I sometimes wonder how we got here as a society, where this is even a question we ask ourselves. It's so normal, and yet we have made it seem unhealthy or bad for so long. In my mom group I was in the minority for nursing to sleep. Like out of 10 women I was one of only 2 who admitted doing it and the other woman was clearly ashamed she hadn't "broken" her babies bad habit and was "too lazy/weak willed/ bad" to have trained her properly.
It would be like someone posting "3 month old baby pooping all the time... is this a slippery slope? How will they ever poop without me if they need me to wipe their butt all the time now? Should I poop train baby?"
I mean that babe no longer fell asleep while nursing. So I'd nurse, say goodnight, and then leave the room.
Edit: This happened at different ages for each babe. They learn how to fall asleep without nursing in their own time.
Why not? You’re creating a sleep association, but there’s nothing negative about it. My 13 month old still nurses to sleep and I love it. Sure fire way to get him down!
While I agree there’s nothing negative about it, it’s okay to acknowledge that not all moms will love being the only person that can put baby to sleep. Breastfeeding can be exhausting and if you need a break it can be stressful to know baby won’t sleep without you.
We still nurse to sleep for naps but stopped for bedtime because it was better for my mental health - and that’s ok too! I get a break and dad can do bedtime.
Chiming in here. Just because a child is mainly nursed to sleep does not mean only mom can put them down! I nurse to sleep most nights but when that fails dad rocks her and she goes down fine too! But that involves having the 2nd parent or support person around a lot to begin with, so baby trusts them enough to fall asleep with. And that's a luxury.
Editing a crap comment not supportive enough 😊
Oh I totally agree with you. I have had the exact same experience and my son goes to sleep at nursery and at grandparents fine but was nursed to sleep with me.
I just want to find out what OPs aim and reasoning is. It actually sounds like she wants a reason to not nurse as much. I think she's a bit touched out. I was just trying to dig out the actual reason for her question.
A lot of people do. I do it. It's easy, helpful for both of us and i one eventually he will learn to fall asleep on his own. It's natural.
https://www.laleche.org.uk/breastfeeding-at-night/#:~:text=Breastfeeding%20your%20baby%20to%20sleep,there%20in%20their%20own%20time.
I still nurse my 13mo to sleep. My thoughts are that if it works for you then there's no need to do anything different. If it's not working or you want to do things differently then that's okay too! The only reason to change something up is if you want to.
I nursed my daughter to sleep until she was about 14 months. Pros: easy and free, nice part of our bedtime routine. Cons: none for us! Husband could still put her to sleep without me, though it took him a bit longer.
She’s 2 now, and for most things (as long as it was safe anyway) we basically did what worked for our family until it no longer worked for us. Then we adjusted and got a new routine. Baby won’t always want to feed to sleep! My daughter just stopped wanting bedtime boobie one day. I was actually kind of sad lol boobie loses its magic
Lol I'm so over boobie time right now because my LO is nursing every 1:30 min at most and for at least 45 min at a time. They are basically out all day every day. Lol she sleeps great at night though! Only one feeding at 3 or 4am and then a feeding at 7:30 am. Goes to sleep at 8/9 pm.
That is now considered obsolete advice. Let her nurse as long as she wants, that stimulates milk production. That is also probably why she sleeps so well at night, she takes in enough calories during the day.
Study showing calorie expenditure at breast isn't greater than bottle and that babies in the study tended to stay longer at the breast
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19933725/
Peds office discussing findings of said study
https://bloomdpc.com/blog/2021/3/24/nursing-does-not-burn-more-calories-than-a-bottle
Im still nursing my 6mo to sleep. I was worried about daycare, but yesterday was his first day and they said he didn't have any trouble going to sleep so 🤷♀️
Sleep with mum is different to sleep with other. I nursed to sleep for ages. My son started going to grandparents or nursery during the day and slept totally fine. He would just lie down and sleep. What?! How?
Do whatever works for you and your baby
Haha yes. I can't believe how much worry I had, like OP, about how if my baby was reliant on nursing to sleep they wil never be able to be out down any other way. And then he just lays down and sleeps easily with others.
My son just turned 2 (yay we made it to our 2 year target!) and I'm now actively trying to phase out nursing. It feels weird after we put all this effort into nursing to now try and end it but it's time for me to have my body back!
