Confused about last feed of the night (bit long sorry)

[punk_pig]

Background: I started giving my LO a bottle last thing at night as a way of consolidating the annoying top-ups my HV asked me to give LO and allowing me not to have to sit in the dark for an hour or more while she fed off the breast. Since then she learned how to latch better and became a quicker feeder but I continued with the bottle as it allowed my OH to take over and I thought would allow someone to babysit. It never quite worked out that way as she usually demanded boobie after the bottle. Sometimes just to comfort suck to sleep, sometimes through genuine hunger. Since starting solids I have reduced the size of this bottle and sometimes she drains it and I offer boobie, sometimes she leave some in the bottle so I don't offer boob and just rock/shhh her to sleep.

My Question: I wanted to remove the bottle altogether as formula is an added expense and as she was demanding boob anyway it seemed a bit pointless. However I also want to break my LO's reliance on boob to fall asleep, and the bottle has been helping with this. My question is to all those who breastfeed children of 10mnths + "How do you breastfeed last thing at night without allowing LO to transistion to comfort sucking and falling asleep on the breast??"

BTW: I feed formula rather than EBM because 1) after months of pumping after everyfeed etc I was bloody sick of it 2) I started not being able to pump more than 2oz which wouldn't be enough so I'd have to pump multiple times to get one feed - just not practical 3) My milk tastes sour VERY quickly - I've never got to it quickly enough to taste it sweet - which LO didn't used to mind but since getting used to formula top ups and being exposed to more flavours through solids she is a bit more fussy about it.

 

[Nervous_1]

My LO liked to fall asleep on the breast despite the last feed being a bottle too. I found that gently stroking his cheek helped to relax him and send him off to sleep before the comfort sucking started. Failing that, I lie him down and play lullabies to him

 

[punk_pig]

No-one else have advice with this? I don't even know when LO's don't need a feed last thing at night. My HV said if I was bottle feeding they'd encourage transitioning to a cup at around 1yr so that teeth could be cleaned afterwards etc. but feeding is a big part of relaxing my LO in the dark ready for sleep. I cant imagine getting up and cleaning teeth afterwards - doesnt sound relaxing!

 

[cutie4evr01]

when my LO was about 5/6 months, we wanted to break her of the nursing to sleep habit, so we swapped her routine a bit so that her last feed came before her story, and we did that feed with the lights on. So she'd feed in the light, then we'd read a few stories, then put her to bed. We continued this routine until she was 1, and then when we switched from BF to cow's milk, we moved that milk feed earlier and earlier until it was with dinner and her bedtime routine had no milk at all by about 14 months.

 

[punk_pig]

Thanks for that. I've been trying to have the last part of her routine in near darkness as suggested by the no cry sleep solution but honestly this child finds nothing relaxing! At 6mnths we finally were able to put bath time in the routine as she no longer hated it but books are still a no go as she loves them so much she gets totally wired and excited her whole body trembles! The only thing we have milk and cuddles which is especially needed as getting in to nightwear and eczema cream etc usually involves tears!

 

[Elmo5]

In my opinion it is perfectly natural for a child to want to nurse to sleep, they will grow out of it when they are ready.

Breastfeeding does no harm to teeth, it is not like formula.