Edit: Sorry, this is super long. Thank you so much to anybody who reads.My son has always been challenging in almost every way. He hates to be put down (but paradoxically also hates to be held...?), goes from 0 to SCREAMING at the drop of a hat, fussy eater, fussy about everything, not a good sleeper, etc. etc.. I had problems breastfeeding him, so he's been on formula since about 4 months old. He was a major bottle addict, and it's gotten to the point now where a bottle is often the only thing that can settle him (this is my fault for ingraining a bad habit, I know). He doesn't have bottles throughout the day now, just one before bed and one in the night/morning.I want to night wean him. Through lots of screaming and sleep training I've gotten him down to one bottle a night, in the wee hours of the morning. I tried to gradually eliminate this bottle by decreasing the volume and pushing it later and later, until it was basically gone. Eventually we totally got rid of the bottle completely, and that resulted in a week of him waking up at 4:30 - 5:30 in the morning and screaming his head off. It woke up our 2 year old, my husband and I were EXHAUSTED (we both get up at 6 to work). Like we were actually zombies. After a week of all 4 of us sitting around the living room awake and miserable at 5 in the morning, I threw in the towel. Both my baby and my 2 year old were exhausted and miserable.Now I'm getting up with him at 5ish (or whenever he wakes up), giving him a bottle and putting him back down. I would be okay with this (I did this with my now 2 year old, except breastfeeding, for a long time), except with this little guy it is totally unsustainable. Without fail, the one bottle at 5 creeps earlier and earlier. Then it become 2 wake ups. Then 3. This is why I feel so determined to totally night wean him.I just don't know what to do. This morning he woke up 4:30, we checked him to make sure he was okay (not wet or sick or anything). We tried to settle him (rocking, soothing, offering water, seriously NOTHING works). So we left him. He screamed for a friggen hour. We finally got up with him around 5:30, took him out of the room to get up with him for the day, he was still screaming. We gave him a bottle, he took literally 3 sips, stopped screaming and was happy. Then went down for a nap at like 6:30 in the morning. I know what I'm doing is wrong (letting him scream only to end up getting him up anyway), but I seriously don't know what to do. Co-sleeping would not be an option with this baby, he really does not like to cuddle.Any advice is greatly appreciated.I do want to add that I really don't like letting my baby cry, it's awful, and basically the reason I waited until he was so old to do any sleep training. But giving him a bottle is truly the only thing that settles him, so I don't know what else to do, I have tried everything I can think of.Did I just not stick out the morning-screaming long enough? Should it take more than a week?Should I just get up with him for the day when he wakes up (at 4:30 in the morning...)?Am I making a mistake night weaning? Should I get up and give him a bottle every time he wants one?Is there a way to "force" co-sleeping on a baby who doesn't cuddle or lay still next to you?Anything!?!?! via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2kbBs9l
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