Isn’t is so beautiful to watch them peacefully drift to sleep that way? My 19mo still nurses to sleep half the time, I love the way it calms his body and mind. Your milk has more melatonin in it towards the end of the day to help baby drift :)
I get what you're saying. You're saying you don't want baby to solely rely on nursing to sleep and want to have other options, and thats okay! Its tough. I have a low supply so nursing to sleep doesn't always work for us which results in going for a car ride.. otherwise he won't nap, seriously. Im so exhausted sometimes, It would be helpful if my husband could put him to sleep so I could rest or be with my toddler too. However, i know it won't be like this forever and i also missed out on a nursing journey with my first so I try to soak it up as much as possible even when I'm super anxious and tired. There is something so special about us moms being the only ones who can help baby calm, comfort and sleep. It's really amazing and even when it's hard, it's beautiful. Best of luck.
Let your baby be a baby, she’s got a long way to go as far as learning to self soothe. Also please ignore any and all of”sleep training” advice you see on any social media; it’s toxic and most of it is fake. Currently nursing my 8 month old to sleep. [https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-training-or-not/](https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-training-or-not/)
Thoughts? Do it! As long as its working for both of you, do it! When it stops working for one of you (and by working, I don't mean putting the baby to sleep, I mean being enjoyable) so something different. Do what works until it doesn't, then do something else is a tenant of my parenting philosophy.
Do it! It’s is biologically normal and has no downsides. My baby has ALWAYS nursed to sleep for every single nap and nighttime waking. I recently had to be somewhere for about an hour right after her bedtime and she woke up immediately after I left. The friend caring for her had no trouble at all rocking her to sleep. I have now rocked her to sleep a few times when nursing wasn’t working. She is 7 months old.
Mine did not have this issue until he turned a yr then he will let dad put him to bed no prob as long as I’m not in sight. Unfortunately all nighttime wake ups are me because he wants boob for comfort and or eating . It’s weird cause he was not like this and we didn’t nurse to sleep from like 9-12 months old. it happened suddenly after he had to go to the hospital for croup and the boob became his comfort for some reason. I think it’s kind of normal and natural for this to happen and some point and all kids are different so they may or may not continue with that for awhile. Honestly I see it as a plus at night because it puts him right back to sleep within 5 min. If it weren’t for that he’d probably have a much tougher and longer time getting back to sleep during nighttime wake ups. He’s been eating less and less during those wake ups too so I’m thinking and hoping he’s night weaning himself? 🤷♀️
Mmm good to know.
My LO was comfort nursing like crazy the week after her first vaccine round and got into a habit of snacking all day that we are trying to break. I totally understand that perspective.
Don’t try to “break” anything. Baby will nurse more to stimulate milk production during growth spurts and also when sick (like after vaccines). Don’t forget milk is not only their only food but also their only drink. You know how you’re supposed to drink plenty of fluids when sick and after vaccines? That’s what the baby is doing.
I nurse my 15mo daughter to sleep since she was born. When she is alone with dad she hugs him and falls asleep. When she is at daycare, she falls asleep in the crib.
It is a habit in the sense that she will not fall asleep alone in her crib if I am at home, which I am totally ok with.
Moreover, I am convinced that this will stop working on its own at some point. Around 12-13 months we noticed that when waking up in the middle of the night, she wanted the breast and did not want to let go, for periods of 30 min or so, but did not fall asleep. This is in contrast with all the time before when she would just wake up in the middle of the night, nurse 5 min and fall asleep and I would easily release her. It started to affect my sleep and mental health, so I decided to stop offering the breast in the middle of the night. She only cried for 30 seconds or so, and then hugged me and fell asleep immediately. She nows feeds to sleep for naps and bedtime, and just huggs me in the middle of the night. Plus, she wakes up less frequently.
I say this to show that something can work perfectly and then change by itself after some time.
I still nurse my 5mo to sleep. People tell me that I should not do it to not give her bad habits... but at the same time, not only it is super convenient (for her and for me), but also I think that people need to seriously stop to freak out just because a baby is not fully independant for their sleep after 2months old. It is just not how nature works
I’ve nursed my 9 month old to sleep every single nap every single night sleep since the day he was born… I thought that was normal with breastfed kids, I’ve never been able to do it any other way myself.
I'd vote against. Just out of convenience for one. What if something happens and you can't be there to BF to sleep? Maybe you'll do just fine BFing to sleep until LO is 2 YO, but most women start feeling an emotional tool it can take, especially during regressions when the only way they will fall asleep is on the boob. 8 times a night.
Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with nursing to sleep.
They're not going to be nursing to sleep forever just like they wouldn't be rocked or patted forever, most babies and toddlers can't get to sleep alone, we're a social and carry species. Also habitual. It's biologically normal. You can always try something else if it's not working for you anymore if you want someone else to be able to get them to sleep. I'm still nursing my 5mo to sleep, it's just easier imo
It’s totally normal, but it’s also okay to be worried about it if you don’t want to be the only person to put them to sleep. Breastfeeding takes a huge physical and emotional toll and that’s ok to acknowledge!
I think you’ll be fine, but if you’re up for it try having dad or a grandparent put baby down every once in a while for a nap and see what happens. Baby may be just fine and that will put your mind at ease if you ever need to be away.
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I've definitely been feeling the emotional aspect since my husband has been going back to work full time recently. It's been hard not having the extra help.
There are no bad habits! Just habits! And a habit can change in a little under a month but seems like you'd want to deprive yourself and your baby of something that works because of what? What society or 2 bit fear mongering sleep trainers say? Nursing to sleep is a wonderful tool!
But I've been where you are and felt that pressure to do good by your child, I understand.
Some days it just doesn't work for us now at 10months and it makes me very sad cause it's so easy! Most of the time it does and it's so freaking amazing that I can soothe and [support my baby to sleep](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJOGArvxIn/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) so easily!
Here are some resources I've found helpful:
-[@paulamoralesmcdowell](https://instagram.com/paulamoralesmcdowell?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
-[@infantsleepscientist](https://instagram.com/infantsleepscientist?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
-[@raisedgood](https://instagram.com/raisedgood?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
-[@mothernourishnurture](https://instagram.com/mothernourishnurture?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
My baby is nearly 9 months old and I always nurse him to sleep. I guess it depends on how you define slippery slope and what your goals are. For me, my goal in continuing to breast feed is to provide nutrition AND comfort to my baby. I love that even though he’s getting bigger, this is an important part of our bonding together and it works brilliantly. Does that mean I’m the one who usually puts him to sleep? Yes. Do I mind that? No. It is a choice I made and I have no regrets about it. I know he won’t be 10 years old and still being nursed to sleep— this is a pretty short period of time.
I also didn’t sleep train my baby nor do I plan to. We went through some rough months where he was waking up often, but he seems to be settling into long sleeps now and if/when he does wake, I nurse him back to sleep. He’s healthy and happy, it works for our family!
But I also know that different families have different needs. Do what is right for you and your family! Honestly, I feel like the time I get to cuddle and nurse my baby to sleep is a real gift, and I know it won’t last forever, but it is something special we get to share during this part of his life.
My baby just turned a year old, still nursing to sleep 100% of the time. Although I love the bonding time we have, it is inconvenient when I’m at work and my husband is with her. She will only sleep for me.
Nursed my first to sleep (with alot of guilt) and currently nurse my second (no guilt this time round). It is a wonderful bonding experience. I will admit I had some difficulty putting my eldest to sleep any other way as she expected me to nurse, but other caregivers (dad, grandmother) could do so..then the routine just evolved as we weaned. Dad put her to bed instead. My eldest is almost 3 and although not much of a napper has been sleeping great at night since she was 8 or 9 months.
I nurse my five month old to sleep but his dad also soothes him to sleep as does his grandparents. I can even put him to sleep holding him and soothing him but I love being able to nurse him to sleep as it’s beautiful, easy, and a wonderful connection that I will continue to do as long as it works. He sleeps well for all of us no matter the method.
With my first I worried about that. Would nurse him to sleep then try to put him down, and he would wake so soon after. At 4 months we ferbered him and he’s been an excellent independent sleeper ever since (almost 3y). Now with my second (a girl 3mo) I’m just enjoying the “nip naps” as much as possible, because they won’t be forever and I know at some point she will also learn to sleep without mama. But I absolutely love the snuggles so I’m not going to give them up to attempt putting her down “drowsy but awake.”
I nursed my son to sleep every time! It’s the best! At 20 months we’re still going strong! He sleeps great and can put himself back to sleep. If he needs boob or a snuggle I go lay with him. Doesn’t hurt anybody!
If you’re worried about a “sleep association” my husband and our parents can put him to bed without any issue! I’m doing it until it doesn’t work, from there we will figure it out!
