Is nursing to sleep a bad idea?

[staralfur]

My LO was very reliant on boob to fall asleep, so when she was a bit older (around 10 months) I tried to dissociate boob from sleep. But what I learned very quickly was that not feeding her to sleep didn't teach her to self-settle. I just had to replace nursing with something else (like rocking or sitting beside her and rubbing her back). I think some babies require assistance falling asleep for longer than others. My LO still doesn't self-settle when first falling asleep, but she does throughout the night. Nursing is the easiest and fastest way to get her to sleep and it always has been.

 

[Skittleblue]

My LO has nursed to sleep since we came home from the hospital, and my whole family has had me worried about "self soothing" since she was very small. She's 12 months old now, and we still nurse to sleep and then cosleep through through the night. I don't worry anymore. In the past month, she's started nursing at night, and then pushing herself off, rolling over, and going to sleep. She doesn't do it every night, but a couple of times a week, and this week, 3 times. She sleeps through the night, and then wakes up around 6:30 looking for boob. I can live with this, and I think she's making that transition on her own time. In the mean time, there are no tears. I get that this isn't the right choice for every family, but I don't regret for a second doing it this way.

 

[Pink Petals]

Your LO will still learn to self settle in her own time. I mean, how many forty year olds still need mama's boob to fall asleep? None, I hope!

 

[seaweed eater]

The problems don't have to do with what LO will be doing at age 40 or with dissociating from nursing just for the sake of "independent sleep." Some babies who rely on nursing in order to sleep eventually need to nurse many times a night in order to transition from one sleep cycle to another. That can be very exhausting for both baby and mother. Yes, children grow out of it, but in the meantime it can be difficult to cope. YOU WILL KNOW if nursing to sleep has created a problematic situation for you. If both you and baby are sleeping well enough then there's no problem

 

[MummyKK]

I did this with my daughter and am now doing the same with my son!

I can see why people think its a bad idea but at the end of the day you do what works for u and ur baby at the time. Ive learnt that everything is temporary. My daughter is now 2 and happily goes to sleep alone after a story. It will pass and your baby will be able to self soothe when they r old enough too.

I also stressed about this at the time and now wish i hadnt. Its easy and it works so make the most of it.😊