Did your breastfed baby ever start sleeping through the night on his/her own?

Rosalie - posted on 04/18/2011

My son started sleeping through at 12 months after about 3 weeks of working consistently through the strategies suggested in 'the no cry sleep solution"



I had weaned him at 6 months due to medical reasons and interestingly the change from breast milk to formula had absolutely no impact on his sleep patterns.



By using the book I mentioned we have had (excepting from teething etc) absolutely no sleep issues. He is happy to go bed, likes his bed and sleeps well and contentedly. Recently he was restless but we found that he was simply cold! A warmer sleeping bag and all was well :o)



I should also add that up until we used the no cry sleep book (in complete desperation) he had never slept for more than 1 and a half hours in a row.

Lori - posted on 04/18/2011

Sometimes baby doesn't sleep through the night because he/she is not getting enough calories during the day. Try urging your child to eat a number of snacks, especially toward evening time.
Sometimes the diaper is not keeping him/her dry enough and that will wake the baby. Try a different brand of diapers.
Sometimes Baby doesn't get enough exercise during the day, and sometimes he/she is getting too much. Try increasing activity levels in the morning, and decreasing activity just before bedtime at night..
Sometimes Baby is sleeping too long in the afternoon and doesn't feel tired enough to sleep through the night.
Try limiting afternoon nap times to 2 hours or less.
Sometimes reading a book or two with your little one every night before bedtime helps.
Remember, with Babies, routine is important. This doesn't mean you make a schedule and stick to it like glue. This means you find out what works for you and baby and then try to stick with the routine every day. Babies need to know what to expect from day to day. It gives them a sense of security.
Each child is different, so try a number of things before you give up.
Good sleep habits don't always just happen. Sometimes we have to encourage these things.
Good luck! You can do this!

Kim - posted on 04/18/2011

Hi there,
One suggestion, that I'm not sure applies to you... I don't know if you co-sleep, or have him in your room with you, but I found that my daughter slept WAY better in a seprate room. Reason being, they can smell the breastmilk, and that can wake them up... my daughter slept in her own bed in her own room from a few days old. Since then she's slept with me once cause she was sick, and a few times when we're staying somewhere and there isn't room for her to sleep in another room. She slept through the night (6-8 hrs) by 6 weeks old. If your lil guy is still sleeping in your room, I'd suggest giving that a try! (no judgement on those that do co-sleep, it's just what worked for us.)

Hailey - posted on 04/18/2011

if your both not ready to wean, look into tandom feeding. My first two were 17 months apart and i fed them both. My first was not at all ready to give up her night feeds and could not do CIO method, we co slept so it was a bit impossible too. I hadnt read anything on tandom feeding befor i did it, it just felt right.

Rebekah - posted on 04/18/2011

In my personal opinion, I think it's definitely time for some sleep training. I use the book BabyWise and it is the best thing I ever did. I have a 19 month old and we trained her to be able to put herself to sleep, and people marvel at what an amazing sleeper she is, and how she is always in a good mood. For your baby boy not to be sleeping more than 3-4 hours at a time isn't healthy for him... sleeping for long periods of time is very important for developmental reasons. Don't worry though! You can make up for lost time. It may just be a little harder now that he is almost 1. He is now just to the point that he is used to waking up at those times and nursing... he doesn't really need it anymore. My daughter has been sleeping through the night from the time she was about 8 weeks old (sleeping through the night to me means, when they are THAT little, 5-6, MAYBE 7, at a time. She now sleeps for 13-14 hours straight!) We DID let her CIO at the beginning, but that only lasted a few days... and then she learned how to soothe herself and is such a happy girl because she sleeps so well. My brother and his wife have 8 children and they used Baby Wise with all of them, and they are all amazing sleepers, extremely bright, and very well adjusted. It will be hard for you to let him CIO at first, but he will learn within I'd say, a week or so, and then he will be so thankful to get to sleep longer than 3-4 hours at a time! Oh, and I breastfed until my daughter was 13 months (I was planning to go longer, but I got pregnant again at that point, and was throwing up all the time and felt it was time to wean), and she still slept through the night. My second baby is due in 5 weeks and I'm SO glad my 19 month old is a good sleeper (because of the sleep training)! You can do it! :)

Heather - posted on 04/18/2011

Never used CIO, never would for any reason. There's no reason for it. Both my kids were STTN (which is 5-6 hours straight, btw) by 20 months, which is what's normal and appropriate.

