# Dr jay Gordon night weaning 11-6. Any reviews/advice?



## littlegreenie

Hi,
I would like to night wean my 16 month old daughter and have been looking at dr jay Gordon's method. She currently wakes up twice on a good night (only happened 3 times) up to 8 times, probably 5 on average. Were there any tweaks you made which you felt improved the outcomes? Any drawbacks? Anyone who has found it very successful ?

Thanks


----------



## hiladun

Stalking!!

I am about to embark on exactly this. LO is 17 months and has always been hit and miss with both going to sleep and staying asleep. :nope: it's gotten so bad the last few weeks that I actually started accidentally sleeping through his wake-ups which really worried me. Finally OH has put his foot down and said we are going to have to do something - and Jay Gordon was the only thing I really feel comfortable with the idea of.

I haven't decided what hours I am going for yet though - I kind of want to do 9pm to 4am as i actually don't mind getting up in the night, but most stuff i've read implies you do 7 hours backwards from when you're happy to be up for the day, eg 11pm-6am. 

The Leaky Boob had a good blog series which you can google, where she wrote every day for 7 days, a month later etc. i found that quite interesting.


----------



## PitaKat

Stalking as well. 

My boy is almost 17 months and still doesn't sleep well. He sleeps in his own bed in his own room but wakes up a lot and I still get up about 3 times a night (which is a HUGE improvement over when he sleeps with me). I'm so tired that a few days ago I was surprised to wake up with him in my bed (which is too tall for him to climb into). I had gone into his room, picked him up and carried him back to my bed without ever waking up! I just found Dr Jay Gordon's night weaning method a few days ago, so would love to hear how it worked for people. 

hiladun, I'm going to look up that blog, thanks!


----------



## special_kala

I really like his approach.


----------



## Zephram

Stalking too. I decided I want to night wean my 12 month old by Christmas and was considering using this approach. Really interested in hearing about anyone's experience with it.


----------



## littlegreenie

I am going to start it tonight so will update in the morning with how it has gone. She often will sleep until midnight and then wakes regularly from then so will see how it goes!


----------



## New Mrs W

Don't really know much about dr jay Gordon but I've pretty much just weaned my near 7 month old from night feeds over the last couple of weeks. I too was waking up and blindly carrying him into our bed without even really knowing. He slept better in our bed and would help himself to milk if he woke but we were both loosing a lot of sleep and I decided I had to do something. So one night I just decided not to feed him when he woke. I also didn't pick him up so he couldn't be trying to get to my boobs. I stroked and patted him and shushed him quietly and calmly. He was by no means screaming but he was unsettled. It took two hours for him to settle and in the end he fell asleep after rolling onto his tummy. He then slept for a further 7 hours. The second night he woke two hours later than the first night and took just 40 minutes to settle. The third night he slept until 5am, settled within 30 mins and slept until 8am. Thw fourth night he slept through. He has had one or two nights of waking but either self settling or settling very quickly with me or daddy shushing him. We have now had a full week of sleeping 12 solid hours and I feel like a different person! I know it's not yet nailed on but the very patient and gentle approach seems to have worked for Mickey. I never had to do any of this with Frankie! X


----------



## littlegreenie

I tried it for the first time last night. Lot was a good night anyway but when she woke I fed her as usual and then put her down awake. She kept screaming and standing up so I got in the cot with her and lay down next to her. She lay but still screamed for about 15 mins whilst I shushed and patted her. I didn't think she would settle for a very long time as she has never slept without rocking or feeding to sleep. She then lay there content whilst I rubbed her back and went to sleep after 45 minutes. She then slept for 2 hours which was a big achievement as she wouldn't normally do more than an hour after her first wake. I will persist with it tonight and try to tire her out during the day so the first spell is long again.


----------



## Larkspur

I just started last night too, with my 14-month-old. I picked 10-6 as my hours, I know he says pick seven but I just decided on the timeframe within which I'm usually in bed.

LO has been starting to wean off nursing to sleep when he goes to bed, though still needs to be cuddled, so I figure it's a good time.

He went to bed just after 7pm, and was woken at 9.30pm by idiots letting off fireworks, grrrr. I fed him to sleep and put him back in his cot. At around 11.30 he woke and came in with me; he fed for a couple of minutes and then rolled over and went off to sleep by himself. No problem.

Around 3.30-3.45 he woke, I fed him briefly but then stopped. He was MAD! Full-screaming tantrum, slapping my chest and lots of "Mamamamama". But it didn't actually last long. He had about four or five five-minute patches of this while I rubbed his back and stroked his head or hummed and whispered "Milk has gone night-night". And then he just seemed to accept it, calmed down, snuggled up really close and fell asleep quietly with no other intervention from me. He was asleep by 4.20. Then he slept till just after 6am, normal time.

I feel really pleased with that, it was so much better than I expected. Looking forward to night two.


----------



## JASMAK

Babies need milk to grow and for comfort at night. I wouldn't wean. JMO. Not being judgey....I know its hard. I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I. If i had to...I would try to cut back slowly and increase feeds before bed, maybe with another meal like eggs, to help with hunger through the night.


