Sleep Training and Praise be to Solid Food!

If your little one was a good sleeper....boy are you lucky! I am incredibly jealous. Even after we got the reflux under control little man would STILL wake up 1-2 times a night looking for some food. At his 6 month appointment  (Although I was in a better place) I was so dang tired of getting up twice a night. His doctor informed me that at 6 months old he did not NEED to get up anymore and that we could begin sleep training. Since he was waking up to eat she recommended that we wean him off night feedings.



So what we learned quickly was that he was ABSOLUTELY in it for the milk. The first wake-up was usually around 11 and he would put up a little bit of a fight but we could rock him back down without the bottle. Soon he dropped this wake-up (because he was in it for the food not the cuddles) and instead only woke up around 3. Well by 3 AM his little tummy must have been growling because it took MONTHS to drop this one. I admit, we could have been stronger. There were some nights when we caved and gave a tiny bit of formula just so we could all go back to sleep. Unfortunately that just delayed the weaning/sleep training. Please note: We have a VERY small home. I can walk clear to the other side of my house and still hear everything that's happening at any time anywhere in the rest house. My husband slept with ear plugs in...there was no escape.

Then something glorious happened. Solid food. Well semi-solid food since there is no chewing involved. Once we got some good old FOOD into this kid he started to sleep through the night. He inconsistently slept through the night from 9-11 months and by his first birthday he was a sleeping champion. (going down to one nap a day was also very helpful) Now he is a sleeping pro. He naps for 2 hours a day. goes to bed without fuss, and unless he is teething or has a nightmare we don't see him until 6AM. (Bed time is 7:30)