Many parents who use CIO think their child is STTN, when in actuality, they become so desensitized to the cries that they don't wake up to them anymore. I've read a lot of stories about people who swore never to do it again after finding out from relatives that they didn't even know their child was crying for hours at night and they weren't hearing it.

Lisa - posted on 04/18/2011

I didn't read through all the other posts so if someone else already suggested this, sorry but instead of CIO you could try getting the book The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (try your library first if you don't want to buy it). It takes time but it's a great method for getting your baby to sleep.

Alahna - posted on 04/18/2011

Hi Carrie, my baby was the same (she just turned 1).
I found she wasn't getting enough sleep & it was a sleep issue rather than food. I used tizzy hall's save our sleep - u have to let them cry (rather than controlled crying) but she slept through the 1st night! In the end I rationalized that she had to learn to self settle & we r both more awake & happy because of it!

Lady - posted on 04/18/2011

Yes, they eventually will sleep thru night on thier own slowly but showly. No I'm against that CIO method plus it hurts my feelings so I promised never to do that to my child or children. I'm 3 months too and due in October but in a week I'll be 4 mths, my dr. told me don't worry about it and he would wean himself which is what he did when I turned 3 months completely ( she say cos it taste different). Before then he was down too once or twice a day but that was late night n first thing early in morning. So he stopped breastfeeding @ 20 mths. Sounds like ya child still sleep with u like mines lol but u could slowly try getting him in his own bed nap time or whenever he goes to sleep n the time will gradtually increase yuntill he's able to stay in there ( didn't work for me lol) putting on layer of clothing will make it harder for him to get to ya breast and smell milk. Don't worry he'll sleep thru night soon , they all do at thier own paste. I ONLY BF NO SUBSTITUTE AT ALL!!! It's closer than u know :-) GL & Healthy & Happy Preggo 8-}

Maggie - posted on 04/17/2011

After speaking with pediatrics who told me at 6 months they should sleep through without wanting a feed, I used the Cio, Started with 5 mins and slowly increase to 1 hour OMG! but after only a few days I would hear him wake and with in a min he was asleep again, from about 8 months he doesn't wake at all.

Grace - posted on 04/17/2011

Found a resource for gentle night-weaning:
http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleepp...

Katrina - posted on 04/17/2011

I had to cut my son off at night when he turned 1y.o. (for my sanity - nursing every 1 1/2 to 2 hours). It was 2 nights of some tears but not as bad as I expected. Then he slept through the night. I felt comfortable cutting him off as I knew he was getting enough nourishment during the day.

Kathren - posted on 04/17/2011

my 11 month old bf baby has been sleeping thru the night since she was 6 or 7 months.

Misty - posted on 04/17/2011

i'll keep you posted! we are still BFing at 17-months and my son still hasn't slept through the night...he usually gets me up 1x, sometimes 2x

Erica - posted on 04/17/2011

My son will be 1pm the 6th of may n still wakes up 3 times to nurse since we co sleep it's no big deal. He is my third n they were all like that untill I started Weaning them n when I did they CIO :( it's hard but when it's time it's time ya know.

Gretchen - posted on 04/17/2011

our daughter starting sleeping through the night at around 13-14 months. we never let her cry it out and i usually got up 1-3 times a night and nursed her. my husband starting going in every other night, instead of me and she just gradually started sleeping all night. i'm still nursing her about once a day when i get home from work and sometimes more if she's teething or sick and wants the extra mom time, but having my husband go in and settle her down made all the difference in the world! good luck!

