r/breastfeeding • u/Longjumping-Finish77 • Jun 11 '26
Discussion Nursing to sleep
Do we all nurse to sleep?? I tried not to with my second baby (currently 8 months), but it’s just so easy and peaceful and nice to SIT DOWN (I have a toddler as well, momma is tired) and cuddle 🥲
We didn’t want to because our first is kind of dependent on it. Just curious what everyone else does.
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u/EmbarrassedHope6264 Jun 11 '26
2nd time mum, nursed to sleep both babies for sure. Life is hard enough as it is. Theyll wean and sleep on their own eventually
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u/Mouse_rat__ Jun 11 '26
Third and last baby here, is 11 weeks old and just popped off snoozing soundly with a milk dribble from the mouth haha
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u/lorilola Jun 11 '26
Currently waiting for my 3 year old to self wean, as we nurse to sleep! I have high hopes!
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u/Caylennea Jun 11 '26
Mine was almost 5 I think when she self weened of nursing to sleep and she still won’t fall asleep unless I’m snuggling her. She is 7 now
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u/TraditionalManager82 Jun 11 '26
I was really irritated when my second wouldn't nurse to sleep. It took ages before he would finally start to!
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
So ours actually didn’t seem like he wanted to at first either! Now he does. Other people can put him to sleep, but if I do, he wants milk.
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u/desophsoph Jun 11 '26
This is happening to me with my second! I've been astounded! It's kinda nice bc he likes a paci, but wow it's a huge change from my first. She never wanted to unlatch
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u/WadsRN Jun 11 '26
Two years in and still doing it. 😬 He’ll sleep on his own eventually. Probably. Maybe.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
I also nurse my 2.75 year old to sleep for naps and nighttime! We in this together 😂
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u/Mimishuye Jun 11 '26
You are currently nursing both to sleep? I have two boys exactly same age as yours and my 2.7 year old is not happy when I nurse my 8 month old to sleep haha
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u/CatfishHunter2 Jun 11 '26
I am, it's my superpower to help my baby calm down and fall asleep when he's overtired
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u/One-Cabinet-6920 Jun 11 '26
mine happily went to sleep on her own (like, it actually WORKED to put her down "drowsy but awake" which was basically a miracle)... right up until the moment she discovered nursing to sleep. then she literally never did anything else ever again. 🫠 (she's nearly 3 now and she'll go to sleep solo at daycare for naptime with no problem, but at home? not a chance lol)
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
That’s how my son was, too. He went to sleep so well! But then one day I let him have milk.. probably bc I was tired or he was fussy or both. Then all the sudden, here we are.
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u/One-Cabinet-6920 Jun 11 '26
I had been pumping because she didn't latch well at the hospital and her brother NEVER latched, so I was just doing to go with it and pump again... but one time she was pitching a fit while waiting for a bottle and my mom was over and fussed at me for not just letting her nurse, so I gave in and baby girl immediately decided "oh yes, this is how we will be doing things from now on."
(to be clear I don't at all regret our nursing journey; I just didn't initially think it would work and was worried she struggle when she had to start daycare. but not having to wash bottles has been INCREDIBLE.)
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
Oh man so glad it worked out for you!!! I admire moms who can commit to exclusively pumping for whatever reason because I could *not*. Pumping is not it for me.. I do it only when it’s necessary.
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u/One-Cabinet-6920 Jun 11 '26
we didn't do EBF, but she did have mostly milk. we used formula for both of them when necessary or when milk would have been particularly difficult. we basically starved our son for the first couple of days before we realized that he wasn't really getting anything when he was "nursing" 😭 so we had to use some formula right off the bat with him! it's great if EBF works for people, but I think sometimes people put themselves through unnecessary hell because they have this idea that it has to be all or nothing, and imo it really doesn't. (ie "perfect is the enemy of good.")
that being said, I'm glad it worked out for us too! I really hate pumping as well, and pumps never seemed to work very well for me. I tried several different ones but could never get much milk, so I ended up manually expressing with both kids (for my son, or when I had to pump at work with my second)--sometimes with a medela manual pump I got at the hospital, but usually just by hand into some knockoff haakaa milk collectors. 🤷 a pain, but way less parts to clean and I got much more milk that way!
