Saturday, July 21, 2012

Sleeping through the night?

Owen has always been an ok sleeper. He still wakes up about 3 times during the night and wants to nurse...ok, maybe thats not too good of a sleeper. I have always done ok on little sleep, I was the girl in college that instigated going to mexican food at 3am. Recently I have started thinking it would probably be best for both of us to get a full nights sleep. I think not sleeping through the night is harder on me than I realize. So I decided to see how night weaning would go. My plan...
Step 1 Let him nurse shortly, give him his pacifier and soothe him back to sleep (stroke his hair and sing to him)
Step 2 No nursing, give him his pacifier and soothe him back to sleep (stroke his hair and sing to him)
Step 3 Mommy and baby sleep through the night!


It sounded like a pretty good plan. Last night was the 6th night of trying it out. The first three nights I was actually encouraged. I tried nursing him for a shorter time, giving him his pacifier and soothing him back to sleep. It worked! The last three nights haven't gone so good. He woke up very upset, would not take his pacifier at all and wanted nothing to do with the soothing him to sleep stuff. He woke up wanting to nurse around 6 times. Then yesterday I discovered the problem. He cut another molar! Thats 10 teeth and another on the way. Poor little guy. We will have to try again when he is not teething. In the mean time...Did you wean your baby from night feeding? What have you tried that worked? Does your little one sleep through the night? Any advice?

9 comments:

  1. Way to go momma! It's so important for you both to get a full nights sleep. Keep at it and you'll get there! Have you tried any tylenol or teething gel (they have natural stuff) to help him at night? I find that really helps my kids...that's IF I know their teething. :) Sometimes it's just so hard to tell. I weaned both my kids from night feedings by about 6 months using a similar method of slowly supplementing the pacifier. I did find that both of them started waking more at night around their first birthday, not because they needed to eat but I think because there is so much going on in their brain at this stage. Learning to walk, communicate more, climb, etc. Their brain is doing so much I think they go through a phase of having a hard time sleeping. But you'll get through it!

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    1. Im sure he does have a lot going on in his brain. It's hard work lerarning so much! Have you tried the natural teething gel stuff? I've never looked into it but someone else suggested that for his teething aches. I've tried Tylenol and little. Thanks for te advice!

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    2. I did try the natural gel...I think it's Hyland's brand. They have lots of great natural kids stuff. I like their teething tablets. But I've gone back to Orajel brand teething gel. It numbs their gums where you apply it. I've heard mixed reviews but I've found it works almost instantly and in the middle of the night you can't argue with that! :)

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  2. Riley started sleeping through the night about a week after I stopped nursing him in the middle of the night. I just put a pacifier in and soothed him back to sleep. It was so nice to sleep again. Are you cosleeping? Riley was constantly comfort nursing when he was in the bed with us

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    1. Yeah, He seems to be doing it just for comfort and because it's what he is used to. We started co sleeping with him in our bed when he was 3 months. I'm sure if he was in his own crib he wuldn't wake up to nurse as often. Thanks for your thoughts! PS Riley is really cute!

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  3. That's great you're testing the night weaning waters! Waking up to nurse in the night is all that Owen knows, so it might take a little while getting him used to sleeping through. Teething probably doesn't help either :( It might sound bad (ha), but most advice we read was letting the kiddos cry it out. (We read the book On Babywise, which is great by the way!) Neither of them took a pacifier, but over two or three nights, they were good to go.

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  6. That first picture is one of my favorites!

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