Grace - posted on 04/17/2011

In short, no. My breastfed daughter did not learn to go to sleep by herself and sleep through the night. However, I know quite a few moms, formula feeding and breastfeeding. Some of the breastfeeding moms have kids who naturally slept through the night at x age, as do the formula feeding moms. Some of the breastfeeding moms also have kids who never slept through the night on their own or didn't until they were older toddlers, and some of the formula feeding moms have kids who also never slept through the night or didn't until they were older toddlers. I was breastfed for all of a few weeks and then bottle-fed. I was always an insomniac and a frequent-waker. It just depends on your child. If you do decide to wean, I don't think that will instantly make your child sleep through the night. If you want to train your baby to not breastfeed during the night, I don't think cry-it-out is your only option. Can you parent him back to sleep in some other way? Can his Dad? A crying baby in the arms of a loving parent is a very different feeling than a crying child alone in his room (for all he knows, you will never come for him, if he is alone). Maybe it's a pee thing that is causing his frequent nursing. I know that sometimes we get into a nurse-pee-nurse-pee cycle and if I can rock my daughter to sleep or rub her back or something, she will sleep for longer stretches. I also notice that she sleeps totally through the night if I am beside her, but if I am up (as I often am, insomniac and student) she wakes frequently. I think she senses that I am missing. Could that be the case for your son? Also, does he pee just before bed, does he watch TV just before bed or do something more calming, what kinds of foods is he having for dinner or snack before bed, etc are all questions that could be relevant in how long of stretches he sleeps for. As for weaning him at one-year-old, I just wanted to let you know (in case you don't know) that you don't have to wean your first child because another child is coming. Many moms successfully tandem nurse. That may or may not be your preference to do, but I wanted you to know it is a viable and healthy option in case you weren't aware that anyone did that. For more information you could visit kellymom.com. I know a few moms who have done it and love the bond it creates between their children. You know when you nurse and stare into the eyes of your baby. Well, apparently, when you tandem nurse, your kids also stare into each others eyes. They also hold hands and make noises and do all kinds of other cute things. I've seen pictures. Plus, toddler usually helps out mom with engorgement. Anyway, it's an option. Back to the sleeping thing, I have found with my now 2.5-year-old daughter taht her attachment to me naturally wanes. It used to be all mommy, all the time. At about 15 months, she was suddenly okay with me leaving her with others (my mom and dh) and didn't care at all. Right around age 2 she started caring a lot more about Daddy and crying for him, etc. Recently, she has started falling asleep when he sings to her or reads to her, even though she is still nursing (2.5). She does it all at her own pace, but she does it all, I don't have to force her to move from stage to stage. I hope you find a solution that works for your family. All the best to you!

MOMMBY Mom - posted on 04/17/2011

Please refer to this link for general information on sleep - http://mommby.com/Sleep/Infants_Toddlers...

My first baby slept great until 6 months and then he woke up every 3/4 hours until he was 10 1/2 months; I think due to teething and the fact he had reflux and wasn't eating enough during the day. My daughter is 6 months now and woke up every couple hours until she was 5 1/2 months and for the past 2 weeks has been sleeping about 12 hours a night. I really think a lot of it depends on the child.

You may need to start teaching your child to sleep longer on his own although that doesn't mean you need to let him cry it out. I would do baby steps. Is he eating a lot when he wakes up? Does he get enough food during the day. If you think he's eating enough during the day then try to not breastfeed him every time he wakes up and maybe he won't keep waking up as much? You could get him a drink of water or something? Please refer to this article for more information:
http://mommby.com/Sleep/Infants_Toddlers...

I wish you the best of luck! Teaching kids to sleep is a learning process for everyone. We are working on our 3 year old sleep in his big boy bed right now. ;)

Take care. Good Luck!