----------



## Larkspur

JASMAK said:


> Babies need milk to grow and for comfort at night. I wouldn't wean. JMO. Not being judgey....I know its hard. I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I. If i had to...I would try to cut back slowly and increase feeds before bed, maybe with another meal like eggs, to help with hunger through the night.

There is no way my baby could eat more during the day than he does now. I know he is not waking from hunger. I think by the time your child is a toddler you know them well enough to know if it is okay to night wean. We are not talking about six-month-olds here.


----------



## Larkspur

Well, I did night two and am so happy with how it's going. LO had a great day, a good nap, off to bed at 6.30pm. He had milk around the normal number of times through the day, though I expected him to want it more often.

He woke a bit more often, 9.30, 1am, 3am and 4.30 but each time a very brief feed and then I unlatched him... And he was fine! Twice he patted my chest and said, "Mama?" And I just whispered, "Milk has gone night-night, sleep time now honey" and he just snuggled in, put his arm around my neck and went off to sleep! I am absolutely stunned at how easy this has been so far, fingers crossed for the third night.

How are you going, OP?


----------



## Zephram

That's great, Larkspur. Keep us up to date with how it's going. I've been too nervous to start yet, plus LO is teething, so I don't want to take away his comfort booby at night yet. But I definitely want to give this a go once the evil tooth is through.


----------



## littlegreenie

Larkspur said:


> Well, I did night two and am so happy with how it's going. LO had a great day, a good nap, off to bed at 6.30pm. He had milk around the normal number of times through the day, though I expected him to want it more often.
> 
> He woke a bit more often, 9.30, 1am, 3am and 4.30 but each time a very brief feed and then I unlatched him... And he was fine! Twice he patted my chest and said, "Mama?" And I just whispered, "Milk has gone night-night, sleep time now honey" and he just snuggled in, put his arm around my neck and went off to sleep! I am absolutely stunned at how easy this has been so far, fingers crossed for the third night.
> 
> How are you going, OP?

Sounds like it's going well so far. It is for us too. She woke 12, 4, 4:30 then 6:30. She had a brief feed each time then I lay her in her cot awake and shushed and patter her. Each time she cried very briefly and I could leave her with 15 mins so already an improvement from the previous night. How are you feeling with starting the second 3 nights tomorrow night?


----------



## Larkspur

littlegreenie said:


> Larkspur said:
> 
> 
> Well, I did night two and am so happy with how it's going. LO had a great day, a good nap, off to bed at 6.30pm. He had milk around the normal number of times through the day, though I expected him to want it more often.
> 
> He woke a bit more often, 9.30, 1am, 3am and 4.30 but each time a very brief feed and then I unlatched him... And he was fine! Twice he patted my chest and said, "Mama?" And I just whispered, "Milk has gone night-night, sleep time now honey" and he just snuggled in, put his arm around my neck and went off to sleep! I am absolutely stunned at how easy this has been so far, fingers crossed for the third night.
> 
> How are you going, OP?
> 
> Sounds like it's going well so far. It is for us too. She woke 12, 4, 4:30 then 6:30. She had a brief feed each time then I lay her in her cot awake and shushed and patter her. Each time she cried very briefly and I could leave her with 15 mins so already an improvement from the previous night. How are you feeling with starting the second 3 nights tomorrow night?Click to expand...

That sounds great! I still have one more night of 'feed short/unlatch' before I will start 'don't feed'. I'm a bit anxious about that, but it's going so well so far that I'm not going to worry too much. 

LO co-sleeps with me for most of the night (OH has temporarily retired to the spare room for the duration of the night-weaning) so after the 10 days is up, I'll work on getting him in the cot all night (instead of the first 3-6 hours). We're actually going on holiday right at that time, so he'll be in a travel cot right next to me, which will be a bit easier than going back and forth from room to room.


----------



## JASMAK

Larkspur said:


> JASMAK said:
> 
> 
> Babies need milk to grow and for comfort at night. I wouldn't wean. JMO. Not being judgey....I know its hard. I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I. If i had to...I would try to cut back slowly and increase feeds before bed, maybe with another meal like eggs, to help with hunger through the night.
> 
> There is no way my baby could eat more during the day than he does now. I know he is not waking from hunger. I think by the time your child is a toddler you know them well enough to know if it is okay to night wean. We are not talking about six-month-olds here.Click to expand...

Wow....i wasnt talking to you, but a little defensive?


----------



## Larkspur

JASMAK said:


> Larkspur said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JASMAK said:
> 
> 
> Babies need milk to grow and for comfort at night. I wouldn't wean. JMO. Not being judgey....I know its hard. I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I. If i had to...I would try to cut back slowly and increase feeds before bed, maybe with another meal like eggs, to help with hunger through the night.
> 
> There is no way my baby could eat more during the day than he does now. I know he is not waking from hunger. I think by the time your child is a toddler you know them well enough to know if it is okay to night wean. We are not talking about six-month-olds here.Click to expand...
> 
> Wow....i wasnt talking to you, but a little defensive?Click to expand...