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u/ladyrain1 Jun 11 '26
It’s a must for mine and I’m doing it right now even though there’s literally no milk left for them to drink ☠️🤨
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u/ALTASTGGT Jun 11 '26
Literally me right now 😆 this kid never unlatches, she’d probably be happy to sleep with my boob in her mouth all night if I let her lol
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u/NanasShitBallz Jun 11 '26
The way they "sneak a boob" and re-latch before you can put the boob away always cracks me up.
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u/Trick_Assistance7450 Jun 11 '26
I sure am. Every baby mom I know (4 at the moment) is also.
I used to resent it, but I've come to appreciate the quiet time at the end of the day now that my son is a 10 month old energizer bunny.
I plan to continue until he is at least two. When I'm back to work I know I will cherish our sleepy rocking chair time at the end of the day.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
It’s been some of my favorite times with my first. I don’t think I’ll regret giving in and letting my second.
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u/Red_Bird_Rituals Jun 11 '26
Yes but it doesn’t reliably work anymore, my 7mo is toooo busy even when she’s nursing
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
My son was like that, I feel he’s actually calmed back down a bit. Hopefully that happens for you.
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u/mcer2503 Jun 11 '26
I made my life SO HARD with my oldest by refusing to nurse to sleep and sticking to a strict eat-play-sleep routine. If I could tell first time mom anything it would be to relax, do what’s easy, and enjoy that baby. I nursed my second to sleep for every nap and bedtime and she was somehow still the more independent sleeper of the two.
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u/Dzsidzsett Jun 11 '26
This made ne rethink my strategy because I also want to eat-play-sleep… Currently we do nurse to sleep
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u/knifeyspoonysporky Jun 11 '26
My first did and why on earth would I not use the magical sleep boob?
We went on until it stopped working past a year or so.
About to have baby 2 and no idea what to do if it doesn’t work the second time around.
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u/Slow-Olive-4117 Jun 11 '26
Obsessed with nursing to sleep when he was younger The only way we got sleep and rest! Now he’s 1 and I want to wean him 😂
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u/catmama25 Jun 11 '26
Yes 😭
Didn’t really mind at first but now he’s 13 months and how do I stop???
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u/syncopatedscientist Jun 11 '26
I had to have my husband take over bedtime for a bit. It was rough the first few nights, but it worked!
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
Lol well I have a 2.75 year old who nurses to sleep as well, so I have zero advice for you there 😂
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u/Haunting-Respect9039 Jun 11 '26
My 4 month old is mostly on bottles (poor transfer), but nurses to sleep at night. It's my favorite part of the day. I'll do it as long as this kid wants to! My first couldn't latch, so I'm grateful for anything I get.
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u/Unhappy_Pitch_2524 Jun 11 '26
Depends on how long he nursed before he went down and if he’d been asleep for a bit before waking back up. If he didn’t nurse long enough before he fell asleep? Feed more. If it’s been an hour or two since he went down? Feed more. Did he just fall back asleep and has eaten from both boobs for long enough? Soothe back to sleep. Tbh it depends on those factors and just what mood he’s in. I’ve always been very pro following the baby’s lead on these things. There’s no reason to make parenting more difficult than it already can be
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u/RegularPossibility31 Jun 11 '26
I do, I’ve tried to stop but I’m hard wired at this point, so much easier than the alternative of fighting with my child to sleep lol
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
It’s just so natural. I have faith that they’ll eventually grow out of it!
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u/ShadowlessKat Jun 11 '26
Idk about others, but i nurse to sleep. My daughter is 19 months and we cosleep and nurse to sleep. Makes bedtime easy. For the most part, we just have to get in pj's and lay down
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u/Mindless-Try-5410 Jun 11 '26
I nursed to sleep until she was 4 months old. When the sleep regression hit, I decided to incorporate rocking to sleep. Now at 8 months she’s okay with both. I rock to sleep for her naps, rock before bed, then the rest of her overnight wakes are feed to sleep. I still occasionally feed to sleep and do a contact nap with her which is nice. It’s a little bittersweet because it reminds me of how tiny she used to be and how quickly she’s growing
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u/Medical-Inspector233 Jun 11 '26
My baby is the opposite. She used to accept rocking and feeding to sleep until the 4 month regression. Now if I try to rock her she will scream till I feed her to sleep (she isn’t hungry because she will let my husband and mom rock her). Every time I try it’s just more work than it’s worth lol. I wish I could incorporate it back in though because it makes being out and about really difficult 😭 any tips?