Ania - posted on 04/17/2011

My son started sleeping at 1. Like magic. Well he still wakes up once but went from 3-4 times to 1 in one night. I stopped BF him to sleep at 9 months I would just put him in the crib and rubbed his back, or whatever he liked

Alexandra - posted on 04/17/2011

I breastfed for the first 10 months and my son started sleeping through the night every so often at around 7 months old (when he started sleeping in his own bedroom). I would give him maybe 15 minutes to fuss and try to put himself back to sleep when/if he woke up, and he would usually go back to sleep without needing to nurse. He started sleeping through the night every night when I weaned him, though. I lost my milk supply when I got sick so I had to get him on formula for two months (until he turned one) and if I gave him a bottle before bed, he would sleep through the night every night. He has been a great sleeper since!! He is now 20 months old! :) At the age of your little one, he is just wanting to nurse out of habit. He does not really need the night time feedings anymore..

Barbara - posted on 04/17/2011

I never co slept. LO was doing at lest 8 hrs by 10 months old. She quickly went to 12 hrs as she cut out her naps, I could not get her to nap. She would always BF to sleep always had/has and then sleep 12 hrs....

Barb - posted on 04/17/2011

My breastfeeding babies started sleeping through the night before they turned 3 years old. i'm so very greatful that I breastfed them, even at night when they needed the sucking and the physical contact. it's so good for them and for us too, so we mom's dont get breast cancer. Little people are meant to have lots of mommy contact and sleeping a majic number of hours all consecutively is very overrated in our culture. Nursing often has been and still is the norm in most cultures of the world. it's a very special time that will not last.

Lisa - posted on 04/17/2011

my daughter is 14weeks old and has been sleeping from 10:30pm to 6:30am since she was 5weeks old and she did that all by herself. I am sure that when she starts teething it will all change.

Kimberly - posted on 04/17/2011

My son is 11 months old and was waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse. I decided since he wasn't in his crib that we should transition him into it. We used the CIO method and by the second night he slept through by himself. Every baby learns at their own pace and yes the crying is hard to listen to but in the end he has been a happier baby since. If he does wake up at night I let him put himself back to sleep. But every baby is different I really hope you find what works best for you.

Carrie - posted on 04/17/2011

My son is almost 4 months and he has been sleeping through the night for the past couple of weeks. I am not sure if it is a growth period or not. He goes to sleep anywhere between 930 to 11pm. He usually wakes up between 6 or 7am.
I was not so lucky with my first son, who is now 2 years old. I nursed him until he was 1 year. I had trouble nursing him in the beginning but he made it easier for my 2nd son to nurse, I think.
With my first son, he was waking up so much during the night until I had him on a set sleep schedule. I think he would get so over tired that he would wake up constantly. I make him lay down for a nap after being awake for 4 or 5 hours.

Lori - posted on 04/17/2011

I have three boys, and all of them were breastfed until varied times. My oldest I stopped nursing when he was 6 months, as he was waking up every 90 minutes to be fed and I was not producing a lot of milk. He didn't start to sleep through the night until 8 months. My middle was breastfed until 9 months, but I had pumped so much that he had enough until nearly a year. I found out I was pregnant when he was 8 months and I found he got very frustrated as my supply became scarce. He however at 2 months only woke up once a night, and then by three months he was sleeping through the night. My youngest is 11 months and still wakes up anywhere from 1-4 times a night. Now I truly feel pumping made the difference. I had a very hard time pumping with my youngest because at 5 months it seemed like he needed a lot more but refused food until 8 months. And because I planned on weaning him at 1 year, I haven't started pumping again. I feel your pain, as I live it too! My youngest refuses to drink from a bottle or zippy cup, so I am not sure what I am going to do. As for sleep training, do you let your son fall asleep on his own at all? My oldest we did tough love, and within a week, he had learned to fall asleep within 5 minutes of being put in the crib. My middle, it seemed to come naturally, and my youngest I put to bed sometimes he will fall asleep, other times I lay on the futon in his bedroom and he goes to sleep within 5-10 minutes. Good luck, I know exactly what you are going through, and wish I had more words of wisdom.