Well, I'm one of the parents in the thread who is following the method, and your response didn't quote anyone, so I assume that whoever you were talking to, it applies to the others of us too.

Either way, this thread was asking for advice on a specific technique, not whether the OP should be night-weaning or not. This thread has mothers here who are actually sleepwalking with their children they are so exhausted. So I don't think your advice to give more food and keep plugging on was helpful. 

It's great if you're happy/tough enough to wake up with your children several times a night for years on end but when people are literally putting themselves and their children at risk through exhaustion, I think you have to ask yourself if pushing your personal philosophy in a thread where it's really not asked for is at all helpful.

Is that defensive? I don't think so, I think it's a pretty reasonable response, actually.


----------



## JASMAK

Larkspur said:


> JASMAK said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Larkspur said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> JASMAK said:
> 
> 
> Babies need milk to grow and for comfort at night. I wouldn't wean. JMO. Not being judgey....I know its hard. I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I. If i had to...I would try to cut back slowly and increase feeds before bed, maybe with another meal like eggs, to help with hunger through the night.
> 
> There is no way my baby could eat more during the day than he does now. I know he is not waking from hunger. I think by the time your child is a toddler you know them well enough to know if it is okay to night wean. We are not talking about six-month-olds here.Click to expand...
> 
> Wow....i wasnt talking to you, but a little defensive?Click to expand...
> 
> Well, I'm one of the parents in the thread who is following the method, and your response didn't quote anyone, so I assume that whoever you were talking to, it applies to the others of us too.
> 
> Either way, this thread was asking for advice on a specific technique, not whether the OP should be night-weaning or not. This thread has mothers here who are actually sleepwalking with their children they are so exhausted. So I don't think your advice to give more food and keep plugging on was helpful.
> 
> It's great if you're happy/tough enough to wake up with your children several times a night for years on end but when people are literally putting themselves and their children at risk through exhaustion, I think you have to ask yourself if pushing your personal philosophy in a thread where it's really not asked for is at all helpful.
> 
> Is that defensive? I don't think so, I think it's a pretty reasonable response, actually.Click to expand...


Well, I did say that I would wean slowly and give an extra meal with protein before bed...I didn't know only YOUR opinions were welcome. Nor did I say tough it out. Thats your words...and obviously you have your back up. I am offering advice as a fellow breastfeeder. Didn't expect another breastfeeding mother to be so rude. I would love to hear what you think my 'personal philosophy' is. Clearly you must know me and my breastfeeding history. Do tell.


----------



## JASMAK

To the OP...I do not know the book you speak of...what I was trying to say, is if you want to night wean....I would add an extra meal before bed as babies need that fuel source at night when they grow. I weaned my kids at similar ages (20, 19, 24 months) and thats what worked for us...plus going slowly...not abrupt (well except the last baby because I had a breast tumour and surgery, so it was abrupt). For breast pain reasons alone...go slow! But, I fed my kids scrambled eggs with cheese as a bedtime snack on the advice of LLL....worked like a charm. Anymore Q's...don't ask me. Apparently I don't know anything after breastfeeding and weaning three.


----------



## Larkspur

JASMAK said:


> Well, I did say that I would wean slowly and give an extra meal with protein before bed...I didn't know only YOUR opinions were welcome. Nor did I say tough it out. Thats your words...and obviously you have your back up. I am offering advice as a fellow breastfeeder. Didn't expect another breastfeeding mother to be so rude. I would love to hear what you think my 'personal philosophy' is. Clearly you must know me and my breastfeeding history. Do tell.

You said: "Babies *need milk to grow* and for comfort at night. *I wouldn't wean.* JMO. Not being judgey....*I know its hard. * I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I."

That seems to me to be pretty clearly saying you think it is wrong to night-wean a toddler because they need the milk... so you think she/I shouldn't night-wean, even though it is hard. In other words, tough it out. 

And yes, perhaps I am little scratchy. I am fucking sleep-deprived, so are many other mums in this thread. Maybe you as a fellow breastfeeder could be a bit more sympathetic to that, rather than jumping in with the opinion that we'll basically be ignoring our child's needs if we night-wean. Which is what we're _already doing_, if you're following the thread... But I'm not allowed to find that advice unhelpful because it's Just Your Opinion.


----------



## Larkspur

JASMAK said:


> To the OP...I do not know the book you speak of...

It's not a book. It is a gradual night-weaning method. Here is the link. https://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html


----------



## JASMAK

Larkspur said:


> JASMAK said:
> 
> 
> Well, I did say that I would wean slowly and give an extra meal with protein before bed...I didn't know only YOUR opinions were welcome. Nor did I say tough it out. Thats your words...and obviously you have your back up. I am offering advice as a fellow breastfeeder. Didn't expect another breastfeeding mother to be so rude. I would love to hear what you think my 'personal philosophy' is. Clearly you must know me and my breastfeeding history. Do tell.
> 
> You said: "Babies *need milk to grow* and for comfort at night. *I wouldn't wean.* JMO. Not being judgey....*I know its hard. * I breastfed all three of mine. But, they don't eat like you and I."
> 
> That seems to me to be pretty clearly saying you think it is wrong to night-wean a toddler because they need the milk... so you think she/I shouldn't night-wean, even though it is hard. In other words, tough it out.
> 
> And yes, perhaps I am little scratchy. I am fucking sleep-deprived, so are many other mums in this thread. Maybe you as a fellow breastfeeder could be a bit more sympathetic to that, rather than jumping in with the opinion that we'll basically be ignoring our child's needs if we night-wean. Which is what we're _already doing_, if you're following the thread... But I'm not allowed to find that advice unhelpful because it's Just Your Opinion.Click to expand...

