Weaning Night Grazing...UPDATED

I must not have read this guys book. Is nighttime feeding supposed to be a bad thing? I have 4 kids, and nursed progressively longer on each. The last one quit nursing right before his 3rd birthday. Nighttime was always the last to go, the end of the nursing road. Your daughter obviously still needs the comfort at night. Give it to her! She is a baby at 16 months! This stage will be over before you know it. Fifteen years from now you will think back on this issue and LONG to have these days back again. Put down the book, be a mom, give your daughter what babies down through history have always had until people started writing books about such things. :0)

T.,

I have a 4 1/2 yr old who i nursed until 3 years.. Nightimes as needed until 2 I think. I am remembering the best advice I was given. If it isn't a problem, don't fix it. If you 3 are alright with her nursing at night, don't worry. She WILL wean one day.
Way to go mama, nursing her so long and so lovingly.
Rox

I have heard that Dr Jay Gordon has a good book about night weaning in the family bed. We're not there yet -- DD is 7 mos, and latched on pretty frequently during the night, which is fine with me. The one thing I learned is when your baby drifts off latched on you can press up under her chin when you are taking your nipple out, and hold for a minute, in a kind but firm way. At least half of the time she will make more sucking movements with her mouth for a moment and then settle. This might have been from The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley, whihc might help you too. They have it at the library.

Well, it's been awhile for me, hummm 16 years! But, I nursed my daughter until she was 2 years 2 months old. FULL TIME... morning/noon/night and whenever she wanted at night (she slept with us until she was 18 months old). I wanted to stop nursing, but, wasn't sure how to go about it. I tried everything! So, one day a friend told me she putband aids over her nipples and told her child she had boo boo's. I thought what the heck, it's worth a try. My daughter was very smart as well. I couldn't believe it, the next time she wanted to nurse I told her I had a boo boo and she was so sympathetic, she wanted to see it and kiss it. Later that evening I did have a boo boo, I was engorged! When I read her a bedtime story she asked if she could have a little sip. I thought, oh my gosh that would really relieve me so, I let her. Although she just sucked a second and she was happy! After that it was a piece of cake. Enjoy it while you can, but, do what's in your heart. I was told to nurse until she was 5! I just couldn't do it. I hope this helped. Have a Merry Christmas!

i have nothing to help you with except to say that i am going to watch this post closely as i have the exact same problem. i get no sleep and weaning my bebe has not worked well for me either. he is very very stubborn about breastfeeding and loves to graze too ... good luck!!

Hi

Listen, it sounds as if you really could use some advice from the professionals, I normally dont' recommend LLL,but on their website is tons of support & you can talk directly to those who are educated in exactly this area. So I suggest you go directly to the La Leche League website - here I have it for you because before I recommend anyone I make sure this would be the correct fit & they have a section JUST on weaning and your age catagory.

Here is the website address: www.llli.org/NB/NBweaning.html

There is all kinds of resources there for all mothers breastfeeding, believe me they are VERY pro breastfeeding & I have heard that they are pretty pushy about the whole breastfeeding openly in public, but I think it has great resources & support for you to look into, best of luck. If you just go to the www.llli.org that is their home page.

I will keep you & your baby in my prayers & my heart.

try giving her more solid food before bed time so she isn't hungry through the night.

On the other hand, you may want to consider a pacifier. I was very mixed about it myself as I did not want to be a mother with a three year old who still cried for his "binkee" but I read a lot of books on it. What many baby experts wrote about was how a child has a need to suck and that it has some thing to do with brain development and soothing just as much as it is important not to put mittens on little babies and ensure that they are given the opportunity to crawl. Perhaps you baby is too old for one at this point since I took my son's binkee away at 14 months and it was hell for a week and then he was over it. she just may be really hungry though.

my mom used to say that having your baby sleep in the same room with you isn't a good idea if you are weening either because they can smell your milk when you are close and will cry for it. I don't know if that is true....luckily i was a stay at home mom for the first year of my son's life and so if i didn't get any sleep at night, i delt with it....and he wasn't a baby that ever slept through the night.