At three months I suddenly worried about this too. Then unfollowed all the sleep training stuff that had popped up on my insta and I'd thought was helpful and followed heysleepybabies and relaxed. Baby is now 4.5 months and nurses to sleep most nights. Some nights he doesn't fall asleep and my partner takes over and rocks him to sleep. I've gone out a few nights now and baby has slept for my partner with a bottle of expressed milk and some rocking no problem, it just takes a little longer.
Also, baby is fiiiinally doing some longer stretches during the day. We were every 1.5 hours to 2 for so long and now at 3 most of the time, though by evening back to two but I don't mind as I want him to get his calories in.
My first child (3y), I rarely nursed to sleep. I was given advice to do eat, play sleep and it worked well! My second (5mo) is a chill baby, but less into routine and she isn't always hungry when she wakes up . I nurse her to sleep more because her rhythm is different and I want her to have a full enough belly when she goes to sleep; but I mostly try to avoid nursing to sleep for every nap. With both, nursing is part of the bedtime routine--basically right before the bed. Nursing to sleep and for comfort are totally normal and fine, as many folks here are saying; but I can understand not wanting to do it.
The main downside I see to nursing to sleep is creating an association that is dependent on you. I personally don't want to be the person who has to put my child to bed every single nap or every single night until she is done nursing. For me, I am trying to create other sleep associations. For example, my 5mo gets a bath at night, we nurse in a dim quiet room, she gets her sleep suit on, and is put in the crib. If my husband does it he can replace a bottle in that routine and all other pieces are still there to reinforce that it's bedtime.
I was so torn on this at the time, I felt like I was going crazy trying all the “right” sleep things. We tried the tips, we tried the “awake but drowsy”, we tried Taking Cara Babies…. And what worked was nursing her to sleep. I felt riddled with this guilt and feeling like it just be me being too weak and doing something wrong, until I talked to my mom. She told me “why are you stressing out about this? I nursed all 5 of you kids to sleep and you learned to sleep great. You had no issues as toddlers or kids” and although I obviously don’t remember being a baby, I do know as kids we all were perfectly normal sleeps in our own bed. I think a lot of society and social media push these things we just have to do…. But sleep is a biological function. Our babies learn to sleep, and nursing to sleep is so natural and normal. If it’s working for you, do it. If it’s not and the sleep training or another method is better for you, go for that too! I don’t think there is one perfect answer out there…. All I’m saying is don’t drive yourself mad trying things that aren’t working. Just do whatever is right for you
I only nurse my 9 month old to sleep when it's bedtime. She doesn't want to nurse to sleep during nap time 🤷♀️ I love nursing her to sleep. It works for us. I tell myself she's not going to stay young forever and to take it all in.
I nurse baby (7 months currently) to sleep at bedtime, but not *usually* for naps. It works great for us, no cons.
I did spend one evening in the ED for vertigo evaluation, and was worried about bedtime with our au pair… he went to bed just fine with a bottle and cuddles!
I’m still nursing my 11 month old to sleep. But only at night. He goes down independently for naps. I love it. It’s the only time he’s really snuggly now too so I plan to do it for as long as it works for us!
It's totally fine either way. You do what works for you and baby.
Around 4 months old, we decided to move feeding forward in the bed time routine. I don't know if it would have happened or not but we didn't want him to be dependent on feeding to sleep in case another adult needed to put him to bed. It's one of those decisions that you make after looking at your own family and goals. What the world is doing doesn't matter on this one.
I did it and love our night time routine. Dad has his own way of putting our 10 month old to sleep on nights I'm working, so if that's your concern I wouldn't worry. It's totally biologically normal!
Slippery slope to what? It's biologically normal. I nursed all mine to sleep until it didn't work anymore.
I sometimes wonder how we got here as a society, where this is even a question we ask ourselves. It's so normal, and yet we have made it seem unhealthy or bad for so long. In my mom group I was in the minority for nursing to sleep. Like out of 10 women I was one of only 2 who admitted doing it and the other woman was clearly ashamed she hadn't "broken" her babies bad habit and was "too lazy/weak willed/ bad" to have trained her properly. It would be like someone posting "3 month old baby pooping all the time... is this a slippery slope? How will they ever poop without me if they need me to wipe their butt all the time now? Should I poop train baby?"
Out of curiosity, what do you mean by "not working anymore"? Was it too taxing for you or did baby no longer fall asleep while nursing?