Lakspur, you go out of your way to reply rudely to my posts. I think you have a problem. I am sleep deprived too. So what if I think she should wait? How does this concern you? Perhaps she wants to hear that. Did you ever consider that? Sometimes when I was tired (as I am now...thanks for asking...I have three kids...one who still wakes several times at night, one with autism, and one who just had surgery yesterday) I would just need to hear someone to say....hang in there. But, you are hearing what you want to hear. In that same post... I am saying if you want to...I did this. I just feel babies should be weaned during the day first. Night weaning is hard...especially on moms. I have done it three times. Swollen engorged breasts hurt. If you have a problem with MY opinion, then don't read it. But you can bugger off with your negativity, drama and bullying.


----------



## Larkspur

JASMAK said:


> If you have a problem with MY opinion, then don't read it. But you can bugger off with your negativity, drama and bullying.

I am sorry, I am in this thread because I'm actually going through the same process as the OP, and other people are finding reading about it useful. 

I don't think I was particularly rude in my responses, I just said I didn't think advise against night-weaning was particularly helpful given that both the OP and I had already started (and finding it to go rather well so far), and the thread is about a particular process. If it was a thread asking for whether she should night-wean or not, I wouldn't have had anything to say. 

You called me defensive and said you weren't talking to me. Now you're accusing me of drama and bullying and telling me I have a problem. To be honest, it feels like you're the aggressive one. I'd like to get on with going through the night-weaning process with the OP, so I will take you up on your invitation to ignore your further posts.


----------



## Rachel_C

I used Dr Jay Gordon's night weaning method and I think it was a really good way to go. I waited until LO was 2 because I wanted to get to 2 years BF and I didn't want to risk starting anything that could affect daytime feeds (which I think it may have done if LO was younger, as I had a big drop in supply straight away after stopping night feeds - LO worked hard to get it back but a younger baby may not have been as stubborn perhaps!). It was really very easy, the first two nights we had a minute or two of (angry) crying at each wake up but I cuddled LO after her milk and got up and walked her round for a minute when it was loud (she shares a room with her sister so I took her in the hallway) and she fell back asleep within 10-15 minutes each time. I followed the method as it is outlined, although if it had gone badly I think I would have taken each step more slowly, over more nights. By the one week mark, LO had gone from waking 3+ times a night and feeding for ages each time to sleeping through.

Looking back, I think it was easy because LO was ready. If it hadn't worked within 2 weeks, I think I would have gone back to feeding at night and tried again a couple of months later, or only aimed for 4-5 hours of no feeding in the night and slowly increased it.

We got a Gro Clock to help LO understand and that has worked well, although I hated buying it as I think they are intended to be used in a way I don't support! LO likes to say night night to the sun and both kids check the clock before waking us in the morning (doesn't stop them waking us if there is a problem).


----------



## littlegreenie

I tried night 3 last night. She woke 12, 4, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45. I brought her in to bed at 5:45 and she went back to sleep until 7:30. I fed her at 12, 4, 5:15 and 5:45 and shushed and patted her to get her to sleep which was ok. She took 15 mins to settle each time. At 12, 4 and 5:45 she had quite long feeds although I took her off earlier than she wanted. I think for the next 3 nights I will still feed her if she really wants but just 2 minutes. Then days 6-9 no milk. That will be more gradual for her and me. 
Jasmak thanks for your input. I have been giving her porridge or toast before bed but I feel her waking is more out of routine now. I do feel guilty about it as it's hard when she's crying and I know I could easily give her what she wants but I feel like it's the right time for her to not have so many wake ups and already it has improved significantly as her second wake up has been after a period of 4 hours which she never did before. I think it's helping that she is settling to sleep in her cot. I agree it needs to be slow for both of us. I have had mastitis 8 times so need to be very carful to gradually change milk habits. She has been weaned during the day as I returned back to work part time when she was a year but that was easy as she didn't understand so much or know how to assert herself so well! I intend to continue feeding last think at night and first think in the morning for 2 more months. 
Larkspur how did you get on last night? 
Rachel c thanks for your response. Do you think it helped with your toddler sleeping longer? Did you get find later they asked for milk again during the night or did they seem to forget about it?


----------



## Larkspur

Last night went really well again. I thought it was going to be a disaster because OH (very kindly) took LO out for a few hours in the afternoon to give me a break, but ended up bringing him back late, having had a short late nap, and sort-of dinner. So he had a late bath, a 'catch-up' meal and ended up fighting bedtime for an hour and a half. 

