Night wean or ENT first?
My 22 month old son has been EBF and co-sleeps with me. He has never slept through the night and wakes every 1–2 hours, typically needing to nurse to connect his sleep cycles. I completed 39 days of night weaning and he was able to be rocked back to sleep instead of nursing, but he still woke just as frequently throughout the night. We eventually went back to nursing after he got a stomach bug because it felt easier and I also wanted him getting the extra comfort and nutrients while he was sick.
At this point, I’m wondering if there could be something more going on medically and if I should make an appointment with an ENT. His dentist said his tonsils and adenoids appear normal, although he also mentioned that adenoids can fluctuate day to day.
Some things that concern me: • He mouth breathes during sleep about 85% of the time, and when he does, his tongue rests low in his mouth. • He occasionally snores. • His head sweats excessively during sleep on probably 60% of nights. • His pediatrician mentioned that he has smaller ear canals, and he sometimes pulls at his ears, although he has never had an ear infection. • When he wakes during the night, it’s sometimes almost like a full-body jolt or startle. • Overall, he just seems extremely restless while sleeping, almost like he struggles to get into a deep, restful sleep.
I guess what I’m trying to figure out is whether this sounds like it could be an underlying issue affecting his sleep and worth pursuing with an ENT, or if this still sounds more like a nursing/sleep association issue that would improve with fully night weaning.