# co-sleeping and frequent waking



## mizznicole (Feb 13, 2007)

As one of many moms on this board with an all night eater, I am wondering if the nature of co-sleeping is that your child will be a light sleeper who eats all night. From what McKenna said on the mdc symposium, that does seem to be the case for newborns. Do you think it carries through babyhood?

It honestly makes me not so gun-ho about co-sleeping.







But then again, there doesn't seem to be any alternative.


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## mommymel (Dec 4, 2007)

My son is 11 months and still co-sleeps and wakes frequently to breastfeed. He is also teething right now. He has some huge teeth coming in so that can be part of it, but he has always been a frequent waker. I am presently eliminating dairy to see if that has been part of the problem. (all along







) I hope it isn't, but if he begins to sleep significantly better then I will know that dairy has been the culprit. How old is your baby? If your baby is still young, frequent waking and nursing is normal and common. Also, teething can start early. My son started teething around 3 months. good luck!!


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## MamaNan (Jan 14, 2008)

My dd is 15 months old - we cosleep and she still wakes and eats often. I eliminated dairy to see if that was playing into her frequent waking, but it didn't make much of a difference. Last week I tried to do Dr. Gordon's night weaning plan, but I didn't make it through the first night. Basically, what I have decided is that my little one is pretty happy sleeping with me and dh and that she still likes to comfort nurse when she wakes up. Do I wish she would sleep for 7 or 8 hours straight? YES! But I am not going to force it. She will sleep for longer periods when she is ready and until then we will continue on as we have. The upside for me is that I get to take a nap with her every afternoon, so that really helps me get enough sleep.

Dr. Jay Gordon's night weaning plan is good...if you are ready to take that step. I wasn't ready last week, but in a month or two or three we might try again.


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## Thandiwe (May 14, 2007)

You might not want to hear this...

I have two bio kids and one foster baby. My bio kids both bf'ed and co-slept. Both were light sleepers...when I wasn't around. I had to be present or they wouldn't sleep well. If I was (or am in my 11 mos old's case) present, then he'd nurse on and off through the night and not ever fuss. In my bed w/o me, though, he wakes every 2 hours or so and cries for me. My oldest (3) just transitioned to his own bed this past summer. He now sleeps great (and doesn't bf).

My foster baby is formula fed and 3.5 mos old. Once she's down, she's down. She'll wake maybe once through the night to take a bottle and then she's back out. She sleeps great in a crib (in our room) and is a deep sleeper. My best friend's kids are also formula fed and are the same.

I guess by nature with bf'ing you get kids that are more mom-attached. They crave that touch, that connection. That's why so many moms who bf also co-sleep. As such, that need to be physically connected to mom dominates and they often can't sleep as well w/o mom, especially for nursing-sake. Sometimes it gets really hard...I wish I could say I'm always happy about it, but I'm a SAHM and I don't ever get a good, long break. Ever. 24/7, I have kids hanging off of me. Most times, I love it. Sometimes, I feel suffocated. I personally would be satisfied with being able to put the kids to bed at night and being able to have some freedom then, but like I said, my youngest birth baby is still really attached to me (at 11 mos old). These days will pass so quickly, though....

I hope you find a balance for yourself. Dr. Sears often states that breastfeeding and co-sleeping need to be a healthy relationship that works for _everyone_ involved.


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## ClovesA (Oct 6, 2008)

My little guy is 7 months old and is awake every hour. At 3am he starts waking every 20-30 minutes. I am sooo tired, but just cant seem to put him in a crib. I am not convinced it would be better anyway. I put up a post here and some other moms said that he will start sleeping better with time. I hope that is the case, because sleeping curled up with my baby is the sweetest and most wonderful thing ever. Its really hard to give up if you are use to your little one being there.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

At 5.5 weeks Lina isn't eating all night long. I expect she'll start up again when she hits her next growth spurt. Thing is, even when she was nursing all night, she was pretty much snoocking (snooze/sucking) so I don't think she's ever really been a light sleeper.