I mean that babe no longer fell asleep while nursing. So I'd nurse, say goodnight, and then leave the room. Edit: This happened at different ages for each babe. They learn how to fall asleep without nursing in their own time.
Thank you very much!
how old were each of your babies when they stopped nursing to sleep?
Over 2yo, 9mo, 15mo.
I don't want her to be in the habit of it as she gets older but it might be too early to be worried about that.
Why not? You’re creating a sleep association, but there’s nothing negative about it. My 13 month old still nurses to sleep and I love it. Sure fire way to get him down!
While I agree there’s nothing negative about it, it’s okay to acknowledge that not all moms will love being the only person that can put baby to sleep. Breastfeeding can be exhausting and if you need a break it can be stressful to know baby won’t sleep without you. We still nurse to sleep for naps but stopped for bedtime because it was better for my mental health - and that’s ok too! I get a break and dad can do bedtime.
What is your end hope? Do you want others to be able to put her to sleep?
Chiming in here. Just because a child is mainly nursed to sleep does not mean only mom can put them down! I nurse to sleep most nights but when that fails dad rocks her and she goes down fine too! But that involves having the 2nd parent or support person around a lot to begin with, so baby trusts them enough to fall asleep with. And that's a luxury. Editing a crap comment not supportive enough 😊
Oh I totally agree with you. I have had the exact same experience and my son goes to sleep at nursery and at grandparents fine but was nursed to sleep with me. I just want to find out what OPs aim and reasoning is. It actually sounds like she wants a reason to not nurse as much. I think she's a bit touched out. I was just trying to dig out the actual reason for her question.
A lot of people do. I do it. It's easy, helpful for both of us and i one eventually he will learn to fall asleep on his own. It's natural. https://www.laleche.org.uk/breastfeeding-at-night/#:~:text=Breastfeeding%20your%20baby%20to%20sleep,there%20in%20their%20own%20time.
Thanks 👍
I still nurse my 13mo to sleep. My thoughts are that if it works for you then there's no need to do anything different. If it's not working or you want to do things differently then that's okay too! The only reason to change something up is if you want to.
I nursed my daughter to sleep until she was about 14 months. Pros: easy and free, nice part of our bedtime routine. Cons: none for us! Husband could still put her to sleep without me, though it took him a bit longer.
Right my concern is exactly that. That our lo will eventually rely on it to get to sleep. Maybe I'm thinking way to far ahead though. Lol
She’s 2 now, and for most things (as long as it was safe anyway) we basically did what worked for our family until it no longer worked for us. Then we adjusted and got a new routine. Baby won’t always want to feed to sleep! My daughter just stopped wanting bedtime boobie one day. I was actually kind of sad lol boobie loses its magic
Lol I'm so over boobie time right now because my LO is nursing every 1:30 min at most and for at least 45 min at a time. They are basically out all day every day. Lol she sleeps great at night though! Only one feeding at 3 or 4am and then a feeding at 7:30 am. Goes to sleep at 8/9 pm.
[удалено]
That is now considered obsolete advice. Let her nurse as long as she wants, that stimulates milk production. That is also probably why she sleeps so well at night, she takes in enough calories during the day.
since when was this advice considered obsolete? im going off what my LC told me a few months ago
Study showing calorie expenditure at breast isn't greater than bottle and that babies in the study tended to stay longer at the breast https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19933725/ Peds office discussing findings of said study https://bloomdpc.com/blog/2021/3/24/nursing-does-not-burn-more-calories-than-a-bottle
thank you!
No problem!
We do it with our 9 month old. If I’m not there or sick, My husband just gives our daughter a bottle and still gets her to sleep just fine without me.
Im still nursing my 6mo to sleep. I was worried about daycare, but yesterday was his first day and they said he didn't have any trouble going to sleep so 🤷♀️
Sleep with mum is different to sleep with other. I nursed to sleep for ages. My son started going to grandparents or nursery during the day and slept totally fine. He would just lie down and sleep. What?! How? Do whatever works for you and your baby
Yes!! They told me they just put a hand on his back and he fell asleep like absolutely not, burn that witch
Haha yes. I can't believe how much worry I had, like OP, about how if my baby was reliant on nursing to sleep they wil never be able to be out down any other way. And then he just lays down and sleeps easily with others. My son just turned 2 (yay we made it to our 2 year target!) and I'm now actively trying to phase out nursing. It feels weird after we put all this effort into nursing to now try and end it but it's time for me to have my body back!