But then he slept through till around 1am (unusual!) and was totally fine again with short feeds and then putting himself off to sleep after that!! Not a single complaint or even second request for milk. I'm going to proceed with the second three nights starting tonight, and see how we go with that. I think that will be tougher, but I'm going to focus on making sure he has a solid, predictable day today, lots of outdoor time and food, and a decent bedtime.


----------



## MrsHedgehog

I'm currently night-weaning my 2 year old. I'd read this method and I did something similar but just kind of following our own pace. For several nights I'd feed LO on her first wake up whatever time it was and then just for a short time on any subsequent wake ups. She usually has a longer stretch towards morning and then I'd feed her again when she woke up after that longer stretch. We didn't look at the clock too much as LO has quite a variable bed time. After a while I cut out the feeds completely and now we're down to feeding before bed, early morning (when it gets light outside is the rule we told LO) and then again when LO wake up if she asks for it although sometimes she doesn't. I also offer a snack before bed time and water during the night which she always refuses. This is doable for me and although LO is still waking up I feel our nights are much more restful and she's able to go back to sleep without boob now. DH has even managed to settle her on the odd occasion. In theory I wanted just to let LO self-wean but I knew it was such a long way off and that she needed a little encouragement in the gentlest way I was able.


----------



## Nikki Leigh

I'm hoping to hear how it goes with more parents. I have his webpage saved because I attempted to start this last week, but my LO had a cold, and I had to abandon the process. My LO is, and always has been, a horrible sleeper, and I'm not even sure if the night nursing is the issue, or the fact that after nursing she's not going back to sleep quickly a significant portion of the time--she'll play by herself for as long as an hour before the crying begins. It seems like her circadian rhythm is off somehow because sometimes she's wide awake for hours in the middle of the night and in those instances neither patting, or soothing, or nursing, or anything else but letting her get out of crib and play for a bit seems to help. This latter problem has really started only a week or two ago. :nope:

Anyhoo, I'll be trying this again in the coming week now that the cold is about over.


----------



## Larkspur

Just an update: I've also delayed the 'second phase' of the night weaning because LO's nap and evening routine was quite disrupted two days ago, and last night was Guy Fawkes paired with a massive thunderstorm, so he was very unsettled, and I didn't feel it was right to 'push' him either night.

However, I'm down to giving him about 30 seconds to 1 min of milk at each wakeup (last night was just midnight and around 3am) then pressing my finger against the breast, at which point he instantly unlatches, rolls over and goes to sleep. This is extremely good progress!!!

Will update again after tonight, we have a solid, quiet day planned, so will hopefully be able to move onto the next phase tonight. Wish me luck!


----------



## littlegreenie

Well done larkspur. Sounds like it's going well. The last 2 night have bedbugs very good for us too. Sunday she woke 9:30 (didn't ask for a feed) then not again until 3:45 then 4:15, 5 then into our bed 5:45 then slept until 6:20. When she woke at 4 I gave her a feed of about 2 mins on each side. Then little feeds the other times. Yesterday was the best night we have ever had. She went to bed 7:30 and slept until 4pm. She has a long feed then then 3 wake ups until 6. She struggles to settle after 4 but it's such good progress. She looks like she could be coming down with a cold tonight so I will play it by ear and may revert until she's better if needed but I am so surprised by how easy it has been!


----------



## Larkspur

Next update: started the 'no milk' nights!

And again - soooooo much easier than I expected. I put him in his cot at 6.30 (he actually fell asleep nursing because he'd had such a busy day) and he woke up and came in with me just before midnight. I just gave him a cuddle and said, "Sleep time honey, milk has gone night-night" and he let out a couple of outraged squawks, patted my chest and said "MAMA!" and I repeated what I said and ... he just rolled over and went to sleep! :happydance:

Just before 4am he woke again, exactly the same deal, asleep again within five minutes. Up for the day just before 6am.

He's definitely wanting more milk during the day, so we've been having lots more day cuddles.

We're going away on a short break tomorrow, so I probably won't update for a few days, but if people are still reading, I'll do one when I get back.


----------



## Zephram

Keep the updates coming, sounds like its going really well!


----------



## littlegreenie

Larkspur, that sounds really good. So was last night the first with no milk between 11-6? Sounds like he took it very well! How are you feeling with the extra sleep!
My little one has a cold and I was at work yesterday and have a feeling my mother in law let her have a very late nap as she was very alert and couldn't get her to sleep until 11pm :( then she was awake every hour. She wasn't up for less milk or being in cot so I gave her milk on demand and let her nurse to sleep. I will wait until she's feeling better and then pick up on this again. Hopefully it won't be long as I felt we were making such progress and felt like last night was back to square one!


----------



## Larkspur

littlegreenie said:


> Larkspur, that sounds really good. So was last night the first with no milk between 11-6? Sounds like he took it very well! How are you feeling with the extra sleep!
> My little one has a cold and I was at work yesterday and have a feeling my mother in law let her have a very late nap as she was very alert and couldn't get her to sleep until 11pm :( then she was awake every hour. She wasn't up for less milk or being in cot so I gave her milk on demand and let her nurse to sleep. I will wait until she's feeling better and then pick up on this again. Hopefully it won't be long as I felt we were making such progress and felt like last night was back to square one!

