can a BF baby be sleep trained?

help!
my 8 month wont STTN - should we increase her milk intake during the day?

switch to formula?

i need sleep

can a BF baby be sleep trained?

With dd we had to do CIO at 6 months bc I couldn't take it...and bc I knew she was waking for comfort not milk.
Is your lo eating a lot during the middle of the night or is it comfort? If you're ebf try a bottle (of breast milk) in the middle of the night to see how much your lo actually drinks. If it's just comfort try to push her back 15 mins every few nights.

Good luck

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

Yes, my DD started STTN around 7 months. To be honest, I think it was a combination of a lot of things that got her to that point.

We had been co-sleeping up until that point and I was starting to feel like I was starting a bad habit. DD wouldn't sleep until I went to sleep and would wake up several times during the night to comfort nurse.

Around 7 months, we started using CIO, but not any particular method with it, we just kinda played it by ear. We also started a routine during the day of eat, sleep, play and a bedtime routine with dinner, bath, book, nurse, sleep. What I also think helped her STTN is a white noise machine.

It's really hard for me to say what it was exactly that got her to STTN, I think it was just a combo of things and her being ready to sleep on her own.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

Yes! By four/five months I enforced a strict BFing schedule of only 4x a day. 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm and that's it. If she woke during the night I comforted her, but did not put her on the boob. The idea is that with fewer feeding sessions, they learn to eat more at each session and to go longer in between feedings. It worked really well for us.

I found the book The Baby Sleep Solution very helpful, even though it's definitely geared more towards FF moms.

Message edited 7/28/2014 12:12:17 PM.

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

Yes we gently night weaned our twins using non cio methods. It's definitely possible.

can a BF baby be sleep trained?

I don't think you need to give formula. DS sleeps through the night and he is EBF. When he would wake, I first offered a pacifier. Slowly, he made it longer and longer.

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

Breast milk digests in 90 minutes, whether the kid is 1 day old, or 1 year old. Because of that, I could never get on board with spacing feedings to 4 hours. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone. I have BF friends whose babies sleep like rocks and FF friends who are up every few hours well past a year.

can a BF baby be sleep trained?

I don't think you have it give formula! My friends son is on formula and he doesn't sleep more than 5 hrs. At a time. My Dd is only breasted 6 months old, takes solids 2x a day. Usually in the am and early evening . In bed by 8, up by 6, that's 10hours straight so it is possible. I feed her 6am,8,11,2,5,8pm. Goodluck!

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

My ds is 10 months old and was waking up a few times at night. We are on day 3 of CIO and although it was hard at first it is working. Cried for less then 30 seconds when I put him down tonight and last night woke up only once and barely cried. Hoping for no wake ups at all tonight.

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

At that age - I would do as PPers suggested! Night wean! Just comfort them back to sleep if they get up - but do not feed! At that age it is now more of a habit than a necessity!

I BF all 3 of my children (never had to supplement) and they were all sttn at about 6 months!

Just break your lo of the habit and they should sleep longer!

Good luck!

can a BF baby be sleep trained?

my older daughter slept thru the night at 5 months and it was when I stopped breastfeeding b/c I went back to work and the stress was not helping my milk production. my second daughter, I work at home so not problem pumping but by 10 months she was still not sleep thru the night, she wasn't hungry, we tried to sooth her but nothing was working. sometimes she would sleep 5 hrs then 4 and sometimes 8 but I really wanted her to sleep 10-11. I started pumping and giving her the bottle. for us that was it, started sleeping 11 hours. I wish I would have started bottle/pumping sooner. people thought I was crazy b/c it added more work but I didn't want her on formula and I was getting plenty of milk when I was pumping.

Re: can a BF baby be sleep trained?

We nightweaned at 5-6 months and from there he slept through the night. He EBF till 13/14 months. I would have my DH go in at night and sooth instead of me going in. Otherwise if I went in he would want to eat (though wasn't really taking that much anyway). After DH would go in we did modified CIO and also he started sleeping on his stomach all led to him STTN 830-7