My 13mo daughter is still nursing at night, which i am trying to break that habit so I can get her to sleep in her crib through the night. Normally, she sleeps with me and my husband, but now it is getting way too uncomfortable for all of us. She periodically wakes up thorughout the night to nurse to fall back asleep, and she will cry until she gets to nurse when i have tried to get her back to sleep w/o the nursing. She's a real light sleeper after I nurse her, so if i try to nurse her if she wakes up then put her back in the crib, she will wake up, cry and the vicious cycle starts all over. Any ideas on how to ease her into sleeping in crib? (which is in our room)
Have you tried putting her crib next to your bed and having her sleep there without the side up and then she's in a side car position? She can still sleep next to you and nurse as needed, but she's in her own space instead of between you and your husband.
My oldest started sleeping through the night on her own at about 18 months. So, if you're willing to wait it out a little longer, she might change things up on her own.
I would move the crib out of your room, and put her to bed in the crib to begin with. She doesn't need to nurse at night, so it is probably that she hasn't learned to put herself back to sleep without nursing. And since you are right there, she doesn't have to learn that. She can smell your milk, so when she wakes up she comes to you. And then she uses you to pur her back to sleep. If you can get the crib out f your room, then if she wakes up in the night, ahve your husband go to her ,not you. She will still smell your milk and will want to nurse.
My husband and i had to do this to stop my daughter from night nursing, and it took just a few days for her to realize she wasn't getting any milk at night, and she learned to put herselff back to sleep if she woke up at night.
good luck
I had the same problem with my son. We did a gradual move. First we put the crib at the foot of the bed and slept "upside down" for a bit, then we turned around right, then we pushed the crib to the wall and eventually got him in his own room.(mostly) We also gave him a paci, (he hadn't really used one while nursing) which he kept at night until about age 4. If your daughter will take naps in her crib the process should be smoother. My son was also a poor napper, so he was usually in a sling or I napped too. At 6, he still usually needs a nightime cuddle to calm down and process his day. Good Luck and do what feels right and works for your family.
I can't offer any personal advice, but I remember in the book The No Cry Sleep Solution she talks about exactly this kind of scenario. Her book takes into account all possible types of co-sleeping breastfeeding families and offers advice for them. The author is Elizabeth Pantley.
I remember one of her ideas to try is what Monica suggested. Another thing she recommends if you nurse her to sleep is to have hubby go to her at night, not you. Until she learns to self soothe and the nighttime feeding habit has been broken. But you should check it out. It defintely helped me learn how to get my son to self soothe.
It would be a lot easier if you could get that crib out of your room!
Another rec for Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution.
