So here's the thing... I have a 5.5 month old son...my 4th child (I'm not new to this game, lol). I BF all of my kids. As with all the others, when he wakes at night to nurse, I lay him in bed next to me, let him eat and they *try* to put him back in his bed...operative word here is TRY. This has worked well for me and all 3 other children (girls). Cooper, however, is a different story. I can put him to bed (at bedtime) and he puts himself to sleep just fine. The problem is when he wakes up to nurse...which he does 2 times per night. He can be sound asleep, and I can move him without waking him, but the second his body touches his own bed, he is awake and screaming until he is laying next to me again. I thought it maybe had something to do with the temperature change between the 2 beds, so I started wrapping him in a blanket before nursing, that way the blanket went with him...no go. I CAN NOT sleep with him in my bed and I really really want to sleep again, lol. Any suggestions? I love snuggling with him and he is my last baby, so sometimes I enjoy it, but I also have 2 in school that I have to get up with and a 2 year old who goes non-stop, so I need to get some rest at some point. Any suggestions??
We had luck with my son by setting him into his bassinet and then keeping our arms around him as though holding him for a couple of minutes. Then we would ease our arms away. It mostly worked! He would wake slightly when I set him down, but then as I cuddled close over the bassinet and he realized he was still in my arms, he would drift off again. I recommend you try it.
Whats' a matter M.? Can't wait those grueling 18 years. :o) I am joking and I know your pain. My youngest, of 4, still gets in my bed at times and he is 9. I keep thinking when he is 18 he won't sleep with mommy, I can only hope.
If you can stand the couple of nights that it will take to wean him off of nighttime feeding and sleeping by himself then bite the bullet as Dawn says, otherwise he will graduate from high school and leave the house and maybe someday have his own babies in bed with him. You can only hope for that too.
I never nursed my kids in bed. I always sat in the rocker in the nursery. Maybe give that a try. It is less moving around and "changing scenery" for him. ?
I had the same problem with my daughter who is now almost 9 months old she slept with us in my arms until she was around coopers age. I eventually had to just lay her down anyways and let her cry for a minute and keep doing it I nursed for a while and then I did a bad thing I gave her a bottle while she was in her crib and I played baby einstein which she now loves I would also sing to her and do everything in my power to not pick her back up I know its tough but little cooper has to learn
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I have 3 that I BF, the last 2 being girl/boy twins. My girls were great. Nurse & back to bed. By day, I tandem nursed my twins. At night, she slept & he didn't. On the rare time she woke up, I could nurse her in my bed & put her back. He was up every night to nurse for 10 months. Early on, he would NOT go back to his own bed if I nursed him in bed, so I just didn't do it in my room anymore. It was a pain, and hard for me to get used to, but I took him out to our family room and nursed him on the couch. He always went right back to his crib afterwards. For him, it just seemed to be more comfortable in our bed and too hard to leave. Maybe it's worth a try. Good luck! :)
the hardest thing is just laying them back in there own bed and letting them cry try laying him in his crib and let him cry and see if he goes back to sleep if not hard part is to lay him in his crib and sit on the floor out side his crib until he doses off with your back to him giving him the security that you are still in the room but yet not giving him the attention , and do this for the next few nights until he understand that this crib is his place it is going to take time and patience . good luck I feel the pain of going with no sleep my little one did the same thing . (I got this tip from the nanny ) and takes time but it works
You and I are living the same life!!! Please let me know if you find any good solutions!
I too have two school age children and one who just turned 3, all 3 girls did very well sleeping in their own beds, Brody however wakes up the minute he touches his bed. I have tried the blanket, we even tried a heating pad to warm his mattress and removing it before laying him down. I am exhausted! I hope it is a growth spurt that he is going through as he was sleeping through the night previously.
Try putting a heating pad in his bed while you nurse, then turn it off and take it out before you put him back. Maybe it's the cold sheets that wake him?
My son was like that, although, I always got out of bed to nurse. I would, also, have him wrapped in a blanket, but that was not good enough. So, I had to put a heating on his bed until I was ready to lay him down. Then, I would remove it and test the temp and lay him down. I would also lean over as far as I could before removing him from my chest/belly. He sometimes would whimper just a little, but not fully wake.
Just like you, I have 4. For me, I remind myself constantly that it is just temporary stage and will pass. Sleepless nights are hard, I am with you there!!!
I nursed both my kids. Co-slept. BUT... we had/have a floor futon in our room... THAT is where I nursed them and co-slept. Once they fell asleep, I could get up and leave and go back to our bed.
That worked for us. None of our kids, were IN "our" bed. Just on the floor futon.
all the best,
Susan
