DS nurses to sleep...

SJBride05

and for the most part I'm OK with it.  I'm just thinking ahead when I decide to wean (within the next year) how can I gently encourage him not to nurse to sleep?  I don't mind nursing him before bed, but ultimately I'd like him to nurse then fall asleep on his own.  I'm guessing I'm looking for gentle methods of sleep training?

TIA

ladipale

Can you nurse him and then send DH in to put him the rest of the way to sleep (as a transition?) Ellie does not fall alseep on her own. The easiest way to get her to sleep is to nurse her, but if I need to get stuff done, I nurse her for a few minutes, but then send John in to be the bedtime 'closer'. It certainly takes him longer to get E to sleep but she does it. She also goes to sleep just fine for babysitters. She will not fall asleep for me without nursing.

NCSW

I have the book, The No Cry Sleep Solution, and you're welcome to borrow it. I know it has worked for some people.

ladipale

And I forgot to add that perhaps sending in your DH could be a transition.

SJBride05

I used to have DH put him to bed after I nursed, but then he went through a bout of separation anxiety and all he wanted was me, and when he wants me (especially to nurse) there are no exceptions for him.

ETA:  Although the handful of times DH has had to do bedtime, DS has had no problems taking a bottle from him and going to sleep. 

SJBride05

R - I'd love to borrow the book!

NCSW

SJBride05:

R - I'd love to borrow the book!

I'll bring it along next time I see you.  

EmmieB

I'm on the "Get your H to do the transition" bandwagon. You could also nurse him until he's almost asleep and then unlatch and put your boob away but stay and snuggle him the rest of the way down.

Good luck! 

love22

I just changed the order of bedtime.  I nursed in the bright light then pajamas and story.  If nothing else having him have to get undressed will wake him back up.

NorcalLinds

Ditto Love22. I changed things up a bit. 

Some techniques that work for us. Once I place him in the crib, i just snuggle from outside, he rests his head on my chest and I rub his back. Once he settles down a bit, i can place him on his tummy and rub his back. I sing the same song once i'm done feeding him.

He fusses sometimes, but at least for me, there is a big difference between fussing to sleep and crying it out. Not that there is a problem with either, but when hes fussing I know he will fuss himself to sleep. When he is full on hysterical, i know I missed the window and its going to be a longer bedtime routine. 

sewhappy

We did a little of both... sending DH in and also unlatching before he actually falls asleep.  Plus after a few nights here and there without me at bedtime, he just realized it was a treat.  And we've now fully transitioned where he goes to bed without any nursing.  Instead of nursing, we have snuggles where I recap our day and tell him goodnight.

 But he still demands nursing at all wakings, morning and nap.

mrscerruti2be

Just wanted to reassure you that you can have good sleepers after you wean.   I nursed both babies to sleep and they transitioned fine. 

mrscerruti2be

Realized I read it wrong and didn't really help you.  Sorry.  With Crash, I just did the whole bedtime routine.  Bath, reading, snuggles in the rocking chair and then I layed him in his crib.  Told him it was time to go Night night.  He started to get it right away and even pointed to his crib when I waited to long. lol

With B, I started by having my husband do it.  She was not weaned completely, so he started the rocking chair snuggle routine.  She also got it really quickly and does the whole pointing thing too.

 I compare her to the evil monkey in the closet on Family Guy.

SJBride05

Thanks for all the suggestions!  Now I have a couple of things to try when I'm ready.

Celyn

Right now what you're doing is nature's design.  Unless you've got a kid who really does not adapt to change well, it's ok to keep doing what you're doing until you're ready to wean or drop that session.  Nursies and then a cuddle is what helped Aaron transition.

green*eyes

I started detaching him as he was about to fall asleep, then putting him on my shoulder for him to finish falling asleep rocking in the glider.  Over time the detaching came earlier to where he was still totally awake... I'd even say "bye bye milk!" and then switch right into rocking.  Of course then he needed rocking for sleep, but he "weaned" off of that in time, too   Totally agree about getting DH involved - that worked for us too.

jsugrin

I would work on unlatching him and then cuddling him to sleep in your arms.  I know you say you're fine with him nursing to sleep but I've got an almost 4 year old that will not go to sleep without someone there to cuddle him and it's not a whole lot of fun on the nights he takes 30 + min to fall asleep.

So I'd listen and when you think he's not actually eating anymore I'd pop him off, you'll most likely have to do it repeatedly until he's really drowsy enough to fall asleep.  The 2nd most important thing I did with Cooper was to make sure that while I was cuddling him to sleep that I created sleep associations that I could recreate with him in his crib.  For example.......Pick a song that you don't mind singing a zillion times and sing it over and over as he falls asleep.  Rub his head, hold his hand.  Don't sway him back and forth but jiggle him a little up and down if it takes movement, you can always put your hand on his hip or the bed right next to him and jiggle it a bit when he's laying down but you can't sway him back and forth unless he's in your arms.  Even reading to him is a good transition, unless he's at an age where that's a stimulant.