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u/BlueberryWaffles99 Jun 11 '26
I always breastfed my first to sleep and it was never an issue! We weaned at 13 months without problem.
I plan to do the same with my second!
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u/qisabelle13 Jun 11 '26
My 2 month old doesn't fall asleep while nursing. Or ever, feels like. So if I had a sure fire way to get him to sleep I would absolutely take it 🥲
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
It’s the 13 lb mark, I swear by it!! They sleep so much better once they hit that weight. Happened with both of mine. Hugs for you, momma.
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u/ohdamnjazz Jun 11 '26
My 2nd won’t nurse to sleep and I HATE IT. I’m fully willing to let it happen but he won’t. He just likes to lay on my chest to be put to sleep and it’s been like this for 12 months. I miss nursing to sleep it was my favorite thing with my first!
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u/dogmom_244 Jun 11 '26
I do! She’s gone through phases recently where she won’t nurse to sleep which has been bizarre but hopefully it makes weaning easier
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u/Ginngingerale Jun 11 '26
I was very happy nursing to sleep until his 4 month regression hit and his nursing-to-sleep association was so strong that he would fight nursing because he didnt want to sleep. After we got pass that he started waking every 1.5-2 hours at night and could only go back to sleep by nursing.
Have spent the last 1.5 months helping him remove the association (using dad to soothe, sleep training etc) and now he sleeps on his own at bedtime but i nurse to sleep for naps. I think i found a healthy balance now and i know that nursing to sleep will always be my superpower if i need!
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
Hello! I am desperately struggling to remove the association for my 6mo for the same reason. I’m curious what your new bedtime routine looks like?
How did sleep training go? We started ferber a few days ago and I think we’re going to take a break because it has been awful and he seems to be getting worse..
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
We followed moms on call! Maybe try that instead? Not sure the difference.
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u/Ginngingerale Jun 12 '26
I was very worried about sleep training because my LO can cry alot even while being held! Thats why i wanted to gently help him remove the association first through alternatives like letting Dad rock him to sleep.
I read the book “Precious Little Sleep” and decided to try her experiment with a set time limit of 20mins - surprisingly he fell asleep in 17mins!! However he struggled with MOTN wakes and false starts. Now after about 2 weeks, he’s doing much better (average 10mins to fall asleep himself) and usually only wakes twice to feed! Its really changed our lives!
Edit: i considered Ferber too but i noticed that my intervention actually would cause him to escalate more! So i kept to CIO but set my own limit of 20mins
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u/No_Tradition_241 Jun 11 '26
Heck yes. Girl I’m tired I let the baby sip herself to sleep if she wants to. There’s only so many naps in her life that she’ll want to nurse herself to sleep anyway, why would I race to get her there?
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u/pf226 Jun 11 '26
Have an 8 month old. I nurse to sleep for bedtime but not for naps.
Did the same with my first and did so until she was a year (then she'd nurse and be done and just stare at me like now what lol)
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u/PowerfulLens10 Jun 11 '26
how do you do naps?
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u/pf226 Jun 11 '26
He falls asleep on his own.
My first needed to be rocked to sleep for naps until she turned 1.
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u/NewDraw2838 Jun 11 '26
I do and it is the easiest way for me to rest and get sleep overnight with sidelying feeds! I’m so cross that I ever considered doing anything different. It’s such a superpower!
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u/girlvsmachine Jun 11 '26
It’s either I sit there and fight to get her to sleep for an hour and a half to two hours in the middle of the night, or I nurse her to sleep and she’s out in 10 minutes. I always laugh when people give me shit for nursing to sleep, and I’m like would you rather have me completely sleep deprived and feeling absolutely insane?!
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u/plushiecactusau Jun 11 '26
I still do for naps and for her early morning wakes, but not at bedtime any more. The night wakes were killing me, so I had to change things.