Carrie - posted on 04/17/2011

My kids are 4yrs, 2yrs and 8months. They were all bf until they stopped on their own 11months and 1yr. My daughter was the first and she slept through the night at exactly 3months unless sick and for her that was 12hrs- she would only nap for 30-60mins all day (not by my choice). My second was a different story. He's 2 and still gets up at night but he hasn't nursed since he was 11months. Even before he weaned himself he would be up every 1-2hrs at night until I gave him a pacifier. With that when he woke up I would give it to him and if after 10mins or so he wouldn't settle then I would nurse him. We found out fast with him that he wasn't hungry just an oral kid- still always has hands or something in his mouth. My third is 8months old now and was sleeping through the night at 6months but in the last week I have had to get up and nurse him, but I think he's finally teething. I wish when I was prego with #3 I would have done more sleep training with my second because when the baby came home I never slept. I was up with either the baby or the 2yr old all night and then had to function with my 4yr old during the day. I wish you the best and you will figure out what works best for you. As tired as you may be now my suggestion would be to try what you can now before the baby. Good Luck! :-)

Rebecca - posted on 04/17/2011

My oldest son is 3 next month and was end and sleeping thru from about 3 months (unless he was sick or teething in which case we would still feed to settle/soothe in the night) and my 9 week old son has been sleeping through for the past few days. With both of them they tended to cluster feed especially in the morning and evening and I never left them to cry in their cot. However I did work on helping both learn to go to sleep by themselves (I.e. No patting, rocking or feeding to sleep - however I do use these methods to help them settle) which I believe means they go back to sleep thru the night. That or I have just been really lucky!

Tanya - posted on 04/16/2011

our son slept through the night on his own at 2.5 months, then started waking again once or twice a night at 8.5 months, then started sleeping through again at around 13 or 14 months. I think it depends on how much he eats before bedtime, but the doctor said after 8 or 9 months it's probably a habit as milk is not needed at night at that age.

Mia - posted on 04/16/2011

My son was sleeping through by 6 months and really shouldn't need that feed during the night. If he got sick and broke the sleeping through habit I wouldn't feed him if I had to get up to him. The sleeping through and b/f are seperate issues really but has become a habit more than a necessity to be feeding during the night as by 6 months they should be on solids and don't need that night feed.

Nicola - posted on 04/16/2011

I breast fed both of mine on demand my son slept through the night at about 6 weeks from around 8 o'clock to 6 am. and my daughter slept through around 9 months once she got the hang of solids. she was still on at least 4 bfd's a day.

Darla - posted on 04/16/2011

my first two were 17 months apart and we did let the oldest cry it out after I found out I was pregnant. I just decided that I needed some rest and breastfeeding during the day was enough while pregnant. It didn't take very long. maybe 4 nights. I waited to completely wean him until around a year old, and then I realized how much more energy I had after weaning him. take care! I hope you can figure out something that works!

Holly - posted on 04/16/2011

My 17 month old still does not sleep through the night. Neither does my 3.5 year old, myself, my husband or even my other four kids aged 5-14. It is normal :) Humans go through a wake sleep cycle when they aren't forcing themselves to sleep that includes roughly an hour of wake time. It's ok.

As for weaning, if you choose to I am not speaking against it but do you know that you *can* tandem nurse? Your milk will change to be ok for the baby but the toddler can still enjoy it too :) Then there is no taking it from the 17 month old at all :) Just a thought :) Oh, co-sleeping has been a lifesaver too! I no longer wake up when my guy needs to eat. He rolls over, snuggles close, pushes me to whatever position he wants me (depending on which breast he wants) and self serves :)

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/16/2011

Sorry, had to run and get my son real quick there!
Anyways, I'm due with our second baby any time now and Eric is two and still breastfeeding.I felt it was not his fault I chose to become pregnant agains, he didn't ask for a sibling. So I didn't want to 'punish' him by making him wean before he was ready.
I want Eric to be able to wean himself when he feels ready, and his little sister is not going to take that away from him!
I think letting him continue breastfeeding will make him bond better with his sister because I'm not trying to make him grow up quickly before she is born, she isn't taking his place as a baby. They can both breastfeed as long as they want and grow out of it in their own time.

Check out kellymom.com, she has a section for breastfeeding while pregnant as well as breastfeeding two. It has alot of facts, tips, and encouragement.

