it can seem such a tie - feeding to sleep. If you want to stop it you need to break the habit, gently, and replace it with something else. It requires patience. But it might be cuddling, lying with your child, or a book and drink of wanter before bed.
However, remember, many mothers of breastfeeding toddlers feel they have a true gift - the power to put a grumpy and tantruming toddler to sleep in 10 sucks - then you can get on with your life. It's not to be taken lightly!
Elizabeth Pantley has a "No Cry Nap solution" book you might find useful
i fed both my boys to sleep for every single sleep too and they did eventually give it up themselves (i never believed thay actually would at the time, but they did)! i found it the easiest option at the time, and like barb says, it is a special gift that many of my other friends didn't have.
FWIW the ONLY Feeds DD has now are her nap time ones. I have thought many many times that she should be over it by now but its really her only "vice".
Admittedly its getting harder because she is getting heavy to lift as I get up from my rocking chair and get her into her cot and there are a few nights she she just won't go to sleep on the boob so I put her in her cot face down and just pat and rub her back until she falls asleep - usually within 10 mins but theats never without a screaming battle from her.
There have been the very very few nights when she has come off the boob and I have just left her head on my chest and continued to rock her which is really really lovely but then its the same lifting issue.
Either she'll stop BF to sleep in her own time or my back will break in the process
Nae x
Maybe you could try feeding until he is sleepy then take boob off him and rock or something? is he a dummy sucker? DD empties a breast in minutes the rest is comfort sucking so if he likes a dummy (DD doesn't) when he gets to that sleep stage you could slip the dummy in?
DS was fed to sleep right up til I weaned him at almost 2. The second I weaned him, out went the day sleeps!!!
He had started to crash out on the floor at nights without it by then though
I still feed DD to sleep at 26 months. It is quick, easy and works every time. She CAN go to sleep for DH, but if I'm around, boobs are it.
That being said, from about 18 months I started feeding her for about 5-10 minutes and then getting her to roll over and fall asleep off the boob. This was mainly because of tender nipples in pregnancy.
Can I ask what the issue is? Do you find it draining, or restricting?
Registered User
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks