I have a 16 month old daughter and she still wakes up way too many times to nurse at night. My husband and I are not sure what to do anymore. I don't want to try the cry it out method but I m desperate for something that would help. We tried the dr sears method of the father taking over and it worked for two weeks but then she started waking up again and my husband was too tired to get up with her and now it's even worse. She woke up every hour last night. She still nurses many times during the day and she eats fine. Does anyone know what I can do?

I personally like the cry it out method. It's worked for my 2 older boys and I'll use it when the time comes with #3.

One thing I learned from the Baby Wise book besides the crying it out method is to make sure you put her down awake even during the day. The book suggests an sleep, eat, wake cycle. That way you're not nursing/feeding them to sleep so that they feel the need to nurse or eat to go to sleep. Instead nurse or feed them as soon as they wake up. Then let them play and then put them down to sleep when tired, but still awake. This way they learn to self-sooth. If they wake up in the middle of the night they won't feel they need to eat (or suck) but can go back to sleep on their own. This was a huge ah-ha moment for me. My youngest son is only 5 months old so I'm still waking up to nurse him in the night, but I still put him down awake for his naps and at bedtime. He rarely cries about it, just talks a bit, or just goes straight to sleep.

My oldest son was about 9 or 10 months old when I decided to finally try it with him. I was doing the sleep, eat, wake cycle during the day but was still nursing him at night. I noticed around 9 or 10 months that most times during the night I'd start nursing him and he'd fall asleep within a couple of minutes. I finally decided he wasn't hungry but instead just wanting to eat out of habit. So I let him cry it out. It took 2 nights (at most) and he didn't cry long either time.

I had another friend who waited till her daughter was much older (maybe 2) before another friend and I finally talked her into doing the cry it out method with her. She said it took 2 nights of crying and that was it!

You can also do the method of walking in after 5 minutes, don't pick her up just rub her back, then go away and come back after 10 minutes and so on. With my kids I thought this just prolonged it so we went cold turkey - works for us!!

Good luck with whatever you decide!

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Stay at home mom to my 3 boys... ages 5, 3 & 1!

I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I like the book "no cry sleep solution", I have no idea who it is by.

She is more of a nursing mothers friend, and I got alot of input from it. check it out at the library. I was so desperate with my first dd that I read it in a day.

She might also be teething. Generally pain is increased at night time ( or the feeling of it because she is not busy )

feel way in the back for those molars.

Bring her to bed with you so you can get some sleep too...I know alot of people will disagree with that, but sometimes you need your sleep as well.

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married 8 years to a crazy Brit, mommy to a banana, she is 4 and a pineapple who is 1 year, mommy to 3 ~angel~ babies

Try giving her a bottle with water in it. She probably thinks she needs to be nursing or whatever to go to sleep.

I just got done with the same problem. My now 19 month old sleeps with us and would nurse at least 2 sometimes 3 times a night. Right before he turned 18 months I had a very difficult week where I just refused to feed him. He would sit up scream at me and hit me and try to pull my shirt up for about 1 hour each time before finally giving up. My husband would try to comfort him, but that didn't help at all. After about a week he didn't even try anymore, and he is now down to 2 nurses (morning and night.)

Sorry, I can't give you any easy advice, but that's what worked for me.

HTH

I think your baby is using you more like a pacifier than wanting to nurse. I hate to say it but, in my opinion, it is going to take some tough love to get past this. Like faithplus said....once you tell your daughter no enough she will come to the conclusion that mom isn't going to nurse her anymore.

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Jodie....Wife to Andrew (1995)
Mommy to Riley (2000) and Wyatt (2003)

I had the same issue with diva, thus she slept with me. But then I started saying no, nonis go to sleep when it's nightime. I had to put up with some crying, but I would tell her to turn over and I'd rub her back instead. It worked. She started waking up less often, because she knew there was no reason to. Later, I used the same way to wean. I'd rub her back at night. She started sleeping all night. Now I rub her back to get her to sleep and all are happy.

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