Sleeping issues

Jalima, why didn't she leave a bottle or sippy cup, well, I don't know, the child is now in her late 30s and probably can't remember and my friend is dead so I can't ask her. But I'd imagine it was so it didn't leak out and wet the bed, and TBH if I wake up in the night I need the light on so I can find things, maybe the little girl just couldn't find a bottle in the dark. All I was saying is that it's not true that if you just give water you stop the child waking up and it's not always hunger why children wake.
I think that you can't equate breastfeeding for comfort and comfort eating, it is very different, breastfeeding is a relationship, not just food, it's not a substitute for a good relationship which often comfort eating is. Babes who wean naturally don't often need dummies or suck their thumb, some children I've known have sucked their thumb for years, and a friend's daughter was still taking dummies to bed when she was 11+. Lots of them so she could always find one. Dummies are just breast substitutes after all.
Why is it strange that children like to sleep with their parents, many adults prefer sleeping with a partner to solo sleeping. As I said it doesn't need to be all or nothing, there are lots of ways parents manage night times

Thank you everyone.
Buffybee, your point about what they actually want is thought provoking. Maybe they just need a moan at the moment, and I'm doing the classic 'lets fix it' rather than simply allowing them to vent.
The venting is one thing, their actions are practically the opposite. I honestly don't know.
I think the best way forward is to keep listening, and if asked, offer some straightforward thoughts, ideas.
Becoming a Grandma is a steep learning curve

Maybe, just agree with them that is is very hard but that it won't last for ever!

Jalima1108 ebf usually means more than 2 years. For me, it wasn’t as exhausting as the other way seemed to be and what you call being a slave is what I call being a mum I just have a different attitude to it and didn’t mind at all. But I know for some mums it’s a big intrusion and they do mind so they do it their way and that is fine also.

I breast fed all 5 of our kids. The youngest breast fed till his 3rd birthday. One gave up himself at 14 months and the other 3 were all about 2 ish. We played musical beds for ages. Our bed would fill up over the night with kids and when it was too full we would go and sleep in one of their beds. We would sleep in several beds in the course of the night. Mad days but happy contented kids .

What a brilliant Mum you are mumofmadboys, I hope that your post reassures the OP.

Sorry! And you too Kisathecat!

maybe the little girl just couldn't find a bottle in the dark.
Some of mine wanted a nightlight, one did not; just a dim light.
We used to leave a landing light on anyway because sometimes they'd want to go to the loo in the night (and one always woke me to tell me that he'd 'been'!).

The one waking you up to tell you that he'd 'been' made me smile Jalima.

I used to just murmur 'lovely, well done, night night'! I can smile about it now!