Hi there (first post)! Wasn't sure where to post this, but I guess sleep is my main concern. DS will be going to FDC when he is 10 months for three days a week. I would love to stay home but can't . My question is: will the carer be able to get him to sleep?? He just cannot fall asleep without boob! Even if he falls asleep in the carrier, once on the bed he will root around for the boob! And secondly, I struggle myself to get him to sleep in a strange room/bed - he's very sensitive to change! I would love to hear of some success stories!! Will he get cuddles? Or will he be considered a high maintenance baby?
I have tried preparing him for the change. He's moved to napping in a cot (woohoo) beside the bed with the side down so he won't be totally confused by the cot thing! And have flirted with the gentle removal technique but its feels very mean - poor thing just wants to go to sleep and I keep pulling the boob out until he cries!
Last edited by Panda74; October 28th, 2009 at 12:23 PM.
: Typo!
Hi and welcome to BB
How old is your little one? I am wondering how long before he has to go to FDC?
My DD2 is 13 weeks now & started FDC at 10 weeks. I was a bit worried as AR was at 8 weeks still being rocked & cuddled to sleep, (however by the time she started FDC she was selfsettling quite well, I was comfortable that if she needed the help to sleep she would get it).
I had a bit of an advantage in that I already knew her carer which made it much more comfortable for me. She told me that it's up to the individual carer how they deal with hard to settle babies - some will rock them etc & others won't.
Have you chosen a carer yet? I think if you can possibly choose someone who you feel comfortable with & discuss your concerns with them that is probably the first & most important step.
Apart from that you can continue trying to gently change his habits, but I would suggest a backup plan in case he takes a little while - will you find a carer who will rock him, can you delay your retuurn to work, are you able to leave work to feed him, etc - some of these may not be very practical depending on your situation but I guess I would be looking at all options & take it from there.
HTH
ETA - just wondering if you have tried him on EBM in a bottle? how does he go with it?
Hi there, welcome to bb . I went back to work when my DS was 8 months, my mum looks after him. Although it's not always been easy, she has always managed to get him to sleep during the day, without resorting to leaving him to cry etc. He fell asleep feeding for almost 2 years, but has always been okay when left with other people (DH, Grandma etc).
I worried about it alot before going back to work, but it turned out fine . Most babies that feed to sleep can go to sleep fine when with people other than mum .
My experience was similar to Janie's. At home, both my sons fed to sleep for quite some time. But they both were really good at sleeping at day care. Most babies seem to be able to cope with different situations and manage just fine when mum isn't there.
The main thing that might be a problem for you is his difficulty in unfamiliar surroundings. Some babies really do struggle with this. Luckily though, they are the minority. I would try not to worry too much yet. See how he goes when the time comes - he very well might surprise you!
Hi, thanks so much for the words of encouragement! So worried about my happy little booby boy! Sorry should have mentioned - he's nearly 8 months now, so he knows what he likes hehehe.
My plan is to see how he goes with some EBM with DH, maybe this weekend. He hasn't had a bottle before. Or should I not keep encouraging the feeding to sleep thing maybe? I'm assuming DH won't be able to get him to sleep without milk but who knows?
Also, I'm planning on going to go back to work a few weeks before day care starts when DH is on leave so DS will have some time without me and get used to going to sleep a different way.. hopefully.
I know it all depends on the carer doesn't it? Having no experience with FDC I don't know what to expect. I'm told we'll be advised of vacancies a few weeks out and then hopefully we'll find an amazing, gentle carer who clicks with DS and will be happy to give him lots of cuddles at sleep time .
'Feed to sleep' babies and day care??
. My question is: will the carer be able to get him to sleep?? He just cannot fall asleep without boob! Even if he falls asleep in the carrier, once on the bed he will root around for the boob! And secondly, I struggle myself to get him to sleep in a strange room/bed - he's very sensitive to change! I would love to hear of some success stories!! Will he get cuddles? Or will he be considered a high maintenance baby?
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. I went back to work when my DS was 8 months, my mum looks after him. Although it's not always been easy, she has always managed to get him to sleep during the day, without resorting to leaving him to cry etc. He fell asleep feeding for almost 2 years, but has always been okay when left with other people (DH, Grandma etc). 
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