Aw, that sucks. Yeah, I have a bit of a scratchy throat today, and am thinking "Nonononononononooooo don't get sick!!!"

Hope your LO is better soon.

The extra sleep is tripping me out. I woke up in kind of a panic at around 3.30am thinking "OH MY GOD WHERE'S THE BABY". Oh, just hanging out right next to me, snoozing happily. :haha:


----------



## korndogger123

I think I am going to try and start this method tonight or tomorrow. I am also going to be transitioning out of co-sleeping at the same time. I hope all goes well. Naomi has NEVER been a great sleeper unless she has boob at her lips all night long. I have been back at work since she was 4 months and I am just tired. I actually wouldn't mind weaning all together as I just glad I made it to a year. (I was very uneducated on BFing and didn't want to do it period) :) It is nice to read some of the experiences so far.


----------



## littlegreenie

Korndogger did you give it a try last night or will you give it a try tonight? My little one is still recovering from the cold but it's nearly over now. Last night she woke 8:40, 9:30 (no milk requested either time). Then at 3 she woke for an hour was hard to settle do came in to our bed and had 3 lots if milk until 7. Think tonight I should be able to go back to settling her with shushing and patting and limiting milk.


----------



## Kristina6292

Hi ladies, I have read this thread and looked at the link and decided to try give this a go. 
ATM my 16 month old is waking between 3 and 7 times a night and will only fall asleep on the breast. The past 2 nights he has fed for a lot less than usual, got off me and laid on his pillow and fallen asleep. Which is unusual for him, although for about 10-20 minutes he'll sit up and look to see where I am and cry if I'm not there, so I've been rubbing his back to get him to sleep. 
I will give this a try starting tonight, wish me luck!


----------



## korndogger123

I am going to start tonight, as we have had some busy, not normal nights. But, now we have everything back to a normal pace I am going to give it a go....


----------



## littlegreenie

Good luck korndogger and Kristina. Let us know tomorrow how it goes!


----------



## Kristina6292

Night one went okay. He went to bed at 6, had a feed then laid himself down and I rubbed his back then left
He woke at 11, 3, 4 then up at 6:15. So already am improvement to the usual 6 times. 
I only fed him for a few minutes, laid him down and rubbed his back for about 5 mins. :)


----------



## korndogger123

I am also trying to stop co-sleeping, but last night she rocked and fed to sleep at 8 (an hr behind usual but oh we'll) I put her in her crib and she woke up instantly crying. But instead if picking her up and feeding her I put her back down and rubbed her head. And like a light bulb went off she stayed laying happy for about 30 min. But then stood up so I fed and rocked again and she fell and stayed asleep when i put her down. She stayed sleep til 3am but I woke up to her playing in her crib!!! She then started to cry when she saw me sit up. So I went and got her and brought her to my bed to and fed for a few minutes longer than what's recommended (baby steps!) she fell back asleep and stayed sleep til 530 and we did it again and she stayed sleep (idk when she woke up I left for work at 7) 
But that was amazing idk how many times she is up after 3 usually as she knows how to self serve the boobie. Tonight I am going to try and keep her in the crib after 3 since I do t work tomorrow.


----------



## Kristina6292

Do all of you trying this cosleep? My little boy has been in his own bed and room since 5 months, changed his cot to a toddler bed 2 months ago. So we're literally just trying to stop the feeding to sleep. So far so good, this method is definitely the best I have tried, and I've tried everything!


----------



## korndogger123

Kristina6292 said:


> Do all of you trying this cosleep? My little boy has been in his own bed and room since 5 months, changed his cot to a toddler bed 2 months ago. So we're literally just trying to stop the feeding to sleep. So far so good, this method is definitely the best I have tried, and I've tried everything!

I wish I had Naomi in her own bed at 5 months. Next baby i am NOT cosleeping


----------



## Larkspur

Well, going away on holiday kinda messed things up, LOL. I think it will take a couple of days to get back to normal. Bedtime was a huge battle every night; that said, the nights weren't too bad. LO did an 8-hour solid stretch one night, which is his best for probably 10 months. Back to short feed and unlatch tonight, then will retry 'no milk' from tomorrow. 

Happy to read everyone else's progress!


----------



## Kristina6292

That's great Larkspur, don't think my little one has ever slept that long. Haha. Let us know how the no milk goes, I'm not looking forward to that bit.


----------



## littlegreenie

Well my little girl still has a cold so being flexible however again last night she did 8-4 which is amazing progress from before we started this. She doesn't seem to settle at 4 so I just bring her in then and she has a few feeds sometimes over 2 hours but this is still massive progress especially as I haven't properly been following the methods for the last week since she hasn't been herself. 

Good luck everyone tonight!


----------



## Kristina6292

Ladies, I literally cannot thank you enough for putting this up
I had given up hope of ever getting a full nights sleep
Well last night, Tyler had a quick feed. Laid himself down with his teddy and fell asleep on his own. I didn't do anything
He slept 6-12, woke for 10 minutes then back to sleep until 5
He hasn't woke up once for about 6 months, we both woke up in a good mood. 
Thank you so much. :)


----------



## Larkspur

That's awesome Kristina!