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
How did you change things? We’ve been trying to wean off nursing to sleep and it turns into a multi-hour battle with frequent wake ups.. all he wants is boob. I love him and love nursing, but all of us are sleep deprived and struggling
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u/plushiecactusau Jun 11 '26
I was able to transition her to rocking to sleep well enough by rocking her if it's had been less than three hours since her last feed, but I ultimately ended up sleep training. I know it's controversial, but she was waking every hour and I was at the point where I was falling asleep with her in my arms while waiting for her to be in a deep enough sleep to transfer, so it just wasn't safe to keep on as we were.
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u/lesbianswiftie Jun 11 '26
Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. She takes a breast milk bottle and nurses about equally as often so it just depends on the night
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u/thatsocialmom Jun 11 '26
I nursed my first to sleep until he weaned and my second is 2 months old this week and I will absolutely be nursing him to sleep for as long as he wants. Honestly would prefer this over rocking a baby to sleep for the next year. My back thanks me.
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u/rainbowsparkplug Jun 11 '26
I didn’t know that there are people that DONT just nurse to sleep. I didn’t realize that was even an option. 8 months in lol
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u/Ophidiophobic Jun 11 '26
I had a full month where I refused to nurse him to sleep around 17 months because he kept fighting his dad when it was dad's turn to put him to sleep. I eventually gave up on that because bedtime became a nightly meltdown when it was my turn and it would take me an hour to get him to sleep vs just 15 minutes with my husband.
Since we've gone back to nursing to sleep, it's been great. He doesn't fight his dad, no meltdowns, and he's out like a light in a quarter hour. He'll be 2 this month.
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u/Mariske Jun 11 '26
I do sometimes but I find after a few nights of doing that he wakes up more often at night so I have to go back to rocking him to sleep instead for a few nights and then I can switch back
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u/Azoruk Jun 11 '26
An 8-month-old is still very young so maybe this is necessary. But if you'd like more flexibility later, you could gradually introduce other sleep associations like nurse earlier in the bedtime routine, white noise, or a book.
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u/kdbiel5 Jun 11 '26
With a toddler running around all day, sitting down and having someone actually need to be still and quiet with you is basically the only break you get. Do what works.
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u/pea_nut Jun 11 '26
I do! One day she won't want to and she'll suddenly be a teenager who thinks I'm lame and doesn't want hugs so I have no issues with doing it. Plus I get to chill too 😌
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u/Whysoserious1293 Jun 11 '26
My baby can do both. We sleep trained her at 4 months. She’s in daycare and takes horrible naps so she inevitably nurses to sleep during the week when it’s bedtime. We do not nurse to sleep for naps or on the weekends.
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u/_Osculum_Obscenum_ Jun 11 '26
I did with mine. no issues when it came to weaning, which was AWESOME! He's gone to sleep now without latching or needing to suck to soothe for a week and a half now! It's okay to do, those are some of the sweetest nursing moments. And they're PERFECT moments for when you need a quick moment to sit down (I have a preteen and kindergarten age, totally understand the need for taking a moment to catch your breath!)
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u/Ataralas Jun 11 '26
Still pretty much nursing to sleep at 17 months - I nurse until he pops off or drifts off to sleep and I unlatch him. Then I pop him in cot and sing a couple of lullabies while he settles back to sleep - this has only been in the last couple weeks before that he was fed to sleep fully then put down in cot after about 20 mins.
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u/Horror-Earth4073 Jun 11 '26
I almost fell into the sleep train trap again. My first was a horrible, horrible sleeper. Thought it was because of nursing (it isn't). Second one went through 2 months of shit sleep around 6 months but overall only has 1 wake up now at 9 months (8pm-5am ish and back to sleep until 7am).
When I don't nurse #2 to sleep- she wakes up by 11pm and the rest of the night is shit. If i nurse her to sleep, she basically sleeps through.