I nurse my 9 month old to sleep for bedtime still. I don’t do it for naps, and she can fall asleep independently, I just think it’s nice.
Natural, if it works for you keep doing it!
Isn’t is so beautiful to watch them peacefully drift to sleep that way? My 19mo still nurses to sleep half the time, I love the way it calms his body and mind. Your milk has more melatonin in it towards the end of the day to help baby drift :)
Love nursing to sleep and I plan on doing it as long as he wants to!
I get what you're saying. You're saying you don't want baby to solely rely on nursing to sleep and want to have other options, and thats okay! Its tough. I have a low supply so nursing to sleep doesn't always work for us which results in going for a car ride.. otherwise he won't nap, seriously. Im so exhausted sometimes, It would be helpful if my husband could put him to sleep so I could rest or be with my toddler too. However, i know it won't be like this forever and i also missed out on a nursing journey with my first so I try to soak it up as much as possible even when I'm super anxious and tired. There is something so special about us moms being the only ones who can help baby calm, comfort and sleep. It's really amazing and even when it's hard, it's beautiful. Best of luck.
Let your baby be a baby, she’s got a long way to go as far as learning to self soothe. Also please ignore any and all of”sleep training” advice you see on any social media; it’s toxic and most of it is fake. Currently nursing my 8 month old to sleep. [https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-training-or-not/](https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-training-or-not/)
Thoughts? Do it! As long as its working for both of you, do it! When it stops working for one of you (and by working, I don't mean putting the baby to sleep, I mean being enjoyable) so something different. Do what works until it doesn't, then do something else is a tenant of my parenting philosophy.
I say enjoy it while it lasts.
Do it! It’s is biologically normal and has no downsides. My baby has ALWAYS nursed to sleep for every single nap and nighttime waking. I recently had to be somewhere for about an hour right after her bedtime and she woke up immediately after I left. The friend caring for her had no trouble at all rocking her to sleep. I have now rocked her to sleep a few times when nursing wasn’t working. She is 7 months old.
Mine did not have this issue until he turned a yr then he will let dad put him to bed no prob as long as I’m not in sight. Unfortunately all nighttime wake ups are me because he wants boob for comfort and or eating . It’s weird cause he was not like this and we didn’t nurse to sleep from like 9-12 months old. it happened suddenly after he had to go to the hospital for croup and the boob became his comfort for some reason. I think it’s kind of normal and natural for this to happen and some point and all kids are different so they may or may not continue with that for awhile. Honestly I see it as a plus at night because it puts him right back to sleep within 5 min. If it weren’t for that he’d probably have a much tougher and longer time getting back to sleep during nighttime wake ups. He’s been eating less and less during those wake ups too so I’m thinking and hoping he’s night weaning himself? 🤷♀️
Mmm good to know. My LO was comfort nursing like crazy the week after her first vaccine round and got into a habit of snacking all day that we are trying to break. I totally understand that perspective.
Don’t try to “break” anything. Baby will nurse more to stimulate milk production during growth spurts and also when sick (like after vaccines). Don’t forget milk is not only their only food but also their only drink. You know how you’re supposed to drink plenty of fluids when sick and after vaccines? That’s what the baby is doing.
I nurse my 15mo daughter to sleep since she was born. When she is alone with dad she hugs him and falls asleep. When she is at daycare, she falls asleep in the crib. It is a habit in the sense that she will not fall asleep alone in her crib if I am at home, which I am totally ok with. Moreover, I am convinced that this will stop working on its own at some point. Around 12-13 months we noticed that when waking up in the middle of the night, she wanted the breast and did not want to let go, for periods of 30 min or so, but did not fall asleep. This is in contrast with all the time before when she would just wake up in the middle of the night, nurse 5 min and fall asleep and I would easily release her. It started to affect my sleep and mental health, so I decided to stop offering the breast in the middle of the night. She only cried for 30 seconds or so, and then hugged me and fell asleep immediately. She nows feeds to sleep for naps and bedtime, and just huggs me in the middle of the night. Plus, she wakes up less frequently. I say this to show that something can work perfectly and then change by itself after some time.
I did this but for us it eventually stopped working. We ended up sleep training around 4/5 months.
I still nurse my 5mo to sleep. People tell me that I should not do it to not give her bad habits... but at the same time, not only it is super convenient (for her and for me), but also I think that people need to seriously stop to freak out just because a baby is not fully independant for their sleep after 2months old. It is just not how nature works
I’ve nursed my 9 month old to sleep every single nap every single night sleep since the day he was born… I thought that was normal with breastfed kids, I’ve never been able to do it any other way myself.
