@nyjb That was my hunch, too (also in Europe). I also find it WILD to expect a 6-month old being night weaned. I read on Reddit so often that Americans night wean by 6 or 9 months and whenever I google for night weaning recommendations in German, it usually starts by saying that night weaning is not recommended before 12 months of age because younger children might need regular milk intake to keep their blood sugar stable. It's wild how cultural those things seem to be.
@nserchoftruth My Ped used to tell us about CIO or independent sleep because we were tired. Of course. She asked how he slept and I just said “really good” and she never mentioned it again. He coslept his whole life. Now he is 2 and sleeps through the night unless he is sick. Totally normal.
@rdwin Haha I think this is exactly what I will do! I appreciate you sharing he sleeps through the night now. I instinctively feel like my LO will adjust when he is ready. He’s a super happy baby and I just don’t know why I would rock his world like this in such a drastic way. Thanks for your support!
@nserchoftruth Of course. Do what works for your family. I will say we had to night wean in order to get him to sleep through the night but that was closer to a year. Plus it’s not the same as CIO. I was still there to comfort.
@nserchoftruth Unfortunately I won’t be much help to you as I was an exclusive pumper which meant he was bottle fed my milk.
He dropped down to 1 oz on his own at night and I just stopped offering it. Way easier than nursing. Some of my friends who nurse are still doing it at 3yrs at night.
I wonder if folks at r/attachementparenting or search this sub would have advice as many of them nurse and cosleep.
@nserchoftruth I think an important distinction to make is that although at that age, babies CAN eat enough during the day to not technically NEED more calories during the night, not all do or want to. Especially when the food source is so readily available at night for some snacking. So you don’t have to wake them to eat, but they may be hungry, thirsty or want comfort. I don’t think that’s abnormal at all.
@fritzmb Thank you! I think I can try to let him settle himself more instead of defaulting to feeding, but I definitely didn’t feel like it was THAT abnormal. It was a hard visit for sure. I appreciate your support!
@nserchoftruth If it’s easiest for you and your daughter to just nurse back to sleep, do it. There is literally no reason not to if you are co-sleeping.
@thedancingbaptist That’s how I feel. I literally don’t understand how any human being can consciously convince themselves CIO is a non harmful method. I understand why people do it but I’ll never be convinced it doesn’t harm a baby,
@nserchoftruth As much as I hate CIO, I can understand why some people do it since the research is unclear. However, we know it's developmentally normal for 6mo to need to feed overnight, and we know it's harmful to not feed babies when they're hungry.
@nserchoftruth Please change your paediatrician. He/she is no one to suggest sleep training/CIO method. It is what the parents need to decide.
Since bubs is now 6m old, I am assuming you have started solids? I would probably look at bubs diet and see if they are having iron rich foods and if that makes any difference.
Please note that it is still normal for babies to wake up at night at this age even if they are on a proper diet. Please don’t beat yourself for it. You are doing a fantastic job raising a tiny human
@nserchoftruth If it helps you to feel better, my mum said she coslept with both my brother and I for years, for the same reasons. She worked full time, and we spent weekends with our dad. Sleeping with us was how she got to spend the most time with us. We’ve both turned out totally normal , and we’re able to sleep independently once we got older. I’m happy for that time I was able to spend with my mum growing up, you’re doing great!
It's wild how cultural those things seem to be.
Thank you!!