How to break the habit of nursing to sleep

[tuppance]

My LO will only be nursed to sleep. If he can't get his boob he screams down the house.

Does anyone know how to stop this so he can get to sleep without the boob?

Thank you xx

 

[cheese lover]

Is there a specific reason why you want him to stop nursing to sleep? It's a great way for him to fall asleep. My LO just started self-settling about a month ago. Now she'll go down drowsy and suck on her fingers until she's asleep.
He's a little young yet. My LO's pediatrician said to expect her to self-settle around 4 months. Keep trying periodically to get him to settle without nursing to complete sleep. He'll do it when he's ready.

 

[tuppance]

I don't want LO to self-settle, it's more be able to sleep by being rocked or sung to etc. It's primarily due to the fact if I had to go somewhere in an emergency someone else could soothe him (this happened the other day) instead of him just getting hysterical. Poor little munchkin.

 

[JASMAK]

Your baby is so young hon...I would wait. This is comfort for your LO, and if you are there, why make his scream? Breastfeeding is more than just food for babies..it is comfort, smell, love, affection, attention. Breastfed babies have lower heart rates than non-breastfed babies. You baby is screaming because he is feeling stress and discomfort. Babies can learn, through always getting the comfort that they need, that bedtime can be a comforting thing, and not stress...

 

[staceyp]

my dd is 12 weeks old i was feeding her to sleep but today im focusing on feed play sleep routine. so far so good i just walk around with her suggled in a blanket n she difts off (sometimesa she xried for a minute) shes feedin every 2 hours hope this helps x

 

[tuppance]

Jasmak - thanks for your reply! Thats why I would ideally like to soothe him in other ways. I had to go to the emergency dr last week so my mum looked after him, left him with a couple of bottles but apparently he just screamed and screamed (which is a horrible thought). I was just wondering if there were anyways of doing it without crying it out (I refuse to ever do this). Mainly focused on daytime naps x

Staceyp - thank you! Will definitely give it a bash (am willing to try most things at the moment!)

 

[eldar]

would you consider using a dummy?

I always thought they were awful things but after months of her only sleeping on the boob I tried it - she now settles to sleep sucking on the dummy while having a cuddle and my OH can do this too!

We only use it for sleep times though - and I realized that I was against dummys as I often saw people use them to shut a baby up for their convenience or saw toddlers talking with a dummy in their mouth!

 

[tuppance]

I tried giving him a dummy but he doesn't like it (I have only tried out two so far). He used to take one but then decided it didn't give milk so wasn't worth his while! Thank you for the suggestion

 

[Sooz]

Paige will always fall asleep in her carrier when tired, perhaps that could be an option if you need someone else to put LO down one night....they can wear him until her dozes off and then do a careful transfer?

 

[staceyp]

Jasmak - thanks for your reply! Thats why I would ideally like to soothe him in other ways. I had to go to the emergency dr last week so my mum looked after him, left him with a couple of bottles but apparently he just screamed and screamed (which is a horrible thought). I was just wondering if there were anyways of doing it without crying it out (I refuse to ever do this). Mainly focused on daytime naps x

Staceyp - thank you! Will definitely give it a bash (am willing to try most things at the moment!)

thats k.. hows it going? sometimes ive put my lo in a sling so i can get a few things done its worked wonders

 

[tuppance]

Thanks Sooz! My LO gets fidgety in his carrier after about five minutes as he tries to find my boob It might work for my OH though. I will demand that he does some baby carrying this weekend! Hope you and your LO are well xx

Staceyp - I have spent the past couple of days it feels rocking LO BUT! He has fallen asleep 3 times without latching on HOORAH! I swaddle him up and jiggle him around as soon as he gets his grizzle on (which is usually after about one and a half hours play time) and voilà, he sometimes sleeps! Thank yoooooou for the advice as it currently seems to be working

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Alex started to be soothed by other things around 3 months. He won't feed if he's tired so we had to resort to a variety of other means, lol! I prop him up and pat his back, rock in the glider, sit him up and bounce him on my knee while patting his back. DH even had to pace up and down the living room one night, lol. He will only nurse to sleep right at bed time and before his evening nap.

 

[staceyp]

Thanks Sooz! My LO gets fidgety in his carrier after about five minutes as he tries to find my boob It might work for my OH though. I will demand that he does some baby carrying this weekend! Hope you and your LO are well xx

Staceyp - I have spent the past couple of days it feels rocking LO BUT! He has fallen asleep 3 times without latching on HOORAH! I swaddle him up and jiggle him around as soon as he gets his grizzle on (which is usually after about one and a half hours play time) and voilà, he sometimes sleeps! Thank yoooooou for the advice as it currently seems to be working

lol same here! its working but its all i seem to do.. id rsther that though cos then other people can help out when im not here

 

[eddjanuary10]

I used to get the 'ohhh he will never learn to settle himself' talks as I was still feeding my son to sleep until 18months old! Well he is now 20months now and at 19months he just went into bed by himself one night, pulled the covers up around him and closed his eyes. He does this most nights now, sometimes if he is teething he likes milk until he is almost asleep but then he gives me a kiss and rolls away or just says 'finished'.

As your lo is only young I wouldn't worry about feeding to sleep. If I was going to stop feeding to sleep sooner I'd have probably done it around 6months when his routine was becoming more settled and he was more aware of night/day. You know your lo best x