Keep in mind CIO is never necessary, every child will sleep through the night on their own at some point. Just as weaning is also never necessary, every child will wean themselves on their own. The point is that's on their time schedule at their pace, if as mom we want to make them do these things earlier then they are ready to do so naturally then we have to put in the work to help them grow up before they are inclined to do so.
You can do it gently, but for me it still feels wrong. I want Eric to grow as he feels it's time, not on my schedule.

Laura Zoey - posted on 04/16/2011

My son bf in the night about three times at a year. About once or twice at 1 1/2. And now at just 2 years he goes all night without it with only oncE here and there.

At 17 months it might be alot less stress for you and him both to not wean him before the baby comes. Breastfeeding is safe while pregnant and tandem breastfeeding is a nice option.

Aicha - posted on 04/16/2011

my 10 week old sleep a 5 hour stretch and has since he was about 5 weeks old

Julie - posted on 04/16/2011

My baby is 8 1/2 months now and just started sleeping in his crib all night (knock on wood). He is breastfed and we were co-sleeping the whole time until now. What changed? He started crawling, so at night wakings instead of JUST wanting to nurse he wanted to crawl around our bed, kick us, hit us, etc. So I started rocking him and putting him in the crib at 7 months and he would stay for an hour, maybe two then I brought him to bed. Finally, I put him in the crib and he woke immediately. I knew he was tired so I shut the door and listened on the monitor. He fussed, but didn't cry. After 20 minutes he put himself to sleep. If he had been belly crying I would have gone in. His pediatrician told us at 6 months to let him CIO and I knew he wasn't ready for that. Your baby is probably old enough to sooth himself. Just try it and if he cries the way that is too painful then go in and pat him and talk to him. You know your baby better than anyone!

Lauren - posted on 04/16/2011

I just want to say that you NEVER "have to" CIO. You never have to leave your child alone to cry to get them to sleep better. I am nightweaning my daughter right now and she is crying, but I am with her, comforting her, and it is working. I could and would never abandon my child to be alone, and certainly not before 1 year old. Babies cry from the instinctual fear of being left alone to predators. Before a year they are too small to understand why you're doing what you're doing. There's no rule that says EITHER wake up constantly OR make your kid CIO. Plans like Jay Gordon's nightweaning plan, or No Cry Sleep Solution, are great alternatives for parents who need better rest but refuse to cause their child great distress.

Lauren - posted on 04/16/2011

Neither of my daughters slept through the night at one. I think some children remain frequent wakers. If it's becoming a real problem for you, you can consider nightweaning as an alternative to complete weaning. Jay Gordon has a great nightweaning plan that is gentle and reasonable and people have a lot of success with. I am using it right now to nightwean my 14 mo old with lots of success. I never nightweaned my oldest daughter and she did not sleep through the night on her own until she was 28 months old.

You know, I nursed my daughter through pregnancy with no problems, and tandem nursed them after our second was born. I actually think nursing them both helped assuage jealousy and bonded them. There was never any conflict over sharing me. I think it's worth considering, since your oldest is still so young.

Kayla - posted on 04/15/2011

As i read all the other ladies replies i seem to feel lucky.

My 2 month old nurses once during the night and some nights sleeps all night (6-7 hours) she did this all on her own. im not the type of mom to wake my baby up to eat. If she is ko'd thats how she will stay until she wakes up on her own.

Kristin - posted on 04/15/2011

I'm not sure if you are co-sleeping, but this article has a lot useful tips for night weaning...I used his methods and they worked well. There was a lot cring, but I never left my son alone ti cio...
http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleepp...
hope this gives you some tips & that it goes well...the first few days will be the hardest, hang in there!

Rebecca - posted on 04/14/2011

also, we did let our daughter cry it out around 4 months but only to go to sleep, not instead of the feeding. I have never been a fan of the cry it out method but my daughter has a mind of her own and around 4 months old decided that she would no longer fall asleep if I was holding her...

