my 6.5 month old has always been breast fed to sleep (first mistake). Unusually for a breast fed baby he began sleeping 12 hour stretches at night from 3 months and did this for 6 weeks or so. Then he started waking for one feed in the night from then on but i knew this was normal as he was getting ready for solids.
At 26 weeks he was weaned and he also suddenly had a surge in brain development, was so much more into everything and very mobile. He started waking 2-3 hourly in the night despite being on 3 meals and i breast fed him back to sleep. He has never napped in the day since being 8 weeks old (at all) so after waking 2-3 hourly all night he'd go 12 hours awake and we were both shattered.
I go back to work in 8 weeks and will be working some night shifts so i was really disappointed after thinking we had the sleep thing just about sorted! I spoke to the health visitor who recommended controlled crying. She told me he definately didnt need calories at night now and only knew how to fall aslepp at the breast - he needed to be put in his cot awake, reassured at 5 mins, 10 mins, etc if he was crying but not picked up or fed.
The first night we endured one hour 5 mins of crying - which was hell and felt very cruel. later in the night he cried for 30 mins but we were strong. The next night he slept 1930-0600! First time in months! Since then he either sleeps through or we have some minor grumbles and i reassure once or twice. In the last week ive also tried really hard to do his mid morn breast feed or mis afternoon breast feeds in his room, in the quiet, and put him in his cot after. He will usually nap after one of them but i still feed him to sleep in the day as i dont think he'd go off from awake and im not doing controlled crying in the day.
Last thing at night i do try and stir him but he is often unwakable when he goes in his cot, but regardless he is obviously learning to settle himself when he stirs in the night.
One thing i do do when i reassure him is give him a dummy - my OH thinks i should stop this as he will become reliant on this too but it just seems very cruel and at least this can be replicated in my abscence.
I dont know how you feel about controlled crying, i know it can be an emotive subject, could you let me know your advice?
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9 now holding sammy as toddler was stirring
my 6.5 month old has always been breast fed to sleep (first mistake). Unusually for a breast fed baby he began sleeping 12 hour stretches at night from 3 months and did this for 6 weeks or so. Then he started waking for one feed in the night from then on but i knew this was normal as he was getting ready for solids.
At 26 weeks he was weaned and he also suddenly had a surge in brain development, was so much more into everything and very mobile. He started waking 2-3 hourly in the night despite being on 3 meals and i breast fed him back to sleep. He has never napped in the day since being 8 weeks old (at all) so after waking 2-3 hourly all night he'd go 12 hours awake and we were both shattered.
I go back to work in 8 weeks and will be working some night shifts so i was really disappointed after thinking we had the sleep thing just about sorted! I spoke to the health visitor who recommended controlled crying. She told me he definately didnt need calories at night now and only knew how to fall aslepp at the breast - he needed to be put in his cot awake, reassured at 5 mins, 10 mins, etc if he was crying but not picked up or fed.
The first night we endured one hour 5 mins of crying - which was hell and felt very cruel. later in the night he cried for 30 mins but we were strong. The next night he slept 1930-0600! First time in months! Since then he either sleeps through or we have some minor grumbles and i reassure once or twice. In the last week ive also tried really hard to do his mid morn breast feed or mis afternoon breast feeds in his room, in the quiet, and put him in his cot after. He will usually nap after one of them but i still feed him to sleep in the day as i dont think he'd go off from awake and im not doing controlled crying in the day.
Last thing at night i do try and stir him but he is often unwakable when he goes in his cot, but regardless he is obviously learning to settle himself when he stirs in the night.
One thing i do do when i reassure him is give him a dummy - my OH thinks i should stop this as he will become reliant on this too but it just seems very cruel and at least this can be replicated in my abscence.
I dont know how you feel about controlled crying, i know it can be an emotive subject, could you let me know your advice?