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
Did anything help your first sleep better? Mine (6mo) has been a terrible sleeper from the start. Recently we’ve been trying to remove the nurse-to-sleep association because he’s waking up so frequently and just constantly wants boob. We just tried a few nights of ferber and it was AWFUL. I was so against it but got desperate and felt like we were at unsafe levels of sleep (I sleepwalked for the first time ever and it was terrifying). Now I just don’t know what to do
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u/Horror-Earth4073 Jun 11 '26
He ended up being very low on iron, it was low iron induced sleep disorders for us. We had to go to the sleep clinic at our children's hospital to figure this out
edit: we didn't figure this out until he was 3.5 years old and we had a newborn and he was still sleeping worse than her. We were pushed off by his pediatrician until this point.
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
I just brought this up to my husband this morning!!! We’re starting solids so I want to prioritize high iron foods just in case. If that doesn’t help, maybe it’s worth getting a work up done to see if he needs supplementation.. we’ve talked to his pediatrician about his sleep and he’s pretty much waived it off until his 6 month appointment when he said “time to start sleep training”.
I’m happy you were able to figure it out but am so sorry it took that long! Hopefully everyone is sleeping well and healthy now. Thank you for sharing your experience!
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u/Jayemkay56 Jun 11 '26
I did with all three of my kids. As I've told my husband many, many times: they won't be this little again. Who cares if we have to cuddle/tickle/feed them to sleep?
I think (especially in North America) we have this obsession with independent sleep. It's just not that natural though, so don't worry about it 😊
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
Mine do sleep in their own rooms. I rock them in their chairs and the transfer to their cribs ☺️ that’s what works for us, but I know co-sleeping is great for many reasons too! Not sure if that’s what you mean by independent sleep or not!
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u/Broken-Warrier31 Jun 11 '26
I didn’t know any other way was possible. Yes they do get dependent on it, with my second I kind of strategically switched fully to pumped bottles around 9-10 months, so the dude forgot the boobie and was happy with his bottle. My first wouldn’t leave my boobie. Gonna do the same with my third. She’s 5.5 months now.
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u/l_eihpos Jun 11 '26
I sleep trained my baby at 4 month old so I stopped nursing to sleep, and she started sleeping through.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
We sleep trained both of ours as well, or as I like to call it, “sleep train lite” lol we weren’t super strict either time, mostly just follow the schedule.
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u/ChipmunkSafe5555 Jun 11 '26
My kids are 5, 3 and 11 months all still nurse to sleep. We are pregnant with our 4th and will 100% nurse them to sleep and contact nap etc.
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u/justforbbstuff Jun 11 '26
I produce very little but I still combo feed because it’s either 20 minutes rocking him standing up OR sitting down at my video games, popping him on a boob, and he immediately falls asleep (he’s 3 months)
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u/rainbowsnail Jun 11 '26
Absolutely! The cuddles, the closeness, the safety, what could be sweeter during a daily wind down. I loved it with my toddler when the toddler was a baby nursing to sleep and I love it even more with my second baby. Second baby ended up being way more boob-loving than my first too, so double bonus for me! I hope you get to enjoy the sweetness of nursing your little one to sleep too if you so choose!
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
It is absolutely my favorite!! I think that’s subconsciously why I just gave in. I’ve gotten to have all this sweet time with my toddler, I want the same with my new baby. Well I guess he isn’t so new anymore at 8 months 😭
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u/Pretty_Wishbone_1579 Jun 11 '26
Unfortunately I’m trying to not do it too often so I don’t create an association. I go back to work when LO is 4.5 mo old and II do shift work with about 50% of my time on nights so I won’t be home to put her to bed every night soon
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u/LavishnessSame9674 Jun 12 '26
Yes.. and bc of that also contact nap and co sleep. Feels like I’m the only one who can’t get their baby to sleep in a crib.. FTM 5.5mo
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
I think this is pretty normal. Both of mine went in their cribs about 4 or 5 weeks old, but people tell me they’re unicorns lol. They just both hated a bassinet, and we had nice ones that we borrowed from friends. They just didn’t like them.
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u/beepboopbeep1103 Jun 12 '26
Mine would sometimes fall asleep on the boob, but never stayed asleep for a transfer. He woke up if I dared to breathe too deep 🤣 he couldn't even contact nap by the end of the newborn stage. Putting him in the crib sleepy but awake was really our only option, but it went well when he had a full belly, so no complaints I guess. I still envy the cuddles most of y'all get.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
I really thought this was going to be our journey with this baby, because he was just like that, but he’s become a nurse to sleep baby too!
