Babies: 3 - 6 Months
ginafun
member
Question for moms who nurse to sleep/4 month wakeful and sleep cycles
ginafun
member
I nurse LO to sleep for naps and every now and then at night if her dad can't put her down. She is 15 weeks and I think going through the 4 month wakeful as she was a fantastic sleeper and is now only sleeping 3 hour stretches at night. I have been casually trying the Pantley Pull Off do that she isn't always associating having to nurse to fall asleep. I know nursing to sleep is normal, but my question is doesn't it hinder their sleep since when they start coming out of a deep sleep into a light sleep/wake-up they will then need to breast to fall back asleep? I go to kellymom.com for resources and I know that the nursing to sleep association is normal, but it just seems to me now, especially during this wakeful period, that it is hindering my baby's sleep since she can't put herself back to sleep without the boob.
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Re: Question for moms who nurse to sleep/4 month wakeful and sleep cycles
I nurse my LO to sleep and she naps on me while nursing. It seems to me that she is a very light sleeper during the day and when I try to move her she wakes up and gets really mad.
She does horrible at night if she misses a nap, so I am rolling with it now.
At night, she wakes up once or twice, but she fusses a few times. I check if her eyes are open, if so, I pick her up and nurse her. If she seems sleepy, I go to the bathroom. If she is awake when I am back, I pick her up, sometimes she goes right back to sleep. I don't let her cry. Once I stopped picking her up every time she seemed ready to fall asleep again.
My pedi recommended CIO for naps, but I just ordered the no-cry book. Doesn't hurt to try!
I nursed to sleep until DD was probably 8 weeks then gradually started breaking the association between nursing and sleep. First, don't allow your baby to fall asleep at the breast. You can nurse until they are drowsy, and the put them in the crib to fall asleep the rest of the way. Your babe will probably wake up and that's where you have to tell her, shhhhh, shhhh, it's ok, or whatever you like to say. This is all part of sleep training. Your LO needs to learn how to put herself to sleep without the boob, because you are essentially becoming a pacifier. She'll figure out something else, mine sucks her thumb.
I've now stopped night feedings since she's able to put herself to sleep consistently for naps and bedtime. I've had to go in and reassure her for some of the wakings, some of them she puts herself back to bed. It's a process, but we're all get more sleep because of it.
I am a believer in that parents should do what works for them and their kids.
Our son is almost 5 months old. He occasionally nurses to sleep at naps (I work so this is only on weekends) or we lay him down drowsy and he falls asleep.
For night we use a routine of bath, book, boob. He falls asleep eating most nights and I unplug him and rock him for about 2 more minutes. I lay him in his bed, sometimes he wakes, sometimes not. EIther way he falls asleep and sleeps about 6-8 hours.
If he wakes before that he will suck his thumb and almost always go back to sleep. Sometimes we go in and just pat his back and shush him when he fusses for 2-3 minutes and they get louder. He had 2 weeks of waking several times a while back but lately he is back to his routine.
He goes to bed between 6:45 and 7:30 every night. I don't feed him unless I think he is hungry (has been 7-8 hours since last feeding) so about 3-4 he wakes up for a bite to eat, never the same time, just randomly. He will sleep until 6-7 which is fine because i need to wake him then to get ready for daycare.
I am sure he will continue to have 'good nights' and rough ones.
I don't see nursing to sleep as hindering him self soothing as i have seen him suck his thumb back to sleep (we have a video monitor) so i know he is able to do so and does most times so we will keep our routine until i see it hindering his ability to become more independent.
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