how do i get my 9 month to sleep the whole night. he wakes up wanting to nurse, if i wait it out, he'll fuss himself wide awake. half the time he's not even drinking, just using me as a pacifier.
So if he's not really hungry, then I would look for new ways to soothe him and help him learn to soothe himself. My best luck was to sing and rub the babies back. It's tough as they will cry b/c they want you, not that, but it was what worked w/ my daughter (who hated pacifiers!!!). Good luck. Oh, and try not to pick him up...
I agree that he's just not ready, and he's letting you know.
Both of my kids were closer to the 12 month mark before they were ready, and they had completely different eating styles (one was a snacker, the other ate full meals).
I learned to nurse while sleeping to make it easiest on me. I had no choice. My husband couldn't help since I was nursing, and I was driving 150-200 miles/day in a sales position at the time. I had to get my sleep. So, that worked out best for us - get them latched on while you're on your side and go back to sleep. They'll eventually unlatch and fall asleep next to you, or you can put them back in their crib.
Good luck!
I second that last response - co-sleeping with a nursing baby and nursing baby back to sleep while I fall asleep is how I do it. I also position a book within my reach in case I am not tired or during the day when he naps. It took some practice, however, but well worth it.
if he doesn't seem hungry, rock him or offer a pacifier. I "tricked" my baby into using a paci by holding her close and turning her towards me, but using my chest to hold the paci in her mouth. also try different shapes/brands pacifiers if he doesn't take to one.
Once we realized baby wasn't hungry, we suffered a week or two of long nights rocking baby to sleep, "training" her to sleep rather than expect a nursing session. At the time it was tough, but we just looked forward to the payoff of much better sleep for ALL afterwards...
