https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 18 May 2026 05:05:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684490 Sat, 21 Jan 2017 20:21:59 +0000 Ali-oop 2684490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son slept with us as well. He got into the habit of looking for the boob all night and I was getting exhausted. I wanted to get him in his crib because I felt like just being away from me would lessen the night nursing. I didn't really want him to cry so we did it gradually. I would nurse him to sleep and put him in his crib. For a while he would wake up after about 3-4 hours and I would bring him to bed with us. He then started stretching it little by little until one night he slept through the night. I still nursed him to sleep for a while and then one night I didn't offer and just rocked him to sleep. He's now 16 months and sleeping 7:30-7:00 and it's amazing. So there is hope! But a gradual method worked best for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684449 Sat, 21 Jan 2017 16:39:51 +0000 Synchro Coach 2684449@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone! I'm going to find the book Nursies When the Sun Shines to start the process. I've been so tired for so long that something has to change. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684186 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 19:13:25 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2684186@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just night weaned my cosleeping toddler (I started at about 16 months and now she's 18 months). It has not helped her sleep better at night, but she's always been a crappy night sleeper. </p> <p>It took me two months to fully night wean because instead of going cold turkey I would nurse at her first wake up (around 11), and then again at about 5am or so. I did that for about a month until one night I just refused to nurse. I'm pregnant and just couldn't take it anymore. My nipples were killing me and she would occasionally bite me in her sleep. </p> <p>We still cosleep but I just offer water in a cup, and then I'll lay with her and rub her back. She does wake up for the day at about 630 or 7 now instead of 8. </p> <p>I always say to her "no milk, just snuggling" at her night wake ups (which are still the same as when she was nursing). She's a little younger than yours though, so I'm not sure how much she really understood at first. I think it may have confused her that I'd nurse sometimes at night and not at others. Now I just nurse once the sun is up, which I think she finds less confusing. Once I went cold turkey, it only took her two nights to understand (and now she rarely asks for milk during her wake ups). </p> <p>She definitely cries at night and still wakes up 3ish times per night but now I just sing to her, or I'll rub her back, or pat her butt, or whatever. But our nursing relationship is so much better now that my boobs get some time to rest. </p> <p>So it hasn't been easy and it hasn't made her a better sleeper, but I'm much happier. I basically wanted to night wean because the nursing was painful and uncomfortable for me. And not surprisingly, my crappy sleeper is still a crappy sleeper. And we haven't nursed to sleep since she was like 5 months old. She puts herself to sleep for all naps and at night, but she just wakes up like she's much younger.</p> <p>I'm kind of hoping it'll get better soon but it's been about three weeks or so and while I feel better and more rested, her sleep hasn't improved.</p> <p>ETA: I just realized this was super negative, but overall I just wanted to acknowledge that I have a bad sleeper. And even with a bad sleeper I managed to night wean successfully! Good luck. It was rough but once I went cold turkey it was much easier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684181 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 19:08:10 +0000 Woolly Mammoth 2684181@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would try to stop nursing to sleep rather than focusing on the middle of the night nursing sessions.</p> <p>When daddy took over bedtime (no more nursing to sleep), LO's sleep improved dramatically almost overnight. It was like flipping a switch. He started sleeping through the night for the first time ever and, when he did wake up, he no longer expected to nurse back to sleep.</p> <p>It wasn't traumatic either - there were some tears the first night, but he never got that upset because he was snuggling with daddy and reading books.</p> <p>We moved him into his own twin bed a couple of weeks later (after years of cosleeping) without much fuss, and I was able to wean him pretty quickly afterward. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684173 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 18:20:08 +0000 LemonJack 2684173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, I should add that when I did this I didn't cut out the bedtime nursing session, only the wake ups. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684171 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 18:18:22 +0000 LemonJack 2684171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was in the same boat with my daughter last year. I night weaned her when she turned two, but wanted to do it sooner!</p> <p>We bought the book "Nursies When the Sun Shines" and read that a lot for a few weeks leading up to actually night weaning. We talked to her about it every day. The night we started I opted to keep her in the bed so I could comfort her (she was sleeping with us most nights anyway). She was upset and it was a long night with lots of crying, but we kept telling her that she would get milkies when the sun shined. Honestly it only took a couple of nights and she was fine, and her nighttime sleep improved a lot afterward. She's still not the best sleeper, but it's a big improvement. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684085 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 15:21:25 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2684085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh and I also have days where I am totally over breastfeeding, but I am not ready to give it up yet. Setting limits really helps my sanity. When we first started night weaning, my tendency was to just let him go back to on demand during the day, but I think it actually really helps even at night to narrow down the times that we nurse during day time. For me, telling him "we aren't gonna nurse till nap or bedtime. Are you ready for bed now?" Totally works usually! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684080 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 15:18:46 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2684080@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were in a similar boat and I did about half the process of nightweanikg before we (I) fell back into my habits of the path of least resistance, aka night nursing! I did not do jay Gordon's method but I know many have successes with it! I started out stopping nursing to sleep. I replaced it with rocking and have gradually had to do less and less rocking. Initially, what I did was also do rocking when he first woke up, and then set a deadline to when I would let him nurse again motn, and then gradually moved it back. I never got past 4am, I believe just because of motivation, and it seemed like he was gradually moving it later on his own. Then, for whatever reason, I totally lost my motivation to do anything else when he wakes up aside from nurse. He typically wakes up around 3 and we nurse/bedshare in his twin bed till morning. I would love to be consistent and stop nursing at night at all, I know everyone says it's tough and then they are over it, but so far my motivation at night is too low to do anything that hard! So my advice is to start by moving nursing earlier in the bedtime routine and then see where you want to go from there. Good luck! Some kids supposedly magically stop waking up to nurse just from that simple change, hope you have one of those! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/bad-toddler-sleep-habits#post-2684058 Fri, 20 Jan 2017 14:58:15 +0000 Synchro Coach 2684058@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been co-sleeping with my 21 month old since the beginning. He's still really into breastfeeding during the day and all night long. I nurse him to sleep in the rocker around 8:30pm. Last night, he woke up at 11p, 2a, 3:30a, 5a, 6a, and 7a to latch on. Then he is up for the day at 8am. If I don't let him latch then there's a screaming fit that can go on upwards of 10 minutes (which wakes up my husband and 5 year old).</p> <p>I know I've created this epically shitty situation myself. I just didn't want him to cry (and wake everyone up) and he never took to a pacifier.</p> <p>I'm personally getting tired of breastfeeding but I feel like it's my one trump card to get him to calm down/go to sleep.</p> <p>Would a sleep consultant help with a plan? His pediatrician is old school and says put him in the crib, let him cry a bit and send dadddy in soothe. I get it but DH gets really frustrated when the toddler cries because he just wants me (SAHM).</p> <p>My question is, is it even worth it to try to night wean (Dr. Jay Gordon method) or just stay the course and he'll eventually grow out of it over then next year? Eventually, I'd like to move him to his own bed and stop co-sleeping. I feel like it's a two step process (night wean, move to own bed). </p>