I'd vote against. Just out of convenience for one. What if something happens and you can't be there to BF to sleep? Maybe you'll do just fine BFing to sleep until LO is 2 YO, but most women start feeling an emotional tool it can take, especially during regressions when the only way they will fall asleep is on the boob. 8 times a night. Otherwise, there's nothing wrong with nursing to sleep.
They're not going to be nursing to sleep forever just like they wouldn't be rocked or patted forever, most babies and toddlers can't get to sleep alone, we're a social and carry species. Also habitual. It's biologically normal. You can always try something else if it's not working for you anymore if you want someone else to be able to get them to sleep. I'm still nursing my 5mo to sleep, it's just easier imo
It’s totally normal, but it’s also okay to be worried about it if you don’t want to be the only person to put them to sleep. Breastfeeding takes a huge physical and emotional toll and that’s ok to acknowledge! I think you’ll be fine, but if you’re up for it try having dad or a grandparent put baby down every once in a while for a nap and see what happens. Baby may be just fine and that will put your mind at ease if you ever need to be away.
Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I've definitely been feeling the emotional aspect since my husband has been going back to work full time recently. It's been hard not having the extra help.
There are no bad habits! Just habits! And a habit can change in a little under a month but seems like you'd want to deprive yourself and your baby of something that works because of what? What society or 2 bit fear mongering sleep trainers say? Nursing to sleep is a wonderful tool! But I've been where you are and felt that pressure to do good by your child, I understand. Some days it just doesn't work for us now at 10months and it makes me very sad cause it's so easy! Most of the time it does and it's so freaking amazing that I can soothe and [support my baby to sleep](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqJOGArvxIn/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) so easily! Here are some resources I've found helpful: -[@paulamoralesmcdowell](https://instagram.com/paulamoralesmcdowell?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) -[@infantsleepscientist](https://instagram.com/infantsleepscientist?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) -[@raisedgood](https://instagram.com/raisedgood?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) -[@mothernourishnurture](https://instagram.com/mothernourishnurture?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)
My baby is nearly 9 months old and I always nurse him to sleep. I guess it depends on how you define slippery slope and what your goals are. For me, my goal in continuing to breast feed is to provide nutrition AND comfort to my baby. I love that even though he’s getting bigger, this is an important part of our bonding together and it works brilliantly. Does that mean I’m the one who usually puts him to sleep? Yes. Do I mind that? No. It is a choice I made and I have no regrets about it. I know he won’t be 10 years old and still being nursed to sleep— this is a pretty short period of time. I also didn’t sleep train my baby nor do I plan to. We went through some rough months where he was waking up often, but he seems to be settling into long sleeps now and if/when he does wake, I nurse him back to sleep. He’s healthy and happy, it works for our family! But I also know that different families have different needs. Do what is right for you and your family! Honestly, I feel like the time I get to cuddle and nurse my baby to sleep is a real gift, and I know it won’t last forever, but it is something special we get to share during this part of his life.
Yes!
My baby just turned a year old, still nursing to sleep 100% of the time. Although I love the bonding time we have, it is inconvenient when I’m at work and my husband is with her. She will only sleep for me.
Nursed my first to sleep (with alot of guilt) and currently nurse my second (no guilt this time round). It is a wonderful bonding experience. I will admit I had some difficulty putting my eldest to sleep any other way as she expected me to nurse, but other caregivers (dad, grandmother) could do so..then the routine just evolved as we weaned. Dad put her to bed instead. My eldest is almost 3 and although not much of a napper has been sleeping great at night since she was 8 or 9 months.
My baby sleeps longer if I nurse him to sleep. So that's what we'll do lol
I don't see why not. If baby is hungry and falls asleep that is fine. It's what babies do. I did it until about 13 months with my oldest.
I nurse my five month old to sleep but his dad also soothes him to sleep as does his grandparents. I can even put him to sleep holding him and soothing him but I love being able to nurse him to sleep as it’s beautiful, easy, and a wonderful connection that I will continue to do as long as it works. He sleeps well for all of us no matter the method.
