For those who feed their baby to sleep...

[cat81]

How can you ever leave them overnight - or can you not?

I have always breastfed LO to sleep and he is now totally reliant on this to get him to go down at night. Also, if he wakes up, I usually just feed him to get him back to sleep - although he will usually sleep through now.

I have never not been there at bedtime or left him overnight but on July 2nd, my husband and I have concert tickets and I really want to go out. I will need to leave at about 2pm and the plan is for my mum to have LO. I am really worried about how she will get him to go to bed at night.

Has anyone been in my situation and left LO with someone else at bedtime or been away overnight. Am I overreacting? Will they cope or is my mum going to have LO screaming all night because he refuses to go to sleep without mummy's boob?

 

[kerrie24]

As he isnt a tiny baby he doesnt need the boob for that one night,he is just used to having it.Your mum might find it easy to settle him as you are not there he will not expect it.
Even if he doesnt settle im sure she can put up with it as a one-off.
Dont worry,have a good time.

 

[aliss]

I would try letting your OH feed him an expressed bottle a few times before then (before bed) to give a try. I tried to let OH's dad put him down for a nap and oooohhh boy it didn't work, LOL.

 

[cat81]

I would try letting your OH feed him an expressed bottle a few times before then (before bed) to give a try.

Thanks ladies, we will give this a go. He hasn't taken a bottle since he was really tiny though so not sure how it will go down. He may drink from a beaker. It's not really the food part I am worried about though. He eats 3 meals a day so wont starve to death if he misses his milk for one night. It is more the fact that he associates breastfeeding with going to sleep. He's the same for his naps.

It's totally my own fault - I probably shouldn't have let him do this for so long.

 

[Peardrop]

Would you like to change the feeding to sleep? If so, then you have nearly a month to change the sleep cues. If not (and I'm not saying you should, it's your choice) then can your Mum be part of some of his nap and bedtime routines so he gets used to her putting him down - maybe she sits with you and takes him when he is asleep and puts him in his cot, for example so he gets used to it so when the day arrives it's less if a big deal for all of you?

 

[cabaretmum2b]

I still feed Scarlett to sleep every night and for her naps, but if I'm not there she goes to sleep fine without, with my mum, OHs parents and OH. If I am there, she won't sleep without boob, but if she knows she can't have it, she doesn't get upset about it. I'm sure your LO will be fine

 

[cat81]

Peardrop - I think that I would like to change this. Part of me loves it and doesn't want to let go just yet but it would certainly make life easier. I really like your ideas and will definitely try it - probably with OH first.

Caberetmum2b - thanks for the reassurance. That's really good to hear.

 

[bky]

I also feed/fed mine to sleep. I say fed as we've day weaned recently (for various reasons) and I can now (mostly-still have the odd difficult day) rock her to sleep without the boob. Night times are still feed to sleep/ partial co-sleeping affairs because frankly it's easier for me, I get more sleep and she gets more sleep. Even though I'm sad about other aspects of day weaning I'm glad I don't have to lie down with her and then sneak away for every nap.

ETA: She's also been in nursery since 4 months and they manage to get her to sleep. It was mainly that she had different rules for what I could do with her

 

[sugartush08]

I feed to sleep and this past saturday my parents had him for his bedtime. Iwas worried about the same thing. He did go down but it was later then his normal time because he was putting up a fight but the point of the matter is he did go down without the boob. So go out and enjoy yourself for an evening!! You deserve it!!

 

[Seity]

I have always fed Gabriel to sleep. The few times I couldn't be home, my OH gave him a bottle and he was just fine with that.
I would try having your OH put him to bed with a bottle one night while you're nowhere around and see how it goes.

 

[Parkep]

And dont forget your mom has done this before too, and if it is difficult for your mom I am sure she will figure a way to get your LO to sleep I always worried with my mom, and she always figured her own way to do

 

[MrsVenn]

Molly has always been fed to sleep by us but if she stated with my mum, she never needed to and madam would just go down on her own. Funny thing that! Anyway last week she just stopped falling asleep when being fed and now self settles so don't worry, it'll come in time for you.

 

[hb1]

I went to a gig in Leeds on Friday and in preparation I had expressed loads and OH had had goes of feeding him and putting to bed so was all good. Ollie wouldn't drop off on the bottle but a good feed followed by a little walk around for 2 mins and he was off.

When we were already in Leeds my mum said he wouldn't take the bottle off her - was all ready to come straight home but my mum worked it out - he wouldn't take it while being held but while sat in his car seat - he then fell right off to sleep - all be it in his car seat. I got back to my mums at 1am and stayed with Ollie - got him in to his cot and all was good ( except the room being too hot but that's another story ). I had to remember - she has done this baby lark 3 times !!

Def go - I did and despite the worry did enjoy it.

ps don't forget to take a manual pump with you!!

hx

 

[Cat lady]

Molly has always been fed to sleep by us but if she stated with my mum, she never needed to and madam would just go down on her own. Funny thing that! Anyway last week she just stopped falling asleep when being fed and now self settles so don't worry, it'll come in time for you.

I am praying this happens to us!
I still feed Thomas to sleep at night. Sometimes in the day too, but he does go down with his childminder and dh too by himself.
I am sure it will be fine hun. Have a fab evening!
xxx

 

[MrsVenn]

^^I think they all get there in their own time and they always play mummy!

 

[Cat lady]

I am sure he will get there in his own time, he still wakes at night too, in between 3 - 10 times a night! But he will do it when he is ready! Can be really tiring though when I have work the next day.
xxx

 

[MrsVenn]

It'll get easier for sure, my mum tells me regularly that I used to go to bed at 7pm but wake at 11, 2, 5 in the night until I was about 3 I wasn't a good sleeper but did do it eventually myself, she just used to go to bed at about 8pm hehe.

 

[cat81]

Thanks everyone. I feel much better about this now. It is interesting how many of our cheeky little monkeys will go down for other people but insist on being fed to sleep by Mummy!

As many of you said, my mum has done this before. Although, apparently I was the baby from hell and never slept at all until I was about 3 lol. I guess whatever LO does, he can't be worse than that!

 

[MrsVenn]

^^ my mum says that same and thinks Molly is an ANGEL in comparison. Yeah, Mummy always gets the short stick Enjoy yourself!