HELP...too EXHAUSTED To THINK

You poor thing! Is it possible to offer breast milk in a bottle at this point? I would seriously start only offering the bottle at night, and then slowly take away one feeding at a time. Your little boy isn't so little anymore, and he is ready to sleep through the night! Also, it sounds like it's time for the crib. While I think co-sleeping is awesome for some people, most of us eventually transfer our babies to the crib once they (and we) aren't sleeping as well anymore! If your son was sleeping great, I'd say keep it up! But you're both pooped, so maybe it's just that time. Easier to say than do, though.

It may be a rough ride for a while longer. Maybe consider setting up a pack-n-play next to your bed, and having him sleep next to you in that. Slowly inch it towards the opposite wall of your room. (A little farther each night.) Once he's there, and easily sleeping, you can transfer him to the crib. It'll take longer this way, but may be easier for him emotionally. I did this with my son when he was 4 months, and he was 100% crib sleeping within a month!

That crying is hard, but try to remember that him learning to self soothe is so important! It's one of the best gifts we can give our kids, and it shows up in other areas of their lives. Unfortunately, 9 month old babies are SMART and really determined. So he's going to cry a lot worse than a 4 month old would. And teeth too...ouch! Make sure he's taking infant motrin before bed, and maybe some homeopathic drops as well.

Good luck! And don't give in to guilt. You're a great mom!

Hi D.,

Since your little guy has been nursing all night, he's used to getting his nutritional needs met in this way. If you beef up his daytime feedings and power nurse during the few hours before bedtime then you can at least be assured that his cries relate to comfort and not hunger as you begin some sleep training strategies.

Good luck!

Dear D.,

I agree with Hannah completely. Get some books on sleep training it really works. It is tough to listen to I am just warning you, however you are doing you and your baby a favor. Trust me he will still love you in the morning and probably even more because he will be well rested. Good luck!!

Hi D.. I was in the same situation with my son. I loved co-sleeping, but the night nursing was exhausting, and my son moved around in the bed so much that none of us were getting much sleep. Two books that really helped me are the Dr. Sears "Baby Book" (there's a whole section on night nursing and alternatives) and "Good Night Sleep Tight" (which is the no-cry sleep solution--www.sleeplady.com). I will say that, with many babies, once you're able to get that distance, they become less interested in night nursing, over time. At 10 months, we moved my son to his own crib, in our bedroom. I had been falling asleep while nursing him in our bed all night, so once we moved him, I would nurse him sitting up in a rocking chair in our room, then put him back in his crib. After a few weeks of this, I determined that I would only nurse him say, every four hours at night, instead of every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So when he would cry and it wasn't time to nurse, my husband would get up and comfort him. He would pick him up and comfort and rock him back to sleep. If my son cried for more than (I think it was five) minutes, we would give up for that "session" and I would nurse him. (Most books say not to pick them up, and/or to let them cry, but I had to modify it to be okay with what I was doing). It really didn't take long--once my son realized that daddy was the one comforting him during the night and he wasn't allowed to nurse all night, he started waking up a lot less. After a few nights of this, my husband didn't need to do much picking up--just lay a hand on him or shush, most of the time. Then we moved him to his own crib in his own room, at which point we all slept much better and for much longer stretches (even the baby). I will just tell you what my sister told me, because I was totally overwhelmed. Just start somewhere trying something. And if it doesn't work for you, change what you're doing and try something else. You won't damage your child. Good luck, it will all work out. Feel free to message me if you have any further questions or need support.