Night Weaning….

Rowan started sleeping through the night at around 5 months old. He wouldn't do it every night but even when he didn't most nights, he'd go to bed around seven and have just one bottle- at 5am. Then go back to sleep until 9:30am. Well, my sweet sweet husband started getting up with Rowan after he finished his deployment. Reason being- I have a hard time sleeping and if I get up with Rowan that's it for me! So Danny was kind enough to take over nights. I KNOW right?! I've been so lazy since he got back…. I think I was just burned out, now i'm just lazy lol. But, anyway Danny started giving him a bottle EVERY TIME he fussed. Three oz here, four oz there…….. and slowly his night pattern became; get up every 3 hours and sip some bottle.  D: D: D: LIke a newborn.  He did this because he felt it was "easy." He was tired, just give him a little… he goes back to sleep, all good. But no, he created a little night monster that got in the habit of having a crazy amount of nighttime feedings.  We discussed it, I decided we needed to make a change.  Rowan is 9 months old and I know he CAN sleep longer because he has. At an even earlier age. Despite advice from some of you to just go with what the baby wants we set out to wean him from his night time bottles.  Danny wasn't quite on board.  That first night when Rowan got up at 3 for a bottle I caught Danny taking one out of the fridge before even heading to his room! He claims he wasn't going to give it to him right away but….. so I went in and sat up with Rowan for an entire hour. I shushed him while he was in his crib, patted him to sooth him when he fussed and eventually put him in his swing with a binky and went back to bed.

     The next day Rowan had more bottles he finished during the day than he ever had! And that night he slept the entire night!!!! Well- we put him down at 7, give him a bottle at around 11 before we go to bed and then he sleeps until 7am, has a bottle and sleeps again until 8:30ish! But still! That's not one time we have to get up in the middle of the night! Again, the next day he guzzled his bottles during the day. I was so happy! I realized he wasn't wanting bottles during the day before because he was getting them all night. So we just had to change the cycle.  The last few nights have been rough because of teething, but we've stayed strong!  He cries out and puts himself back to sleep, and we give him tylonol for his fevers. Anyway, I was excited we got things figured out so quickly. I had to share!  Now, just to  get him off of his swing… sigh.