16 month old and (no) sleep

My daughter is, at this moment, nursing while holding her cup. If that isn't symbolic of this transitional period, I don't know what is. Ha!

Those who have been reading this blog for a while probably know that my daughter has never been a good  sleeper...well, she still isn't. She still wakes 3+ times each night and while she DOES now get 2 naps a day, usually, one is about 10 minutes long at 11am and the other is about 20-30 minutes long around 4pm.

At night, she almost always wakes 2-3 times before my husband and I go to bed, so that's from about 7pm - 11pm. Once we go to bed, she's up at LEAST 2 more times. I won't lie and say I always take this all in a stride, because I don't. Some nights are harder than others, but honestly my concern isn't for myself. I worry for her. I mean....shouldn't she be sleeping more than this?

I KNOW that one day she will fall asleep on her own, in her own bed, and sleep all night long. I know it will eventually happen, but is she okay until then?

I am leaning toward wanting to wean her of her night time nursing sessions. I know she doesn't need them anymore. I nurse her as much for myself as for her, because I can just go back to sleep. However, I want her to be able to fall asleep on her own, not with my nipple in her mouth every time. I don't usually read tips for sleep and such, but I decided to do some reading this morning and I found a great article with gentle advice and thought I'd share.

Aha! Parenting: 16 month old & sleep

I'm planning to try a few of the techniques, especially the pressure point idea. Hopefully it'll help. K does a good job, for the most part, of falling asleep on her own with me lying next to her.