My youngest child (my son)who is 6 months old has a very different personality than any of my girls did. He is a pure mommys boy which is sweet but, I am getting worn out. At 6 months he still wakes 1-2 times per night to nurse. He used to take an occasional bottle and now refuses completely! We are still trying with the pacifier. This leaves me with the choice of always being with him(or very nearby),which is ok. However, in the last 2 weeks he has been fighting us on sleeping and will only fall asleep for naps and bedtimes if I nurse him to sleep. Sometimes, he will in the car. My husband has tried walking him around the house, ad that doesn't work either. If we feed him, bathe, him and put him in his crib he will just scream! So, we are having late nights and it makes it hard to get our 2 year old down too! I have tried letting him cry for 5-10 minutes and that did not work. He just gets more and more hysterical. All my girls were perfectly happy to just be laid down with a mobile and a blanket and go to sleep, but he will not! He has also slept on his tummy since he was 4 weeks old, otherwise he wakes to nurse 4 times. Does anybody have any advice how to get him to sleep on his own? Or has anybody had a baby who acts like this about bedtime? What did you do?
Please don't get offended by me saying this, but why do you want your son to not fall asleep at the boob? All of my kids did (one still is) and they're absolutely fine. That's just what we do. Everything is geat for us. Don't stress yourself out. I would just put him to sleep in the easiest/best way for him (& you).
I agree with Traci D. I tried everything else with both of my kids, but really, the boob worked for us the best, put them to sleep otherwise was so tiring for me. They eventually grow out of it when they are ready. It's too much stress and energy. Sorry I don't have any better advice for you, probably just let them cry until they fall asleep? But I don't like that one.
My child was extremely difficult on the nursing and sleep issue. I nursed her to sleep until she was fourteen months although I did get her off night feedings the whole process was difficult. If you really want to wean off night feedings you are going to have to him cry because he expects it and knows you are going to give in. It took me about two nights and I had my daughter weaned off nights. I did not leave her alone though I stayed and comforted her by rubbing her back and trying to give a sippy cup instead. I found a book that really helped me called "Good Night, Sleep Tight" by Kim West. It is a little bit of alternative to just letting a child cry it out by themselves.
K. - I guess i don't understand why he can't fall asleep nursing? My oldest nursed to bed until he was almost 2 and my second nursed to bed until he was 18 months. They got to sleep and slept well and so did I! When my kids were six months old they were waking every night 3 to 4 times to nurse as well. That went on until about 1 years old, and then it was once before bed and once when they woke up.
Each kid is different! My first I would sing to him and rub his head while he nursed and he went right to sleep. My second would SCREAM if I touched his head or sang (which kind of hurt my feeling!) and only wanted to hold my hand. Lucky that your girls were able to go to sleep on their own, but it looks like your son still wants to nurse, and that's what I would do.
L.
He will only be a mama's boy for a while--so enjoy it!
He is six months and probably teething, but that doesn't make it easier. Perhaps Tylenol at bedtime will help.
While it's documented that boy babies do cry more than girls, in your case I think it's all personality. And you got LUCKY with the first two, hon. Most of us have babies like your boy. My breastfed baby snacked all night too. The formula-fed baby just woke up and cried. If you can, just take him to bed with you and nurse him on your side. Both of you can actually sleep that way. If he still is upset by laying down, then you might look into acid reflux. The tummy sleeping baby is often a silent reflux one. Good luck.
HI K.
I am replying mostly to tell you I can commiserate with you but dont' have any better answers than what you are doing! I have my 2nd daughter who is 19 weeks, my first is 22 mos and I had the same issue with both of them. My oldest didnt' sleep through the night til she was 9 mos old and that is when she stopped nursing because I got pregnant (they don't like the taste of the milk they say). My baby is still nursing several times at night, I usually get one 3-4 hr stretch then she has to co sleep and be able to just turn over and nurse or she is up every hour the rest of the night.
My philosophy is they all get bigger and grow out of it at their own pace. I tried every method with my oldest daughter and it really came down to when she was ready she did it. Now she is back to waking up and sleeping in bed with us again !
The one thing that really helped get them both down is a consistent night routine, bath, books, nurse, bed-sounds like you are doing that. Both my babies I choose to put to sleep on their tummies as that is the ONLY way they would sleep on their own. I can also relate that I can't let my baby cry as she wakes up her sister, but I also can't handle the cry it out method, I just don't believe in it.
So my thoughts are with you , but hang in there and it will work, just be consistent! Someone told me about a book called 12 hrs in 12 weeks ( a dad of triplets) he said it worked for them, I haven't read it though.
Good luck!
