Janeway Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 If I seem like I am in a teary and bad mood again, today, it is because my toddler woke up repeatedly last night to eat again. Then to top it off, I opened FB and there was a message from my aunt in my memories. She is one of the older relatives I mentioned previously that died. I do not function well on little sleep so now, I am just teary. When I say he was up so much, I started looking at the clock at some point and it was every 20 minutes or so. It was at least 15 times. I googled toddler who wakes up at night. None of the suggestions applied to me, as in, I already do those things or they are not things I could do. I think it is the breastfeeding that is an issue. But how do you wean a baby when it is 3am, and 3;30am, and 4am, and 4:30am, etc, when all he wants is to nurse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 (edited) Btdt. I never wanted to "sleep train", but I came to the point that I was unable to function and falling asleep spontaneously in the middle of the day while doing things with the kids, which was no longer safe. So I did the only thing that restored me to sanity and let her cry for a few nights. I still nursed in the evening, and after a larger chunk of time (forgot the details), but I refused to breastfeed every 30 minutes. It was this or falling asleep at the wheel. Good luck. Sleep deprivation is the worst, and there is a point when the well being of the mother needs to take priority for the sake of the entire family. The best laid plans for child centered parenting may go awry when confronting the reality that mothers are humans, too. In hindsight, I wish I had done that months sooner. It took only 2-3 days. Edited April 12, 2017 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 How to wean a toddler. Talk about it before hand. We only nurse when the sun is out. Nursies are going to sleep tonight. Things like that. What are your sleeping arrangements? My babies sleep in a crib. When weaning, they need an alternate form of comfort, so we put the crib mattress on the floor with a camping mat so I can lay next to him. Be prepared for the next 3-7 nights to SUCK BIG TIME. One of my kids had only 2 bad nights, and none have has more than 5. Cancel appointments, stock up on freezer meals, and make sure the coffee pot works. DH was able to help me with this. He was in charge of night wakings the first 3 nights, so nursing was absolutely not an option. Then I took back over. Also, we defined non nursing time to be 11pm-5am. So if baby woke up at 10pm, I would nurse. That gave me 6 solid hours when DH was in charge. I've heard of others doing it without DH help, and they suggest wearing a high neck shirt to limit un-voluntary access. I've never left my baby to cry, so it is possible to do without that. I agree with regentrude. It seems insurmountable, but once it's done, you'll wish you did it sooner - says the lady whose still night-nusing her 13 month old! (We night weaned all the others at 18mo, maybe I'll take my own advice thus time around and shoot for 15!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 (edited) I've never left my baby to cry, so it is possible to do without that. I am curious how you do that. My baby wanted to nurse, and if I didn't she cried. There was nothing I could do to stop her (holding, rocking, whatever). How did you get your toddler to cooperate without crying? Edited April 12, 2017 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I am curious how you do that. My baby wanted to nurse, and if I didn't she cried. There was nothing I could do to stop her (holding, rocking, whatever). How did you get your toddler to cooperate without crying? I expect the operative word is "left to cry" -- a baby crying while held in your arms was not left to cry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I am curious how you do that. My baby wanted to nurse, and if I didn't she cried. There was nothing I could do to stop her (holding, rocking, whatever). How did you get your toddler to cooperate without crying? Oh, I guess I wasn't clear. I never LEFT my baby, as in cry-it-out. There were definitely tears (mostly angry, not hungry), but DH or I was with the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 (edited) How old is your toddler, Janeway? I know you have mentioned it before, but I can't remember. (Sorry about that!) Is he feeling okay? It seems odd that he would be up every 20 minutes all night long. Edited April 12, 2017 by Catwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Could he have an ear infection? I feel your pain; I have a special needs 5 yo who wakes up repeatedly at night and due to complex health issues (and the fact that he shares a room with his sister,) I can't sleep train him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 sounds like teething Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowmama Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 How old is the toddler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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