Rebornne Baby. American Baby
Rebornne Baby. American Baby
breastfeeding
features
quizzes experts
Breastfeeding is natural, but it
doesn't come naturally to every mom. Find out how to overcome the
most common nursing difficulties, like latch-on problems, nipple
confusion, and engorgement.
experts
Why
won't my 1-year-old go to sleep unless I nurse him?
My just-turned-1-year-old
still isn't sleeping through the night. I breastfeed and I'm trying
to wean him, but he won't go back to sleep unless he nurses. I have
a hard time letting him cry it out. Are there any others ideas? He
does have a dairy allergy (we are working on figuring out what is
going on). Could that be the cause? Thanks for your help.
What a wonderful gift you have given your son by nursing for the whole
first year! Congratulations on his birthday.
One of the most
important things to understand about sleep is that how a child falls
asleep is very habit-forming, so changes take some time. There are
several ways that you might go. Like you, I am not a fan of leaving
kids alone to "cry it out." The fastest way to make a change
is just not to feed him at night and instead firmly but gently pat
him, talk to him, sing to him--do anything except pick him up, feed
him, or lie down with him. He will protest because he is used to eating
throughout the night and will feel hungry as well, but he will not
feel alone or abandoned or scared. You will be right there with him,
loving him. Within several days, he will no longer feel hungry at
night and will not expect to be fed. But, these would be several very
long nights and would involve lots of crying.
Another way to
go is very gradual. First begin to build up other associations for
him to use to fall asleep, such as a cassette tape or CD with your
voice on it or a white noise generator. Some kids like a lava lamp--they
stare at it just enough to zone out. Next, gradually decrease nursing
during the night.
The one thing
that does not work well is to try not to nurse, but then "give
in" if he cries enough. That only teaches him to cry until he
gets what he wants. Then neither of you will be happy and you won't
make any progress.
Your
should know:
The
information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes
only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical
advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose
or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your
pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any
questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child's
condition.