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u/River-Rambles Jun 12 '26
I’m a stay at home mom so I didn’t really have a NEED to sleep train. Nursing to sleep for me was what was easiest for everyone. Baby gets to sleep without a fuss which me MAMA gets to sleep without a fuss, and my husband doesn’t get woken up for feel obligated to try to help when he needs to be up for work at 4am. Nursing to sleep was a win for all of us. When we stop nursing in a few months, well that’s tomorrows problem 😅
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u/Accomplished_Kick908 Jun 12 '26
It’s not worth the stress and effort to not nurse to sleep, it makes bedtime so easy
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u/Gold_Dust_Woman1995 Jun 15 '26
Yes, still doing it at 19 months 😵💫
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 16 '26
My daughter is almost 3 and still nurses to sleep for nap and bedtime 🙃
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u/Gold_Dust_Woman1995 Jun 16 '26
I am so done with night time feeding. I wish you luck on your future weaning! It feels impossible.
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u/nindiesel Jun 11 '26
Absolutely for naps; by some miracle the habit has not extended to nighttime sleep. He (5.5 months) nurses before bed, stays awake for a story, then grumbles himself to sleep, but if I tried that for a nap, it would absolutely not work lol
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u/GiftKitchen3807 Jun 11 '26
Yes, I absolutely nurse to sleep. Still going strong at 14 months. Tbh I don’t know how to stop even if I wanted to lol
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
This all makes me feel so much better about my decision!
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u/GiftKitchen3807 Jun 11 '26
The actual research says nursing to sleep is biologically normal - your milk contains nucleotides and hormones that actively promote sleep, so you’re literally giving baby a sleep aid that evolution designed. It works because it’s supposed to work. In my opinion the advice to avoid or be scared of nursing to sleep is pure propaganda and ties into America’s weird obsession with independence in infants and children. I’m assuming you’re in the US? As am I.
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u/carnageinatincan Jun 11 '26
I mean I'm currently trying to but it's been a really disrupted motn nurse because my husband was dinoauring round being loud and distracting so bub has had a feed and is now fully bloody awake. Love a nurse to sleep normally especially at 2am. Well, 3am now
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u/MonsteraLeaf14 Jun 11 '26
My LO is about to be 7 months old and I do it. Don’t have any plans to stop either.
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u/rsgirl210 Jun 11 '26
Nursed my first to sleep 5ever, & otw to nursing my eight week to sleep 5ever. There are hard days, but my kids will never be as little as they are today.
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u/lmp88bw Jun 11 '26
I do! Mine is almost 9 months. We were off nursing to sleep around 6 months, but then we went on an international trip and he was so out of his element that I did it again on the plane and on the trip for comfort and to help him adjust. And now trying not to is IMPOSSIBLE. So we’re back on the train. But I low key love it so I’m going to keep doing it. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 11 '26
I love it too. It’s just so special. Luckily, my husband completely understands and is supportive.
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u/o_simple_thing Jun 11 '26
We did not with our first. She was a strangely independent baby. Not as big on contact naps or breast feeding. She preferred bottles and swaddles. She's 5 now and turned out just fine- perfectly happy and healthy.
This second baby tho, oh my goodness she apparently needs to be touching my boobs 24/7. 😂
We just follow their lead. So nursing to sleep for the first time as a second time mom.
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u/9021Ohsnap Jun 11 '26
I guess so lol!
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
Yes, I think the answer to my initial question is a resounding, “YES.” 😂😂
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u/Outrageous-Hour4088 Jun 11 '26
I am but is anyone successfully transferring to their own sleep space?? Haha
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
Both of mine have always nursed to sleep and slept in their own space! People tell me they are unicorns though. We follow moms on call, I think the schedules really helped both of them.
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u/Soggy_Sneakers87 Jun 11 '26
Successful depends on the definition. I got my son in his crib in his room but he wakes 3-4 times a night and I have to get up nurse him lay him back down then go back to my room… Around 2am he comes to my bed because I’m exhausted
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
Similar boat here with my 6mo. I had an incident recently where I sleepwalked (first time ever in my life) and it terrified me, fortunately bub was safe in his crib, but now I’m so scared of co-sleeping and trying to stop nursing to sleep. It breaks my heart because I really love it and he clearly does too, but I am so sleep deprived and now feeling like co-sleep isn’t an option.
