How do I wean my 20 month old?

Question

She only nrses at night. But she will NOT sleep through the night without it. I know I know, i should have never let the habit start in the first place. But is there any way to wean her and help her get to sleep on her own. I do NOT believe in the whole cry it out or Ferber methods, so please none of those. Thanks

Answer 1

set up a positive bedtime outine. Like 730 bath, 745 storyand sippy of milk, 800 bed. or whatever time frame she is used to going to bed. If she wakes up at night it isn't to nurse children her age do not need to eat during the night, try just rubbing her back or belly to lull her back to sleep, do not pick her up or talk to her. That is what she wants. It will be rough the first couple of nights but she is plenty old enough to understand that it is bed time and that she isn't going to get what she wants.

Answer 2

My daugher is two and a nil.5 years previous. She nonetheless has Mommy Milk for nap time and mattress time. by way of the indisputable fact that is, she has Mommy Milk 3 to 4 circumstances an afternoon. If we've someplace we favor to be (MOPS, Sunday college and church), we are going to pass the first element interior the morning Mommy Milk. i'm not waiting to wean, and extra importantly, neither is she. desires-- nutritional, emotional, and non secular-- are being met, so why supply up beforehand she is waiting? i'm wondering about self-weaning. :-D

Answer 3

You haven't done anything wrong by nursing her this long or by meeting her needs. You've been a loving and responsive mother and done what comes naturally. Good job!

You could try having Daddy take over bedtime for a weekend. Have him give her a bath and read to her and then go lay down in bed with her at night and cuddle her while she falls asleep. He can offer her a sippy of water if she asks to nurse. See if he can distract and comfort her.

You can try wearing clothes that make access difficult for her at night. Try other ways to comfort her like singing, massage, rocking, etc. Offer her the sippy of water. Tell her that "nee-nees" (or whatever she calls it) are sleeping.

You can try "weaning by contract" and set a date on the calendar that you'll no longer night nurse after. Make a paper chair for her with a link for each day between now and then. Each day she can break the chain off and see how many days she has left before she will be weaned.

You can try the "nee-nee fairy" story that a few of my friends have used. Talk about how the "nee-nee fairy" is going to come and leave her presents and then she won't nurse any more. Most of them had the fairy come once a week for a couple of weeks leading up to the "big day." Their children got special things like new PJ's, a new stuffed friend to sleep with and a new storybook to read before bed from the fairy.

You could try limiting the length of time you'll nurse. Sing her a song while nursing and when the song is over, the nursing session is over. You can gradually sing it a little quicker each time to shorten the length of the nursing session. Eventually, she may decide that the shorter nursing session is not worth her time.

Check out http://www.kellymom.com as she has a whole section on weaning that may be helpful as well. Plus, look for the book "The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers & Preschoolers" by Elizabeth Pantley.

Answer 4

I went through the same thing! Each child is different, and every parent is different. Thankfully I was able to simply tell him, "it's night, it's time for sleep." That pretty much worked. One night he did get pretty upset and we went to the window and I pointed out that it was dark, all the lights were off, everyone is sleeping, we need to sleep, etc...
I have included two links I found very helpful. I had to tweak some of it so it would work for us.
Good luck!

Answer 5

If she's only nursing at night, then it's more a comfort thing than an "I need food" thing. Try giving water or milk instead or have dad(if he's in the picture) go in and comfort her. Really, you'll just have to pick a time to stop and stick to it, no matter how fussy she gets or you'll end up with an 8 year old still wanting to nurse.

Answer 6

What about telling her no and offering her water. Many people swear this method works. You could lay with her but be very persistant in telling her no to the nursing. It will probably take a few nights but she will learn. If she refuses the water and cries, cuddle with her but keep telling her no. Hopefully it helps. My son still wakes up to come into our bed. I know I should have never started it but I couldn't resist getting to cuddle with him.

Answer 7

My sister did that, but not quite as long as you. She said it just made her feel closer to her, and she did not have the heart to stop. It does not mean you are a bad person. She is probably a healthy child now. She replaced my nieces nursing with a sippy cup before bed, and she sort of made it a big deal like she was a big girl now. I think that either way you're going to have some tears as bad as that sounds and as bad as you don't want to make her cry. Kids around that age are going to cry. It doesn't make you a bad parent if they do. They are just learning to express themselves. Drinking right before bed without brushing their teeth still isn't good though, so I don't know? I hope this helps.

Answer 8

Wo! 20 months? My daughter said bye to her bottle at 12 months old. They say once they can drink out of a cup, they do not need to nurse anymore. I think she may be missing you more than nursing in the middle of the night.
Make her consciously say goodbye to mommy's breats. Let her know how much of a big girl she is, maybe when she cries in the middle of teh night, go and comfort her and tell her she must go back to sleep, she'll get milk in a cup when she wakes up. Children understand, if we talk to them through the process it becomes easier.

Answer 9

You need to let her cry it out. It's not like she's an infant anymore, when she cries now it's usually because she's trying to get what she wants. Lay her down and walk away. It's not mean, it's tough love.

She can't have what you don't offer. She isn't in control here--you are. Quit offering to breastfeed her. She'll probably cry and scream even but it's what's best. Maybe offer a sippy cup instead before bedtime. Praise her for using it and maybe even call it her "bedtime sippy" or something so she knows that's what she gets before bedtime.