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Hi Nicole,

I have a 15 month old toddler. He sometimes sleeps through the night (every few days). When he wakes up, he needs me to breastfeed him back to sleep. I really want to wean him off breastfeeding.

I even decided to start weaning him a few days ago, and things started off well. I decided to breastfeed him for only 10 minutes once during the day away from sleep times, just so I don't get engorged. He only cried a bit when I refused to breastfeed him at night, and after about 10 minutes he went to sleep.

But on the second night, (two nights ago) I got no sleep. He's a bit sick with a cold at the moment (but then, with two toddlers at home and a school age girl, someone's always bringing home a mild cold or flu). Maybe he's teething, too. Even at his age, he only has two teeth.

Anyway, even the painkiller medicine wasn't working that night for him, because it was a shocker. So, last night, still feeling like a zombie, I gave up and breastfed him to sleep. But then he slept right through. Well, he woke up and cried two or three times but for less than a minute each time and resettled himself.

He woke up around 6am and I breastfed him again and he slept for another couple of hours.

I don't know whether to give up the weaning, or the sleep training, and wait till he's perfectly healthy. It just feels like every other week he has a mild something-or-other. He's a mostly healthy boy, it's just that night time seems to make a sniffle or a cough seem much worse.

What do you recommend?

(Nap times are usually pretty good – I would breastfeed him to settle him and he sleeps for about two hours during his one daily nap)