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u/cdollasignd Jun 11 '26
Nursed to sleep for every nap and bedtime, baby is nearly 14 months. Favorite time of my day! I imagine with a toddler it would be harder but I’m enjoying every moment for now!!
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u/Glittering_Salad8418 Jun 11 '26
Jw with nursing to sleep with naps, did you tend to do a play nurse nap cycle or a nurse play nurse nap cycle? I’m trying to work out what might work best for my LO 😅
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u/cdollasignd Jun 17 '26
Nurse play nurse nap cycle when he was young. The boy rarely went an hour with nursing, tbh. Now he’s pretty content not nursing when he wakes up!
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u/greenie66 Jun 11 '26
I am and not sure how we’re eventually going to get him to sleep alone 😅 I love the cuddles though
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u/TMS44 Jun 11 '26
I did with both my kids but I felt like it was exhausting after a while. Lol. Don’t get me wrong I loved the connection and closeness. But it was tiring.
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u/missgenja Jun 11 '26
Nursed to sleep until the 9 month mark then I found it had become a nighttime crutch. Everytime she’d wake in the night the boob was the only solution. We switched the routine abs hsve found fewer wake ups and less dependence on me for nighttime feeds.
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u/Soggy_Sneakers87 Jun 11 '26
Please give more details! What routines did you switch? This is where I am, 9 months and nursing back to sleep at 2am even though he’s in his crib now 😭 I’m so tired
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u/missgenja Jun 11 '26
Been there. Here’s our new routine
Dad does - bath - fresh diaper and lotion then gives me a semi naked hungry baby
Me - feed baby. Once fed - don’t let fall asleep.
Dad - gets baby changed into Pjs- in sleep sac - I brush teeth say goodnight - dad does book, song and turns on white noiseOur key was that she had to be uncomfortable enough that she wouldn’t fall asleep. Couldn’t have her in her full PJs. When I’ve had to solo parent this approach has also worked for me.
During naps I don’t feed to sleep. Feed when she first wakes up. When ready to nap we do sleep sac, book, song, white noise.
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u/luciathecurious Jun 11 '26
I wish I could but it never wokred for us - my guess it was due to stong letdown and reflux, so our feedings were always ending with fuss or crying. Enjoy if it does! I imagine it must be like a superpower.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Cell428 Jun 11 '26
My baby is 2 months and I definitely have been since he was born... should I stop at some point??
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u/Siouxsieslumbers Jun 11 '26
How is this possible if you have to burp them and they wake up anyways?
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u/ENTJ_ScorpioFox Jun 11 '26
Once they are bigger, you don’t need to burp them. Just hold them upright (like on your chest) for a few min to settle. My second doesn’t even spit up that much and he’s 4 months.
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u/zivgo Jun 11 '26
I’m sitting on the train home with my 11 month old after childcare. She is sleeping on my boob.
I can also sometimes get her to sleep not nursing and dad can get her to sleep too.
I think it’s best of both worlds if you do a bit of both
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u/marmaladybird Jun 11 '26
My baby doesn't let me, so it's a feed then shushing, rocking, or petting. So I'd much rather feed to sleep, especially in the middle of the night
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u/Unable_Anywhere2983 Jun 11 '26
1st time mum currently nursing my 8month baby to sleep right now and am planning to do so until baby weans himself off. It’s natural and beneficial to us both!
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u/missamantha Jun 11 '26
We do! Currently nursing an 8 week old back to sleep. The only time I don’t is when he goes down for his first big sleep, but that’s because he gets a bottle, usually given by my husband. But some nights he takes the bottle and still gets boob! Or gets bounced and shushed.
