To Wean or Not to Wean

 

Just reading, chillin' out. Looking super grown-up.

 

I've mentioned it in an off-hand way, but our sleeping schedule is terrible. A long stretch of sleep is rare, and I can never seem to recreate the exact conditions the following night. Some nights I'm up hourly. She's going through a picky stage, eating-wise, as well - and both problems would be easier to deal with in isolation. I've been trying the No-Cry Sleep Solution, but I think she has it figured out and is NOT IMPRESSED. In short though, I'm inclined to blame the boob. Don't get me wrong, I am pro-breastfeeding. I've loved feeding her, and was so happy to do it. It was really, really tough for us to establish in the first place and I don't take it for granted. But she used to sleep through the night, until I got her exclusively on the boob (I wrote about our problems in depth here. Short version: no latch AT ALL, so she was mixed-fed, then problematic latch and bottles of pumped milk, then finally our troubles resolved into easy, exclusive breastfeeding by 3 or 4 months.)  I just think they love it so much, and it's so easy to fall into a routine of co-sleeping and feeding multiple times a night. Again, I was happy to do it! Now though, I'm starting to come to the end of my tether.

 

At nearly 15 months old, we are in a parenting no-mans land; "natural"-type mamas might wonder why we'd give up so early, while "mainstream" parents might think it's gone on a bit too long already - after all, she's walking and talking and has 11 teeth. Attachment-style advice is usually a variant of "Why do you want to wean?? Is night waking really a problem??", and the other side might say "Ah. You've created a sleep crutch, and they must be broken of this pleasant, comforting association." Gah!

 

Enough moaning. We are basically day-weaned, so she only has it in bed or in the chair in her room, but I just don't know how to gently night-wean at this age. Will update with our progress!