop it soon. Or later bedtime. Sounds like she isn't tired enough for the night, if she is having wakes that long. I found it so much easier to stop day feeds first (did that between 14-16 months), as you can offer food/milk/water instead, and my resolve was stronger! It can also helps them to get used to you saying 'no' if you stop in the day first. For nights, my husband settles her if it's before 2/3am, and I only feed after that, which is far less than it used to be.

Please can you tell me more about this? Our floor bed is arriving in a few days! DS is nearly 17 months and we have co-slept from the start. What did you do on that first night?!

Literally just lay next to her on the bed, with a hand on her chest, for 10-15 minutes and then rolled away. We switched at 13 months and it's been life-changing, honestly.

Her room is also blackout and she always has a fan running but I don't know if that makes a difference.

She's woken twice in the night since then (teething) and we just do the same thing. The best part is that my husband can do bedtime too and it's no longer all on me.

I hope it works for your little one too!

I night weaned at 4 months with both mine so I did it over about a month of increasing the gaps between feeds until they got used to it - but when doing it when they are young you need to be thoughtful as you need to get them used to taking that nutrition during the day instead. At 2.5 there is obviously no nutritional need for it overnight so I would personally suggest cold turkey - that's the only way i can make changes with my eldest of that rough age - anything else and it just encourages them to keep arguing the point. Maybe do a couple of days of warning them beforehand that its coming / get one of the "no more boobies" books?

I think you’re going about it the right way. It’s much better to night wean and feed in the day. The daytime is wheb you wabt her to be getting her calories

Are you co-sleeping currently ot is she in her own room?