partial night weaning 13.5 month old (x-post)

muyale

New member
My daughter is 13.5 months. She was EBF up until about 6 weeks ago when we started introducing cows milk. She is now on almost straight cows milk at daycare and nurses when we are together (morning, evening, weekends). I am in no rush to stop that but need help with nighttime.

I nurse her to sleep and she goes down quickly. Then she wakes up between 11 and 12 wanting boob, if hubby goes in and tries to rock her back to sleep with pacifier she screams, if I go in and try to rock her she screams and fights like I'm torturing her FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF!!!! This kid has stamina. She then wakes up again between 2 and 3 and is up for the day NO LATER THAN 5:30, usually between 4:45 and 5:15. She is still in the infant room at daycare and usually takes one nap of about 45 minutes there.
She goes to sleep at about 7 (have tried as early as 6 and as late as 8).

She's never been a good sleeper or a good napper, even as a tiny infant she'd never nap those 2-3 hour naps I hear so much about. She's moving into the toddler room at daycare in a couple weeks where they won't rock her to sleep and expect her to nap 2 hours!

Anyhow back to the nighttime. I don't mind getting up to nurse her once per night and getting up at 5:30 is okay since we take her to daycare at 6:30 but waking up multiple times and demanding boob and getting up before 5am is killing me, I'm so so so tired. I had a hard time towards the end of my pregnancy so I haven't slept more than 5 hours in a row in about 18 months. I got pneumonia in September and I just can't shake it because I'm always so exhausted. Hubby helps but during the night she only wants me.

We don't do cry it out at all. I'll let her cry in my arms if I'm soothing an talking to her but not on her own in her bed. We've tried having her sleep with us and it does not help, she still wakes up.
she's never had the "drowsy but awake" state. She's either awake and running around (then gets super grumpy when she's tired) or sound asleep, no transition period.

She takes the pacifier at daycare to go down for naps but otherwise does not like it very much. She does not have a lovey or comfort item (other than me).

help?
 
@muyale My kid was older, but the only way we might weaned was to take me out of the picture. I worked a week of graveyards and my husband was forced to cope so we knew he COULD... after a few days he was doing ok.

We don't do CIO either (hell, we cosleep, not really compatible) but after the week of graveyards we went right back to old habits so that was no good. So we did a week where I slept on the couch, Daddy handled all nights, and they got real used to no boob at night. When I came back it was a matter of wrapping up the boobs in a blanket like a burrito and denying access, and letting daddy resettle him. After a few days he's sleeping through the night almost every night despite the (now closed!) all night buffet being inches away.
 
@muyale To clarify something that might help me (and others) answer the question - when you say she was EBF until about 6 weeks ago, does that mean she did not have solid food?
 
@cheryl6397 ahh no, sorry for the confusion! I just meant she didn't have any formula or cows milk.

She actually started solids (purees) at 4 months, and now eats 3 solid meals and 2-3 snacks per day. She's very big (tall) for her age and always has been. 99+% on everything.

I will add also that she's currently teething but has been teething almost constantly since 8 weeks (got first tooth through the gums at 14 weeks). She has 12 teeth and 3 more coming through.

She got tubes in her ears about 6 weeks ago for non-resolving ear infections.
 
@muyale Ah ha, that makes sense. And my daughter has tubes, too. Solidarity on that. :(

What is her general schedule like now? Bedtime, wake-up, and naps?
 
@cheryl6397 Weekdays:

4:30-5am- wakeup, bring her in to bed with us while I try to sleep for a few more minutes

5:30- get up, have breakfast

6:15- nurse

6:30- leave for daycare

10:30- usually naps for about 45 minutes around this time

(food at daycare is snack at 8:30, bottle at 9:45, lunch at 11:30, bottle at 12:45, snack at 3)

4pm- pickup, usually falls asleep in the car on the way home

5:15- dinner

6:00 - bath

6:15-7- play, read

7-7:30, nurse, go to sleep, get put in crib

11-12, wake up and nurse

2-3- wake up and nurse

Weekends are a little more loose of a schedule and she usually had 2 longer naps, otherwise sleep is about the same.
 
@muyale Try reading the No Cry Sleep Solution if you want to avoid cry it out methods! Helped a lot with night-weaning for our 14 month old
 
Back
Top