My youngest baby is now 10 months old! Time is flying by. But, unfortunately, he is still not sleeping through the night. My first little guy started to sleep through the nights at 3 months old; so I was hoping that this time around would be the same.
However, three months came and has long since passed and yet I still find myself making the dreadful walk across the hall and into the rocking chair, several times a night.
Teething has been a real challenge for us the past few months. It has certainly contributed to the countless sleepless nights. My challenge lately has been deciding whether or not I should be feeding my boy when he wakes at night. Now I know that at 10 months old he certainly does not need to be eating when he gets up. However, there are some nights that it is the only thing that will get him to calm down and go back to sleep. Let’s face it, who isn’t going to play the ‘boob card’ when you have been up half the night and you are so tired you can’t even remember your own name!
I don’t want him to be completely dependent on breastfeeding to fall asleep; I want him to learn to self soothe. I have started putting him down for naps and down at bedtime without feeding him and he is adjusting well to that. But, for some reason, the nighttime has been our downfall.
I’m sure that I am partly to blame because I generally give into him and nurse him during the nights just so I can get some rest.
I am so confused. Should I be letting him nurse when he looks for it in the nights or do I stand firm and help him to find another way to get back to sleep?
What have you done to handle or cope with night nursing?
My name is Mary Ellen Marsh. I have a 16 month old little boy named Brody and am expecting our second bundle of joy in March, 2011. I am a registered dietitian by trade, but I am currently a stay-at[..]
