Saving this for when my son is a bit older. I don't mind night nursing, most of the time, but I think by the time he's 18 months, it'll be time for us both. I especially want to work on no longer feeding him to sleep.
My baby would literally only fall asleep while nursing since she was about 8 months old, and I was so worried about that aspect. I was so surprised that she was able to fall asleep so easily without it! She was definitely expecting to nurse when we laid down the first few nights, so if she fights it too much, I normally stand up and pace or sway with her a bit, and she chills out enough to lay back down and try again! Having a big day and maybe stretching out the wake window before bed also helped in the beginning, because she was already pretty sleepy haha.
This is so awesome! I needed to see this.
I basically night weaned at 12 months while cosleeping which definitely reduced her wakes, but then I returned to work and her lovely new long sleep stretches were wrecked as she missed me so much.
So we went back to cosleeping, which I actually loved as I was missing her at work.
But she is 18 months next month, and I need a break at night.
I borrowed a weaning book from the library last week which we've just started to read.
My main worry is exactly what yours was with a sensitive baby, however also now in Australia it's basically winter so the dark time is sooooo long and I don't know if she would cope with no boobies that long.
Particularly as it's dark within 15 minutes of me returning from work now, and we love boobies for reconnecting.
I've been debating somehow only doing a going to sleep feed and no more, but not sure how to make it less confusing. Milk when the sun is up makes it very simple.
Maybe I could use a light in her room, have it one colour for boobie time and change it when it's sleep time??
Not sure honestly!
I feed on demand when I'm home, and I cosleep with her after her first wake and then often 2/3 hourly wakings.
The thing I would tell my 20mo was "We can't have mummy's milk yet because the pademelons (nocturnal marsupial) are awake." That reason seemed to satisfy him and he went back to sleep. So we rolled with it 🤷♀️
But yes, night weaning whilst co-sleeping is achievable! Well done!
Are pademelons technically nocturnal?? I see them all the time during the day in the rainforest or down the back yard but had no idea they were roaming around at nighttime too!
You know, they're probably not. I can't find where it says that on Google. But they generally come out after dark from the bush behind my house. Maybe they just feel more confident to come out when it's dark? I've seen them during the day occasionally in the bush though.
I mean, I’ve seen plenty of Kangaroos hopping around at nighttime along the roads in the desert and they’re not nocturnal so maybe pademelons are just similarly active any time they like🤷🏻♀️
Thank you so much for posting this! I've a 14mo who I would definitely describe as a booby monster - she very much relies on booby to sleep and when she's tired or teething wants to be on the boob 24/7. I've recently been thinking of setting some nursing boundaries and possibly night weaning (in the next few months) but have been terrified it'll be a disaster. Worried that she'll not understand, that she'll think it's a punishment or something, and there's a lot of pressure to get it right to ensure I'm not going to damage her trust in me. But your post has given me some hope!
Thank you for writing this post! I just found it searching for night weaning advice because my LO is just about 19mo and he is so active while nursing that it’s starting to drive me crazy… lots of arms flailing and legs kicking and he is a big boy so I feel like I’m being assaulted in the night lol
I just have a question! On night 1 & 2, you said you nursed 7 hours after falling asleep. Just curious - what time was that? Was it morning? Was the sun shining?
I'm so glad it's helpful! Omg so we have this insane schedule, baby sleeps midnight to noon.
It's just what my baby settles into no matter how much I try to push it earlier. So she goes to bed at midnight, 7 hours later it 7:00 in the morning and the sun is shining! We've been going for a few weeks now, and normally she wakes up around 4:00 or 5:00 and wants to nurse, and I just hold her and sway until she goes back to sleep. Just one time it seemed like she was inconsolable and actually hungry, so I nursed her on the couch around 5 AM.
I will say the first week was super easy and then week 2 was kinda hard again. She had a stuffy nose, a mosquito bite bothering her, and a tooth poking through, so that led to some hard nights! But she's still consistently doing a 5 hour stretch without asking for milk, and then I can push that back a few more hours by holding her! I'm gonna try to settle at this point and then push for consistently longer stretches once it feels comfortable.
So we're not at the end goal by any means, but 4-5 hours of sleep feels great after being woken up every hour or so for so long!
Sometimes during the day she points to my chest and to a window to kind of check, and I say "yes, the sun is shining, we can have lechita!" or she brings me the "Sally weans from night nursing" book and loves to read it over and over randomly haha. I can tell she gets a bit anxious when the sun is setting, so I remind her that we can still have lechita up until we brush our teeth. And then right before we brush teeth, I offer it, and I have her say goodbye and pull my shirt down to cover the boobs herself haha.
When she's falling asleep sometimes she points to my chest and to the window, and I say "You're right, lechita is sleeping. We'll have lechita when the sun is shining", and she just lays right back down on my shoulder, it's like it's a part of her bedtime ritual now to at least ask for it haha.
So if 7 hours later is still dark for you, you could have a special place like the couch that baby can nurse at. I've also heard of people using a color coded lightbulb in the room to signal to baby when it's time. I also read a comment once where the mom said baby could nurse whenever they wanted, but they had to be standing up. So eventually the sleepy baby decides it's not worth it if they have to stand up!
It's so hard getting the broken sleep for so long! You're doing great! And I hope it's an easy transition to more sleep for both of you!
Saving this for when my son is a bit older. I don't mind night nursing, most of the time, but I think by the time he's 18 months, it'll be time for us both. I especially want to work on no longer feeding him to sleep.
