lionheartiv
New member
@earthenware Ok maybe I’m just being pedantic but I can’t sleep on an empty stomach, I totally feed to sleep as a full grown adult. My four year old can’t sleep without a glass of milk either 
How do I break feeding to sleep association?
- Thread starter allfree15
- Start date
earthenware
New member
@lionheartiv Look, I absolutely need to be full before bed as well haha. I guess I worded it wrong - no teenager is going to be at the breast/bottle to go to sleep. 
lionheartiv
New member
@earthenware I think I just wanted to point out how unrealistic some people are with their babies when fully grown adults can’t even do the same 
@earthenware Thank you, so are you 
@allfree15 Feed both my kids to sleep, they both grew out of it on their own and are fantastic sleepers. The sleep training industry breeds unnecessary anxiety about this
@allfree15 I built a strong bedtime routine that ended in nursing to sleep, then switched around the order at some point (maybe 6 months or so) so that nursing wasn’t last anymore but singing and cuddling was.
elizabeda777
New member
@allfree15 I kept thinking “ok, if it’s this bad next week, I’ll break the feeding to sleep association”
Our sleep progression has definitely NOT been linear. But I feed to sleep still at 9 months. I know he CAN sleep for 7 hours because he does it from time to time.
With my first she didn’t feed to sleep (she didn’t like breastfeeding), and it was much harder having to rock her etc.
If it’s a problem for you, then gradual withdrawal is supposed to work. Feed to drowsy then settle to sleep in your arms. Then feed but not to drowsy, and settle in your arms, or the cot. Find a variation that works for you.
But honestly, what has helped me second time, is knowing that it will get better, but it will be a roller coaster to get there! So I enjoy the good nights, but I don’t expect them. Then I’m not disappointed. And honestly, being able to feed to sleep can be really, really useful!
Our sleep progression has definitely NOT been linear. But I feed to sleep still at 9 months. I know he CAN sleep for 7 hours because he does it from time to time.
With my first she didn’t feed to sleep (she didn’t like breastfeeding), and it was much harder having to rock her etc.
If it’s a problem for you, then gradual withdrawal is supposed to work. Feed to drowsy then settle to sleep in your arms. Then feed but not to drowsy, and settle in your arms, or the cot. Find a variation that works for you.
But honestly, what has helped me second time, is knowing that it will get better, but it will be a roller coaster to get there! So I enjoy the good nights, but I don’t expect them. Then I’m not disappointed. And honestly, being able to feed to sleep can be really, really useful!
@elizabeda777 Thank you
@allfree15 Yeah I mean I’m preemptively anxious about this for my second and he’s only 2.5 months, so I totally get it! We ended up doing Ferber with our first around 9 months just because he got to waking up like every hour, which was painful… but he fell asleep in less than 20 minutes the first night and was falling asleep (or at least not crying) as soon as we put him down and left the room in less than a week and sleeping 7-7. I think someone else here said it well when they said there’s no straight lines or whatever, but you’re definitely not throwing away your chance for good future sleep by doing what works now!
@allfree15 I don’t completely remember, but he was a lot older than yours is now! I’m pretty sure we didn’t pick him up, though. They change so fast.
justifiablerebel
New member
@allfree15 I nursed all 3 of my children to sleep (currently only 2.5 months in with the 3rd). They all broke the habit when they were ready. My first nursed to sleep for awhile but slept through the night at around 6 months. My second didn’t sleep through the night until a year old but would stop nursing before she fell asleep and just want to cuddle for a little and be put down awake
justifiablerebel
New member
I don’t think it’s necessarily something you have to stop doing if you don’t want to. They will eventually stop on their own.
@justifiablerebel Thank you I really appreciate this
patrick963
New member
@justifiablerebel Did you night wean at all? Mine is 10.5 months, feed to sleep, and wakes 2x in the night so im still feeding her. Im fine with feeding to sleep but i need her to sleep through the night before 18 months and idk the best way to achieve that.
justifiablerebel
New member
@patrick963 The middle one who didn’t sleep through the night until she was one only woke up once a night… I let her do that until she just stopped on her own. My oldest, if she woke before a certain time (let’s Say 2am) my husband would go in and try to rock her back to sleep. If she woke after that time I would go in and nurse her. I also work night shift so I think that once I went back to work my babies kind of got the idea that they wouldn’t always be nursed back to sleep so I think that helped. I always recommend the partner going in to soothe baby if possible, once the baby smells moms milk they go crazy lol
patrick963
New member
@justifiablerebel Thanks so much for your response! We actually just started trying to do this - husband goes in before 2am, after that I will feed her - but haven't been sticking to it consistently (husband works days and I'm off work so I let him sleep...) Your support has reassured me to keep at it 
Thanks so much! It's so challenging not having anyone to talk to about it for help. Family and friends all used cried it out and/or didn't breast feed...all alone over here! Did you continue to breast feed during the day? And did they continue to sleep through the night?
Thanks so much! It's so challenging not having anyone to talk to about it for help. Family and friends all used cried it out and/or didn't breast feed...all alone over here! Did you continue to breast feed during the day? And did they continue to sleep through the night?