9 Month Old Still Wakes up 2 Times a Night to Nurse

My DD continued to wake up for "midnight snacks" at the "milk bar" until almost exactly 1 yr. We did a very cold turkey method - I just stopped nursing her (with the exception of like two times) - and since we BOTH were ready...it worked fabulously! She was done - I think the night stuff was purely for comfort (for her anyway) and once we finished that, she also started sleeping in her own bed - all night - FINALLY!!! WOOOHOOOO!

So, I guess my advice would be to just wait it out a little longer if you're willing to do so. It may just solve itself in a few more months! Other than that...I have no idea! This is so totally a "learn as you go" thing, isn't it! LOL! :)

I had the same situation with my second boy (I have 5 of them). The doctor suggested that I give him just a little baby cereal before bed and then nurse a little for comfort and to quench his thirst. That worked. It is worth a try. Don't give him a lot of cereal. Just a little bit. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

He really doesn't need to eat at night, but because you keep feeding him, he'll keep on waking up at night expecting to be fed. At this point, it is on you and your husband to wean him from this expectation. It is never a pleasant task, and there are many methods you can try. For me, I just let my daughter "cry it out." It was tough, but after 3 nights she started sleeping through the night (just like her pediatrician said). We would go in the room just to make sure everything was OK, then leave. The first night she cried for nearly an hour! And since then, she has been a good sleeper. I recently read an article in a magazine about parents who researched all the different methods, but finally chose to let their son cry it out. They admitted how tough it was, but after four days their son was sleeping through the night. But you need to choose the method you're most comfortable with. Good luck!

My 7 mo old is doing the same! She does better if sleeping in her own crib at night, but she's a clingy little thing and likes to be attached to me all night! Plus my hubby doesn't get to see her much in the day, so he wants her in bed with us :)
Is he sleeping on his own or near you? I find that my little one will nurse ALL night if I'm near. She's a thumb sucker, but would rather have the booby to comfort her!!
Hope you get some good advice, I'm eager to see what everyone else says!

Yup, cold turkey him. He will definitely get the message in a few nights when you give him a binky instead of his milk. Babies can certainly make it all the way through the night at 6 months for SURE and for positively sure sure 9 months.

It may suck for a few nights but you will be rewarded greatly.

My dd was the same. She is almost 14months old now and only wakes up once, usually between 3:30 and 5:30 am to nurse after going to bed between 7pm and 8pm the night before.

I think your son still probably needs to nurse at least one of those times during the night then 1st thing in the morning. I would definitely up the daytime nursings too. I see he gets baby food and finger foods, but they cannot come close to meeting his nutritional needs efficiently at this age like your breastmilk does. I'd say my dd got 90% + nutrition from breastmilk until about 6-8 wks ago when she got 7 new teeth in. She is still getting about 85% from breastmilk now.

www.kellymom.com is an awesome site for breastfeeding info!

M.,
At this point it is just habit for him to wake up.
Do not feed him anymore at night.
Let him cry and see if he goes back to sleep.
If he does not then pick him up and rock him for a bit and then put him back to bed.
This may take up to 2 weeks but once he figures out he is not going to get fed he will start sleeping through the night.
Good Luck.
H.

It could be that he needs to nurse more than 3 times during the day - both my boys did at that age and both still needed to nurse at nite (at least once) until they were over one. He may not be nursing as long as he needs to in order to get a full meal because things are too busy and he's too interested in other things. So, he may be making up for missed feedings during the day (up until one year of age, a babies primary source of nutrition should be breastmilk). You may need to set aside some quiet time during the day for nursing and sneak in some extras such as right when he wakes up in the morning and before and after naps, etc., when he's more likely to nurse a little longer.

Both of my kids woke up until they turned 12 months....just thought I might encourage you to listen to him if you feel he is really hungry...now my kids are great sleepers and are fine, but they did it on their own at 12 months.

Nursing more during the day would probably help. 3 times a day does not seem like nearly enough for a 9 month old to me. Also, it is possible for some babies to be hungry during the night all the way up to 18 months. It seems simple to me, if he is hungry, then feed him.

I agree... 3 times per day is not enough for a 9 mo. old. Breastmilk is and should be their primary source of nutrition until a year old. He is probably waking to make up for the lost nursing sessions during the day (reverse cycling). Solids at this age are just for practice and not to replace nursings.

Here are a few links that you might find useful:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/reverse-cycling.html

http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/development.html

HTH!

M., it's been a long time since I've breast fed, but as I recall I had one that did that too. I just ended up taking her to bed with me during those night feedings because I got tired of her waking me up 2-3 times during the night. I'd feed her on one side turn over and feed her on the other and then go right back to sleep. When she'd wake back up and want to nurse again I was right there and we'd go again. Maybe not what you want to hear, but with her waking up and my needing my sleep, it was the best problem solver for us all! As I recall, this was only temporary. She finally stopped needing the nightly feedings. Maybe just a month and a half or so? That was 22 years ago and my memory is a little rusty, lol! I have three children and breast fed all of them. She's the only one that did that.

I'm not for sticking a pacifyer in their mouth when they are happy but it sounds like you could sure use one in the middle of the night. It sounds more like a habit if he has plenty to eat before bedtime. Hold the pacifyer with him a bit at first ,, then just give it to him with out holding him, and see if this works.This worked for my daughter.