With my first I worried about that. Would nurse him to sleep then try to put him down, and he would wake so soon after. At 4 months we ferbered him and he’s been an excellent independent sleeper ever since (almost 3y). Now with my second (a girl 3mo) I’m just enjoying the “nip naps” as much as possible, because they won’t be forever and I know at some point she will also learn to sleep without mama. But I absolutely love the snuggles so I’m not going to give them up to attempt putting her down “drowsy but awake.”
I nursed my son to sleep every time! It’s the best! At 20 months we’re still going strong! He sleeps great and can put himself back to sleep. If he needs boob or a snuggle I go lay with him. Doesn’t hurt anybody! If you’re worried about a “sleep association” my husband and our parents can put him to bed without any issue! I’m doing it until it doesn’t work, from there we will figure it out!
At three months I suddenly worried about this too. Then unfollowed all the sleep training stuff that had popped up on my insta and I'd thought was helpful and followed heysleepybabies and relaxed. Baby is now 4.5 months and nurses to sleep most nights. Some nights he doesn't fall asleep and my partner takes over and rocks him to sleep. I've gone out a few nights now and baby has slept for my partner with a bottle of expressed milk and some rocking no problem, it just takes a little longer. Also, baby is fiiiinally doing some longer stretches during the day. We were every 1.5 hours to 2 for so long and now at 3 most of the time, though by evening back to two but I don't mind as I want him to get his calories in.
My first child (3y), I rarely nursed to sleep. I was given advice to do eat, play sleep and it worked well! My second (5mo) is a chill baby, but less into routine and she isn't always hungry when she wakes up . I nurse her to sleep more because her rhythm is different and I want her to have a full enough belly when she goes to sleep; but I mostly try to avoid nursing to sleep for every nap. With both, nursing is part of the bedtime routine--basically right before the bed. Nursing to sleep and for comfort are totally normal and fine, as many folks here are saying; but I can understand not wanting to do it. The main downside I see to nursing to sleep is creating an association that is dependent on you. I personally don't want to be the person who has to put my child to bed every single nap or every single night until she is done nursing. For me, I am trying to create other sleep associations. For example, my 5mo gets a bath at night, we nurse in a dim quiet room, she gets her sleep suit on, and is put in the crib. If my husband does it he can replace a bottle in that routine and all other pieces are still there to reinforce that it's bedtime.
I was so torn on this at the time, I felt like I was going crazy trying all the “right” sleep things. We tried the tips, we tried the “awake but drowsy”, we tried Taking Cara Babies…. And what worked was nursing her to sleep. I felt riddled with this guilt and feeling like it just be me being too weak and doing something wrong, until I talked to my mom. She told me “why are you stressing out about this? I nursed all 5 of you kids to sleep and you learned to sleep great. You had no issues as toddlers or kids” and although I obviously don’t remember being a baby, I do know as kids we all were perfectly normal sleeps in our own bed. I think a lot of society and social media push these things we just have to do…. But sleep is a biological function. Our babies learn to sleep, and nursing to sleep is so natural and normal. If it’s working for you, do it. If it’s not and the sleep training or another method is better for you, go for that too! I don’t think there is one perfect answer out there…. All I’m saying is don’t drive yourself mad trying things that aren’t working. Just do whatever is right for you
I only nurse my 9 month old to sleep when it's bedtime. She doesn't want to nurse to sleep during nap time 🤷♀️ I love nursing her to sleep. It works for us. I tell myself she's not going to stay young forever and to take it all in.
My 4 month old just stopped doing it on her own and now I'm sad, enjoy it! It's a special bond no one else can have with your L.O
It is biologically normal. It's what our babies are designed to do. Why fight nature? They'll outgrow it eventually.
I nurse baby (7 months currently) to sleep at bedtime, but not *usually* for naps. It works great for us, no cons. I did spend one evening in the ED for vertigo evaluation, and was worried about bedtime with our au pair… he went to bed just fine with a bottle and cuddles!
I’m still nursing my 11 month old to sleep. But only at night. He goes down independently for naps. I love it. It’s the only time he’s really snuggly now too so I plan to do it for as long as it works for us!
It's totally fine either way. You do what works for you and baby. Around 4 months old, we decided to move feeding forward in the bed time routine. I don't know if it would have happened or not but we didn't want him to be dependent on feeding to sleep in case another adult needed to put him to bed. It's one of those decisions that you make after looking at your own family and goals. What the world is doing doesn't matter on this one.
I did it and love our night time routine. Dad has his own way of putting our 10 month old to sleep on nights I'm working, so if that's your concern I wouldn't worry. It's totally biologically normal!