patrick963
New member
@allfree15 When you say she didnt want it anymore and stopped at 1 yr, did you stop breastfeeding overall or did you continue in the day?
How do I break feeding to sleep association?
- Thread starter allfree15
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jannikitty
New member
@allfree15 I feed my son to sleep until he just naturally stopped needing it. Every kid is different, but for us it never caused a problem and it worked great.
@jannikitty When did he stop needing it? What did that look like? Thank you
jannikitty
New member
@allfree15 Mostly it just stopped working. He would finish the bottle but still be awake, so I would rock him a bit more and then lay him down. He has always been pretty good about being able to fuss himself to sleep, so your mileage may vary there. He also moved away from needing the many naps that a newborn does to having two that were on more of a schedule, and as he ate more and more solid food and depended on the bottle less we were able to just rock a bit and then go down.
@jannikitty Perfect thank you 
@allfree15 My daughter would only feed to sleep. Used the boob for a year and a half then bottles after i was done breastfeeding. Then switched to those fruit pouches. She was a terrible sleeper so i was fine with whatever got her to sleep.
I'm saying feeding to sleep isn't the worst thing.
I'm saying feeding to sleep isn't the worst thing.
@madea1962 I don't want to cast shade on someone's parenting, but if you are using fruit pouches to get to sleep, I would strongly recommend 1, brushing/wiping the teeth asap once the baby is asleep, and 2, weaning from these ASAP, because the acid and sugar on the teeth immediately before sleep, especially delivered by the fruit pouch mouthpiece thing is an extremely destructive combination.
If you can switch the fruit pouch to before teeth brushing, that could work too if you are able to get a really thorough brush in. Ideally more than 30 min before brushing, so the acids have already dissipated a little.
If you can switch the fruit pouch to before teeth brushing, that could work too if you are able to get a really thorough brush in. Ideally more than 30 min before brushing, so the acids have already dissipated a little.
@madea1962 Thank you I really appreciate this 
treetreetop
New member
@allfree15 If it’s working for you, don’t change it. I nursed my son to sleep until he was 15 months old then weaned him (pregnancy). It’s okay! In fact it’s very normal
confused_guy
New member
@treetreetop Same situation here! I will even add, the nursing to sleep association HELPED us during regressions/developmental leaps. Kiddo is currently 24 months and going through a developmental leap and man, sometimes I wish I could still nurse her in the middle of the night lol
@allfree15 I feel you. Drowsy but awake definitely did not work for our baby (it doesn't for a lot - so don't feel bad!) I also was not capable of any kind of CIO / gentle sleep training. The 4 month regression is also when I started nursing to sleep. Similar to a lot of the comments already made, you really only have to stop if it's not working for you! Now, at 13 months, even though I've changed nothing on my side, I'd say it's about 50/50 whether my baby falls asleep at the boob. Half the time he finishes nursing and then just chats a little bit or watches me before he falls asleep just snuggling.
Feeding to sleep is not going to ruin your baby. Do what you've gotta do to get through this! The boob is a powerful tool
Feeding to sleep is not going to ruin your baby. Do what you've gotta do to get through this! The boob is a powerful tool
@allfree15 Of course!! I also just saw your comment asking if nursing to sleep gets easier. It does. He probably just needs a little practice. My baby used to wake up when I unlatched him, but eventually we got into a groove and he no longer does. Every now and then, when I pop him off, he stays asleep, but goes searching for the boob again so I’ll try again after another minutes and he goes down easily. It’s no different than if he just needing a bit more snuggling!
@allfree15 I get it. The nights can be really rough. It does get better!
So usually I nurse til he falls asleep, give him a few minutes to settle into a deeper sleep, unlatch, I hold him a few more minutes, then I pop him in the crib.
So usually I nurse til he falls asleep, give him a few minutes to settle into a deeper sleep, unlatch, I hold him a few more minutes, then I pop him in the crib.
@allfree15 Good luck!!
earthenware
New member
@allfree15 My LO is 3 months old and while I don’t know what the 4 month sleep regression is like yet, I am here to tell you that you are not creating any bad habits by feeding your baby to sleep.
I was told when my LO was a newborn that I was creating a bad habit and it made me feel like a terrible mother. But that simply isn’t true. I’m a good mother and my baby relies on me to comfort her and nurture her. Feeding to sleep is what works for us and I will do it until she needs me to stop.
As someone else said, you don’t see teenagers needing to be fed to sleep. Do what works for you and your baby. You are doing an amazing job.
I was told when my LO was a newborn that I was creating a bad habit and it made me feel like a terrible mother. But that simply isn’t true. I’m a good mother and my baby relies on me to comfort her and nurture her. Feeding to sleep is what works for us and I will do it until she needs me to stop.
As someone else said, you don’t see teenagers needing to be fed to sleep. Do what works for you and your baby. You are doing an amazing job.