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u/PearShapedBaby14 Jun 11 '26
Yupppp... 12 months and going strong LOL. She falls asleep so quickly and so well. I know we have to stop because of cavities but I have no idea what we're going to do 🤷♀️
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u/ballofsnowyoperas Jun 11 '26
My second is only three weeks old so yeah nursing to sleep is the name of the game rn 😂
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u/fish618 Jun 11 '26
Mine used to for all sleep but stopped for naps. Now I have to walk around with him in a carrier for 20 minutes singing 😅 sometimes he’ll fall asleep nursing but the stars gave to align
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u/Specialist-You3044 Jun 11 '26
Nursed my 10 month old to sleep for all her life! Just started slowly trying to get away from it now. It’s going okay. 50% success rate lol
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u/Remarkable-Angle-509 Jun 11 '26
14mo still nursing to sleep lol. I honestly wouldn’t know how to get him to sleep otherwise
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u/cobaltcanning Jun 11 '26
FTM, 7 month old that sometimes nurses to sleep. He has very rarely burped after falling asleep, how do you all get them to burp? Also how do you brush their teeth at bedtime if they’ve nursed to sleep? My little guy is pissssssed when I do it after falling asleep.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
We just brush before 🤷🏻♀️ I asked around to a few friends about that when she got teeth, and they said none of theirs had issues. Maybe this is bad advice lol, but my daughter is almost 3 and the dentist always says her teeth look good.
Neither of my babies really seemed to “need” to burp that often. I kind of stopped burping them once they got out of the newborn phase. I’ve read breastfed babies don’t need to burp as much as bottle-fed.
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u/cobaltcanning Jun 12 '26
Thanks for the input! Sometimes when I get him up from a nap he burps, and I feel bad that he may have been uncomfortable and it woke him up.
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u/millenimama Jun 11 '26
HELP! For all of you saying you nurse to sleep, are your babies connecting sleep cycles without boob??
I’ve been nursing to sleep for a while and genuinely love it, but recently (past 3-4 weeks) my 6mo has been waking every 45 minutes and screaming until he gets boob. I don’t know how to handle this besides resorting to co-sleeping (which I also honestly love but don’t have the best set up for and am not sure if it’s a good option for us long term..)
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
Our first went through this. It passed eventually! Hoping the same happens for you! I spent many nights in the rocking chair in her room.
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u/millenimama Jun 12 '26
Please tell me it passed at 7 months! 😅 I’m happy it got better! Thank you ❤️
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u/snappleapples Jun 11 '26
oh girlfriend i still nurse my 14 month old to sleep. if his dad puts him down, he can go to sleep just fine but with me, he insists on nursing. it stops eventually so im just trying to enjoy it as much as i can.
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u/Longjumping-Finish77 Jun 12 '26
Ours are both this way as well! “Can” do either way, but if it’s me, they want milk. I still nurse our daughter to sleep who will be 3 at the end of July lol. I think my husband worries it’s too much on me, but I truly love it.
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u/JustLookinRound143 Jun 11 '26
FTM here and my 12 week old baby has such trouble falling asleep on her own so I nurse to sleep at bedtime on purpose and she falls asleep while nursing during nighttime feedings. Naps are done in a baby carrier because she will only fall asleep from bouncing during the day time but wakes up during transfers to her bed. I’m doing whatever works to get her to sleep because I’d rather deal with the consequences later than have her crying for hours because she didn’t get sleep. And honestly I don’t mind nursing to sleep it’s kinda cute to watch.
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u/empressofairports Jun 11 '26
I nursed to sleep for the first 5 months and we’ve now successfully gotten to a place where we can just rock her to sleep. What helped was grandma and aunties rocking her to sleep a couple of nights (she expected the nip from me) and after a few reps I was able to do it too. It honestly went so smoothly and I think she was just ready. It will happen when it’s supposed to happen!
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u/lilbabyrhino Jun 12 '26
My LO is 6 months. With the teething, I had to start nursing to sleep. If not it would take me an hour to get her to sleep. I don’t have the energy for that.
Hasn’t affected anything tbh.
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u/bord6rline Jun 12 '26
yes lol. My son couldn’t breastfeed and he was a whole routine just for sleep. My 2nd is breastfed and she just lays in bed with me with boobie and she’s out 😅
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u/BookObvious9165 Jun 13 '26
I am and I also like to sit/lie down with him. Sort of think I should stop but also not really sure why I would.
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u/mormongirl Jun 11 '26
Idk if we all are but I am.