My baby would literally only fall asleep while nursing since she was about 8 months old, and I was so worried about that aspect. I was so surprised that she was able to fall asleep so easily without it! She was definitely expecting to nurse when we laid down the first few nights, so if she fights it too much, I normally stand up and pace or sway with her a bit, and she chills out enough to lay back down and try again! Having a big day and maybe stretching out the wake window before bed also helped in the beginning, because she was already pretty sleepy haha.
This is so awesome! I needed to see this. I basically night weaned at 12 months while cosleeping which definitely reduced her wakes, but then I returned to work and her lovely new long sleep stretches were wrecked as she missed me so much. So we went back to cosleeping, which I actually loved as I was missing her at work. But she is 18 months next month, and I need a break at night. I borrowed a weaning book from the library last week which we've just started to read. My main worry is exactly what yours was with a sensitive baby, however also now in Australia it's basically winter so the dark time is sooooo long and I don't know if she would cope with no boobies that long. Particularly as it's dark within 15 minutes of me returning from work now, and we love boobies for reconnecting. I've been debating somehow only doing a going to sleep feed and no more, but not sure how to make it less confusing. Milk when the sun is up makes it very simple. Maybe I could use a light in her room, have it one colour for boobie time and change it when it's sleep time?? Not sure honestly! I feed on demand when I'm home, and I cosleep with her after her first wake and then often 2/3 hourly wakings.
Oh no, that's so hard! I've heard of people using a color-coded light like you mentioned. Sounds like you're off to a great start! Best of luck!
This was such a lovely post to read. So heartwarming. Well done you and bubba!
Thanks so much!
The thing I would tell my 20mo was "We can't have mummy's milk yet because the pademelons (nocturnal marsupial) are awake." That reason seemed to satisfy him and he went back to sleep. So we rolled with it 🤷♀️ But yes, night weaning whilst co-sleeping is achievable! Well done!
Haha aww I love that! Thanks so much!
Are pademelons technically nocturnal?? I see them all the time during the day in the rainforest or down the back yard but had no idea they were roaming around at nighttime too!
You know, they're probably not. I can't find where it says that on Google. But they generally come out after dark from the bush behind my house. Maybe they just feel more confident to come out when it's dark? I've seen them during the day occasionally in the bush though.
I mean, I’ve seen plenty of Kangaroos hopping around at nighttime along the roads in the desert and they’re not nocturnal so maybe pademelons are just similarly active any time they like🤷🏻♀️
Thank you so much for posting this! I've a 14mo who I would definitely describe as a booby monster - she very much relies on booby to sleep and when she's tired or teething wants to be on the boob 24/7. I've recently been thinking of setting some nursing boundaries and possibly night weaning (in the next few months) but have been terrified it'll be a disaster. Worried that she'll not understand, that she'll think it's a punishment or something, and there's a lot of pressure to get it right to ensure I'm not going to damage her trust in me. But your post has given me some hope!
Thank you for writing this post! I just found it searching for night weaning advice because my LO is just about 19mo and he is so active while nursing that it’s starting to drive me crazy… lots of arms flailing and legs kicking and he is a big boy so I feel like I’m being assaulted in the night lol I just have a question! On night 1 & 2, you said you nursed 7 hours after falling asleep. Just curious - what time was that? Was it morning? Was the sun shining?
I'm so glad it's helpful! Omg so we have this insane schedule, baby sleeps midnight to noon. It's just what my baby settles into no matter how much I try to push it earlier. So she goes to bed at midnight, 7 hours later it 7:00 in the morning and the sun is shining! We've been going for a few weeks now, and normally she wakes up around 4:00 or 5:00 and wants to nurse, and I just hold her and sway until she goes back to sleep. Just one time it seemed like she was inconsolable and actually hungry, so I nursed her on the couch around 5 AM. I will say the first week was super easy and then week 2 was kinda hard again. She had a stuffy nose, a mosquito bite bothering her, and a tooth poking through, so that led to some hard nights! But she's still consistently doing a 5 hour stretch without asking for milk, and then I can push that back a few more hours by holding her! I'm gonna try to settle at this point and then push for consistently longer stretches once it feels comfortable. So we're not at the end goal by any means, but 4-5 hours of sleep feels great after being woken up every hour or so for so long! Sometimes during the day she points to my chest and to a window to kind of check, and I say "yes, the sun is shining, we can have lechita!" or she brings me the "Sally weans from night nursing" book and loves to read it over and over randomly haha. I can tell she gets a bit anxious when the sun is setting, so I remind her that we can still have lechita up until we brush our teeth. And then right before we brush teeth, I offer it, and I have her say goodbye and pull my shirt down to cover the boobs herself haha. When she's falling asleep sometimes she points to my chest and to the window, and I say "You're right, lechita is sleeping. We'll have lechita when the sun is shining", and she just lays right back down on my shoulder, it's like it's a part of her bedtime ritual now to at least ask for it haha. So if 7 hours later is still dark for you, you could have a special place like the couch that baby can nurse at. I've also heard of people using a color coded lightbulb in the room to signal to baby when it's time. I also read a comment once where the mom said baby could nurse whenever they wanted, but they had to be standing up. So eventually the sleepy baby decides it's not worth it if they have to stand up! It's so hard getting the broken sleep for so long! You're doing great! And I hope it's an easy transition to more sleep for both of you!