Help!
I have no idea how to approach this.
My son is almost 13mo, we've always done things pretty instinctively and so far that has meant breastfeeding on demand, lots of sling carrying, we cosleep (at night and for naps), and he feeds to sleep. He will nap in his carseat and pram if we're out, and sometimes goes to sleep in my arms or in a sling.
For a period when he was 9mo or so, he started falling asleep without breastfeeding and sleeping through the night without waking to feed until maybe 5am. But recently, he's become more clingy (maybe related to his increased mobility?) and has gone back to feeding to sleep. He's also now wanting to feed at least 3 or 4 times every night, with a big feed in the early morning.
I don't really mind this, although its getting cold and I'd prefer to sleep in pyjamas and pull the covers up, while he prefers to be cool, so I end up a bit chilly sleeping topless to give him easy titty access. But I'm also starting to worry about the effect of constant overnight feeding on his new teeth.
I have loved cosleeping, but wouldn't mind now if he would sleep in his cot beside the bed (and he could come into bed with us in the early morning). I think DH would appreciate having the bed to ourselves too.
So- how do I go about weaning him off:
1) feeding all night
2) feeding to sleep
3) cosleeping, and move him eventually into his cot (this one is less important- we don't mind if he stays with us until he's older_
I've read and tried lots of things about bedtime routines and bumpatting, but it really doesn't seem to work for us. He has a bedtime routine (shower, story, feed to sleep) and is very happy to go to bed when he's tired, but if we get him to sleep in my arms, he wakes as soon as I put him down in the cot, and putting him down sleepy but awake just turned into a scream-fest.
Help!!! Experienced cosleeping mums, how do you do this???




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