Rebecca - posted on 04/14/2011

You are REALLY lucky that you can still breastfeed your older child while being pregnant. I tried and started having cramps really badly everytime I would breast feed my daughter. My doctor said that since breastfeeding helps your uterus contract after giving birth it isn't safe to breastfeed while pregnant. I am due in June and my kids will be 18 months apart. Now, to answer your question, NO my daughter never slept through the night until we took her off of breast milk (at 8 months when I got pregnant again) and formula (at a year). The day we switched to milk, she decided she wasn't a huge fan of it (she will drink some with meals and such) and when she woke up that night for a feeding I gave her the bottle, she took a drink and handed it back to me. Now she is 16 months old and has slept through the night (9pm to 9 or 10 am) everynight. We don't even offer her food right before bed (unless she asks for some) because she won't eat it. We have a simple bedtime routine and put her into her crib and she sleeps all night no problem.

Jane - posted on 04/14/2011

I was VERY fortunate. Both my kids, now 21 and 17 were breastfed and slept through the night at 7 weeks and 9 weeks respectively. Here's my theory though. I believe that it's genetic. I have no proof....just a feeling. I sleep like a dead horse and have since infancy. My family used to tease me and say I had sleeping sickness:). My kids sleep just like I do...you could blow up bombs in our house and no one would hear it. I never did CIO...I do not believe that to be effective. I think it's just their genetic makeup.

Amanda - posted on 04/14/2011

One other key part of our success... We also did the "dream feeding", waking him up before he would have woken up (around 11 or midnight), to do a hopefully-last feeding for the night. It usually worked, and when not, that's when my husband would go in.

Amanda - posted on 04/14/2011

I've read a number of these responses, but not all. Not sure if someone already suggested having your partner, if available, go in (assuming you aren't co-sleeping) to hold him/soothe him back to sleep. He'll get the "nursing" he wants, but won't have a boob there to expect anything from. That was one part of sleep training that really worked for us. It's still a big piece of it - if my little guy (now 14 mos, and started sleeping through the night around 11mos) wakes up and can't soothe himself back to sleep when my husband isn't home, when I go in, he won't settle down unless I nurse him. I heard "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" is a good resource. Good luck!

Laura - posted on 04/14/2011

My breastfed baby started sleeping through the night around 10 weeks but he also woke up during milestones. I continued to nurse morning and evening until he was 18 months. He is over two years now but I dont believe that I was night nursing when he was almost one.
Unfortunately all children have different sleep patterns but maybe there is something more going on, ear infection, teeth, etc.

Jennifer - posted on 04/14/2011

i had to CIO at 10 months. the book i found most helpful is called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.
CIO is very hard, and i was against it for a long time, but i gave up one night after being woken up by him 3 times between 8 and midnight, and i gave up, i hugged and kissed him, told him i loved him, put on his lullaby CD and sat outside his room with my back against his door and cried silently while listening, it tookk him 37 minutes to fall asleep, then 32 minutes the next night, then 24 minutes, then 18, then 6, and it just went down from there, now i do the same routine, everynight. and he doesn't even cry, i give him the teddy my mom got him, and he cuddles it and lays down.
he goes to bed at 7 now, and wakes up between 7:30 and 8am now. and he still napes from noon till 2-2:30 everyday. CIO works,
Good luck!

Grace - posted on 04/14/2011

One thing I did from the beginning Carrie was to have my twins sleep in their cribs from day one after we got home from the hospital. I used to go and feed them in their room and put them back to bed and eventhough it was difficult, it transition them easily when it was time to weaned them off breastfeeding at the age of 12months and 3 days... They still sleep in their rooms by themselves and we wake them up to pee during the night but they come in our room and play right after they wake up in the morning. They are 2yrs old now......

Elise - posted on 04/13/2011

My daughter was 9 month old when she started sleeping though (12 hours). She started waking at really odd times during the night at about 8 months, so one night I cracked it from having no sleep and put her back to bed without a feed and shes slept right through every night since. My son is not as good he is 5 months old and is still up 3 times a night except on the odd occation he will sleep 9 hours.



Oh and I BF her until she was one and am BFing my son.