How do you get a breastfed 8 month old to sleep throught the night?

Question

I have an 8 month old that wakes up about three times a night to breastfeed and this is the only way besides the carseat that she'll go to sleep. I hear about moms that have children that are already 2 years old with this problem and there's no way I could stand to let this problem go on for that long. I really want to wean her when she's 12 months, but with hardly any other sleep inducing options I don't know if this will be possible. We tried the Ferber Method which worked until she got sick one night and slept in our bed and from then on it wouldn't work and now she'll just stand up in her crib until I go get her to breastfeed. Please help, I'm tired of being tired.

Answer 1

This is one of the toughest things you have to do as a parent.
Unfortunately the only way to break her of this habit is to go in offer her a drink of water and then leave the room. You need to be determined and persistant. She will complain about it, but at 8 months old she really should be getting all the nutrition she needs throughout the daytime.
You need your sleep as much as she does.
Good luck.

Answer 2

I highly third the co-sleeping option if you and your DH can work it out. It makes those nighttime wake ups much easier to deal with. I'm so glad I did it with both my DD's.

I can't see letting a baby cry on her own just because she's hungry. When we're hungry, we eat. Babies need us to feed them. At 8 months your DD needs her food to prepare for the growth spurt that is right around the corner. It's possible that in the next couple of months she'll have less need for food as that jump in weight and height will be over with.

At that time you could try this method. I don't know how well it works because we went the co-sleeping route but it might for you. If your DD is getting up around a set time, say 11 pm, for her first feeding you set your alarm for 10:45 and go feed her. Do that for a week or so. Then move your alarm back to about 10:55 and repeat for about a week. Then move to 11:05 and try for a week. In theory your DD will learn to sleep until you come to get her and 10 minutes at a time you get more sleep.

And it's great that you're planning on BFing for a year. If your DD could she would thank you so much. But don't feel that you need to set an arbitrary date to wean. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least one year and as long after as mother and baby want. Breast milk makes an awesome supplement to early foods.

Answer 3

I know that this may seem hard but put your baby in a room where you can't hear her cry at night. Then you won't give in to her crying. At 8 months your baby can sleep through the night. You just need to let her cry it out a few nights until she learns. You can't give in and putting her in a room where you can't hear her makes it easier for you to hold your ground. It shouldn't take more than three to four days for her to learn that she can go back to sleep on her own.

Along with this you may also want to try to get her day time naps onto a more solid schedule if you don't. the less sleep that she has during the day the more tired she will be at night and she will be more inclined to want to sleep longer. find ways to wear her out also. Playing with her a few hours before bedtime will make her more tired also.

Make sure that she has a full stomach. Feed her her baby food as close to bed time as you can. That way she won't be as hungry in the middle of the night.

Sometimes teething will keep kids up because they are in pain. It helps to give them some pain reliever to help them sleep at night also. I try this with my 10 month old and ultimately I am still getting up once with her when it wears off but at least I can get a solid 4 hours.

Answer 4

i KNOW THIS WONT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMM IN THE LONG RUN BUT I BREAST FED 3 OF MY 5 CHILDREN . I SLEPT WITH MY BABIES. I KNOW THIS IS FROWNED UPON NOW BUT I NEVER HAD A PROBLE.I SLEPT ALL NIGHT AND SO DID MY BABY. WHEN I REACHED THE 12MONTH WEANING AGE I HAD TO WAIT A FURTHER 6 MONTHS BECAUSE OF RECURRING MASTITIS.BUT SHE IS 8 NOW AND HAPPILY SLEEPS ALL NIGHT ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO SAY SHE IS GENERALLY THE LAST TO GO TO SLEEP. THEY DO GROW UP AND YOU WILL SLEEP AGAIN.

Answer 5

We co-sleep so night wakings are not a big deal since I can drift back to sleep while baby nurses. Bedsharing/co-sleeping is NOT dangerous: http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/safe.html and here's some good info about WHY babies wake up at night: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070200.asp

Wishing you some restful nights!

Answer 6

Lack of sleep in children can cause serious
health problems.If parents follow some simple
techniques for making their children sleep,
it can be avoided. I found useful information
at http://nosleep.in/sleepchildren.html