We had a very settled night last night, tonight the 'no milk' days recommence, so we will see how it goes, but I remain positive based on the experience so far! He went to sleep in 10 minutes like a little lamb, actually fell asleep nursing both nights, but also 'slept in' till almost half past six this morning, so that was a nice little treat.


----------



## korndogger123

I don't even know what night I am on but tonight I almost just said forget it and went back to co-sleeping. Naomi took a LATE nap from 5 to 7 (7 is usually bed time!) so when 9 rolled around I left her wide awake with DH so I could get ready for bed. He brought her into me at 1030, I was dead asleep and just popped her on my boob co-sleeping as we usually did... Something went off and I just remember thinking OH NO GET UP YOUR MESSING UP YOUR WORK! So even though she was sleep in my bed I remembered I could still feed her to sleep since it wasn't 11 so things weren't too messed up. I ended up having DH move her to her crib which he did. and she ended up stirring at about 1130. She was whinning and crying a bit but I left her for 2 minutes just to see what she would do, she fell back asleep!! I didn't have to say anything to her, touch her, feed her, nothing. 

I don't know if it was a 1 off thing but I think we are making progress.


----------



## littlegreenie

Wow Kristina that sounds amazing. Very quick progress. My daughter had never really settled herself and never woke only once but she's woken once for 5 nights out of 7 in the last week. Last night she went 7:20-12:45 then 2 minute feed then until 6! She settled to sleep really fast too.


----------



## littlegreenie

Korndogger that's amazing that she self settled and great that you are keeping at it.


----------



## Kristina6292

2nd night of him only waking once. Because he has only ever fallen asleep feeding, I thought I'd do each step for a bit longer than 3 nights just so he is completely used to it. Think we'll start the no milk tonight, see how that goes down. :/


----------



## Larkspur

Oh my god, ladies, my LO slept through the night! In his own cot! I am lying here awake, freaking out that he didn't wake up (already been in to check he's still alive, and he's sleeping peacefully :haha:)! I thought this day would never come!!!!


----------



## Zephram

Wow, fantastic! My LO is still teething and now sick too, so haven't started yet, but cannot wait to try it!


----------



## littlegreenie

Wow larkspur that's amazing. What hours did he do? Fingers crossed it'll be the same tonight!! My daughter has gone back to square one. I think she's teething and has only just recovered from her cold but was up 7 times last night. :(


----------



## Larkspur

He did 7.15pm to 5.45am. It was a bit of a long bedtime, he had a hard time dropping off, but obviously resettled okay at night as he was in quite a different position in the morning.

Another long bedtime tonight, actually went until 7.45pm (his nap started and finished early, I should really have tried to put him down at six but OH was running late home) so we will see how tonight goes.


----------



## Kristina6292

That sounds great. We've gone back to square one, little one has tonsillitis! Poor thing so hasn't been sleeping very well past few nights.


----------



## polaris

I haven't attempted any night weaning yet with Clara but I'm following all of your progress with interest!


----------



## korndogger123

I am also starting over. 12 month shots and a really bad stomach bug set us back.


----------



## Larkspur

We're still going well, one wakeup night before last, but no milk, and last night lots of little, early wakeups (overtired from early nap finish) then slept through in my bed (again, no milk). Working on keeping him in the cot all night, and 0-1 wakeups without milk now.


----------



## gaiagirl

Following this thread for future reference! I'm already worried about how night weaning will go but will be following Dr Gordons method too.


----------



## littlegreenie

The night before last was our best ever. She went from 7:30-5 then 5-5:30. I would say age technically slept through but I tried to settle her again to start the day a bit later! Last night she woke 3 times and had 2 short feeds at 2 and 4.


----------



## Larkspur

littlegreenie said:


> The night before last was our best ever. She went from 7:30-5 then 5-5:30. I would say age technically slept through but I tried to settle her again to start the day a bit later! Last night she woke 3 times and had 2 short feeds at 2 and 4.

Awesome stuff! Yeah, I expect there will be a bit of inconsistency for a few weeks (well, personally, I don't expect total STTN consistency for a few years, but a bit more reliability would be nice) as babies adjust and go through various hindrances to smooth sleep. But 7.30-5am is great, that's definitely a full night! :thumbup:


----------



## Bean66

Following.

My LO is nearly 11months. Not ready too night wean just yet but it's encouraging to hear success stories.

We co sleep and until a couple of weeks ago I as getting enough sleep but the wake up have got more frequent and she just wants boob (comfort). I find it difficult to sleep with her latched now she has teeth. 

Good luck everyone.


----------



## Bean66

Also, what are you all doing for naps? My lo has only ever fallen sleep on boob or in sling.


----------



## korndogger123

Bean66 said:


> Also, what are you all doing for naps? My lo has only ever fallen sleep on boob or in sling.


