bf to sleep

[lisacaton1980]

Hi my first wouldn't BF but lo is. Yay! Only problem is this is the only way to settle him. He won't nap during the day though or settle with anyone else. Any advice on how to get him to nap? He falls asleep feeding but wakes when moved. Thanks

 

[luna_19]

How old? This is very normal and one of the benefits of breastfeeding! Other caregivers will have to experiment with ways to settle him but you just have to pull out a boob, awesome! He won't bf to sleep forever, my lo nurses to sleep for naps but others can get him to sleep with walking, bouncing or rocking. At night he just nurses then we rock to sleep, he did that all on his own

 

[noon_child]

Yep with young babies it is very common to have them fall asleep feeding then wake not long after. There is a hormone which is produced by sucking that tells a baby to fall asleep (so that they don't waste too much energy and get a rest) but the levels of this hormone drop quite quickly in a newborn so they will wake about 20mins later or sometimes sooner for another feed (this ensures that they don't miss out on vital nutrition by sleeping too long). If you hold him rather than move him for about 20-25 minutes you'll know if he was just taking a rest from bf, or if he's taking a proper nap and you can move him without waking him at this point. Or transfer him to a carrier/wrap where he'll likely drop off again.