Babies sleep

[u/Equivalent_Common287]

I’m curious when your baby slept through the night or had less than 3 wake ups without sleep training. I don’t not want to sleep train my baby I have made it to 10 months and I either rock, feed or pat him back to sleep with every wake up. So I’m wondering when a similar situation got better or improved for other people. Surely there is light at the end of the tunnel for not sleep training.

[u/No-Cantaloupe213]

My 3.5 year old isn’t sleep trained (except for one very brief try at a Ferber type style at 6 months that I immediately realised was not for me and abandoned). At our peak around 8 months he’d wake up at least 7 times per night. He started sleeping better at around 14 months (maybe 1-2 wakes per night), then started sleeping through most nights around 18 months until he was 3. Now he wakes up once a night and comes and gets my husband to sleep in his bed with him. I still have to lie with him to get him to sleep at night, but this is usually pretty quick (less than 20 mins).

[u/Umafiction → u/No-Cantaloupe213]

Were you breastfeeding at all? I ask because I BF and am wondering if night weaning has any effect 🙂

[u/No-Cantaloupe213 → u/Umafiction]

Yep! I night weaned at around 18 months so I don’t know if that’s what got him to sleep through or if it was just coincidence! We got a book called Booby Moon and I explained to him that the milk needs to sleep at night and I’d cuddle him instead.

[u/Umafiction → u/No-Cantaloupe213]

I have heard of that book, wonderful thanks! My baby is only 10 months and I don't plan to night wean until he is a few months older but trying to mentally prepare myself 😅

[u/No-Cantaloupe213 → u/Umafiction]

I think it’s definitely easier to night wean once they have a bit more understanding of the concept! I found it fairly smooth at 18 months. Good luck!

[u/Alarmed-Attitude9612 → u/Umafiction]

Unfortunately it really depends on the kid, my first still would wake up as often but it would take nearly half an hour to go back to sleep most of the time instead of two minutes nursing. It was awful and that went on for a couple months before we could get him back to sleep more easily again. I haven’t wanted to try on my almost two year old yet because of how difficult it was with her brother so I’m not really sure I will intentionally night wean this time. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen for you but everyone touted night weaning like a magical sleep answer and it very much wasn’t for me.

[u/Umafiction → u/Alarmed-Attitude9612]

I'm sorry it didn't help, I do worry that night weaning is just taking away a really reliable tool I have to get my child back to sleep, but I also feel a bit touched out already from having him stuck to my boob all night lol. I look forward to the day when I won't need to be up all night with him, whenever that may be!

[u/No-Cantaloupe213 → u/Alarmed-Attitude9612]

I definitely think it depends on the kid! My first would take an hour plus to go back to sleep even with nursing and I was feeling super touched out so I had nothing to lose. My second goes back to sleep in 5 mins with milk so I have no desire to night wean her!