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## sandybemt (Sep 24, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaNan* 
My dd is 15 months old - we cosleep and she still wakes and eats often. I eliminated dairy to see if that was playing into her frequent waking, but it didn't make much of a difference. Last week I tried to do Dr. Gordon's night weaning plan, but I didn't make it through the first night. Basically, what I have decided is that my little one is pretty happy sleeping with me and dh and that she still likes to comfort nurse when she wakes up. Do I wish she would sleep for 7 or 8 hours straight? YES! But I am not going to force it. She will sleep for longer periods when she is ready and until then we will continue on as we have. The upside for me is that I get to take a nap with her every afternoon, so that really helps me get enough sleep.

Dr. Jay Gordon's night weaning plan is good...if you are ready to take that step. I wasn't ready last week, but in a month or two or three we might try again.

I dont know ab out Dr gordons weaning plan..but Your advice here is exactly my thoughts!


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## closedaccount15 (Dec 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mizznicole* 
As one of many moms on this board with an all night eater, I am wondering if the nature of co-sleeping is that your child will be a light sleeper who eats all night. From what McKenna said on the mdc symposium, that does seem to be the case for newborns. Do you think it carries through babyhood?

It honestly makes me not so gun-ho about co-sleeping.







But then again, there doesn't seem to be any alternative.

My daughter didn't eat all night until recently, she is 18 months, before then she just woke once or twice, and we co-slept. I guess it's the molars, because the nursing all night started around 14-15 months, and that was when her molars starting coming in. By 4 months, she was sleeping through the entire night.


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## dogmom327 (Apr 19, 2007)

DS is 15 mo and still wakes often (3-8 times a night). I was surviving but we had a particularly bad night on Saturday and now I'm seriously considering trying to at least reduce the feedings at night. I don't want to deprive him but I also think that long term this will hurt the rest of our breastfeeding relationship.

I suspect that part of the reason FF babies sleep longer than BF babies is that BM digests faster. Their body knows exactly what to do with it but the trade off is that they need it more often.


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## columbusmomma (Oct 31, 2006)

DD(14 months) is getting her molars too. We are night nursing even more now and for longer periods of time, plus she is often not falling right back to sleep! i'm tired! But yes, this too shall pass! Sigh!


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## karemore (Oct 7, 2008)

My daughter is 3 1/2, now I wish I kept better records but she was not a good sleeper!

I nursed her until she was 2, but she was sleeping through the night by 18 months, sleeping with me. Around 2, 2 1/2 she moved into her own big girl bed, it was perfectly natural, part of her move towards independence. She still sleeps with me when she's sick, on vacation, during any changes.. but for the most part she sleeps soundly and well despite frequent night feedings as an infant and co-sleeping.

(it's awesome to be able to prove the grandmothers and others who didn't support me that I was right all along)

Hang in there. You aren't going to spoil them or set them up for sleep issues by meeting their needs as infants! Think of it as an investment for well adjusted, healthy sleepers the rest of their lives.


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## Curlyfry7 (Jun 20, 2007)

Formula doesn't necessarily equal a good sleeper!! LOL.
My Ds was on formula from 5 weeks on and to this day (he was 2 last Thursday) wakes up many times a night. Sometimes he WILL sleep all night, other times (like Friday night) he wakes up 6 times. I'm sure BFing does play a role, but personality also has a lot to do with it!

But someday either he will STTN consistently, or won't need mom when he DOES wake up......


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## sleepybear1 (Aug 17, 2008)

Thanks for starting this thread. I have a 15 mo dd. Right now I am exhausted. I try to remember as I write this that she has had times of better sleep. I am hoping that she will return to it. I don't know how I would change our sleeping arrangements at this time. What would be the message I was sending? How would she feel?

To make matters more complicated she has a bad tooth. It is rotting from the back (it is her front top tooth). The pediatric dentist said that the problem wiht the tooth may have been there from the beginning. He was against night nursing. I can't conceive of how our nights would go if she could not nurse! I feel that she would be crushed if I denied her something that is a major part of our relationship - yet I don't want to hurt her by hurting her tooth.

no idea what to do!


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