I still let her fall asleep on boob since it isn't technically bed time. I put her in her crib once she falls asleep though to try and encourage her to sleep in there more. 
It hasn't affected anything at night but has helped her sleep in her crib more and for longer stretches. (I am trying to stop co sleeping)


----------



## Kristina6292

We don't co sleep, so for naps I've been feeding then putting him down awake and rubbing his back. At the moment he's poorly so has been falling asleep feeding or cuddling me. We'll get back to where we was once he's feeling better.


----------



## littlegreenie

Bean I rock my daughter to sleep during the day if we are at home then put her in the cot or if we are out she will fall asleep in car seat or pram. 

How's everyone doing now? My daughter was up just twice last night. She hasn't been up yet tonight so we shall see how tonight goes!


----------



## Kristina6292

How's everyone doing? Do we have anyone sleeping through?
My little boy has just got over a cold and tonsillitis so we've started again, he wants to feed for longer now than before, no idea why! But last night he went 6-12 then woke at 4:45 and was up for the day. I'll let him off for getting up so early as he only woke once! ;)


----------



## Zephram

I'm trying to buck up the courage to start this! I just can't handle LO crying though and I'm worried he's not going to react well to less boobie at night. At the moment he is waking every hour or two and screaming till he gets boob. I'm not sure why... Wondering if it could be molars? I felt his gums earlier but couldn't feel anything imminent.

Should I just jump in and try this method?


----------



## gaiagirl

I'm still waiting on this too, zephram. My LO definitely has molars coming in but also he just isn't ready. 

I guess you could try and just gauge whether his reaction is within your comfort zone?

I have heard very mixed things from friends and online but many have said once the toddler was ready it was a fairly easy process. 

My biggest fear besides him just not being ready is that he then continues to wake up but doesn't nurse and I end up having a worse situation to deal with! Lol that happened to a friend of mine...

Still interested to follow everyone's progress!


----------



## littlegreenie

My daughter still isn't sleeping through but is very close. She went from waking about 5-6 times most nights to waking once. Most nights now she wakes just at 4 for milk. If she wakes before then I go in but don't feed her and she settles easily. At the moment she now feeds 7pm, 4am and 7am but in the next week or so I'm going to cut out the 4am and 7am ones. My daughter keeps going between teething and colds at the mo. I think you need them really well when you start it. My daughter did quite a lot if screaming the first night but I was there settling her all the time but after that she has done very little. I thought if would be far worse. I have been most pleased with her settling herself more easily and regularly as she next did that before.


----------



## Larkspur

My LO has been down to one waking usually, and that's often getting close to STTN, like sleeping through from 6.30pm to 4am. He's also getting better at bedtime at nursing, then stopping and wanting to go in his cot, where I put my hand on his back as he goes to sleep. This is like a miracle compared to his sleep just two months ago.


----------



## gaiagirl

Great to hear! Larkspur have you experienced any supply issues with pregnancy? Could that be a factor do you think?


----------



## polaris

I haven't attempted anything yet but actually Clara's sleep is improving. She's definitely doing longer stretches and she is only having short feeds now when she wakes and unlatching and rolling over to go back to sleep. So I will go on waiting it out for the moment. Don't think I'll be brave enough to attempt night weaning until she has all her teeth! (11 down, 9 to go!).


----------



## Zephram

polaris said:


> I haven't attempted anything yet but actually Clara's sleep is improving. She's definitely doing longer stretches and she is only having short feeds now when she wakes and unlatching and rolling over to go back to sleep. So I will go on waiting it out for the moment. Don't think I'll be brave enough to attempt night weaning until she has all her teeth! (11 down, 9 to go!).

I feel this way too. I think my LO is definitely starting to get his molars now, nothing to see or feel yet but he's dribbling like a waterfall and I think they are moving under the gums. I really feel like my LO won't sleep through until he's got all of his teeth - horrifying prospect! He is the worst teether...


----------



## korndogger123

I have also stopped trying the method. I think she just isn't quite ready even though I am. And, its kinda been one of those if its not one thing it's another type months. Her shots did her in pretty bad this last round, and now I think she may be teething. She is just all in all been pretty cranky so I decided I can keep her nights how she likes it. (boobie at her side) until she starts feeling better.


----------



## Kristina6292

So glad to hear some of you are almost sleeping through. My little boy is not sleeping through at all, he has he most random nights, one night he'll be up 7 times then the next night he'll only wake up once! I don't know why or how!
I'm continuing wih feeding him then putting him down slightly awake and just either leaving or rubbing his back if he's cranky. 
I know how you all feel with he teeth though, life would be easier when they're all through! Tyler only has 4 left to cut then he's done, thank god!


----------



## korndogger123

I was planning to start this again, but Naomi kinda just started self settling, and staying asleep on her own. I guess in our case she wasn't ready to self settle and stay asleep. 

We are still cosleeping, but we go lay down, nurse, she pops herself off the boob and rolls over and either goes to sleep it lays there until she does. On a good night she can stay sleep, on a bad night she will wake up once. 

Now I just need to work on getting her in her own crib.


----------



## Bean66

That's great Korn.

During the night my lo pulls off and rolls over but at night she has to be fast asleep when I put her down or she'll just wake up again.


----------

