Self Soothing?
My LO is 6 months old and i EBF. The only way he will fall asleep is by nursing and during the night wakes up 3-5 times. A couple of these times he will act hungry and nurse for a while but mostly he just wants to suck a couple times and then he's back to sleep. I personally have no problem nursing him whenever he wants it, aside from the waking up and getting out of bed part haha, but many family members have told me I'm "spoiling" him and not letting him learn to self sooth which will put him at a "disadvantage" when he's older.
Should I be doing something to help him learn to soothe himself to sleep? He doesn't take a paci. I don't want to neglect my precious boy but I also don't want to prevent him from learning how to soothe himself.
Re: Self Soothing?
I bedshare so I don't have to get out of bed to do this, but DD is/was the same way. I've done very little to discourage it and she seems to be growing out of it on her own. I will try snuggles and rubbing her back before offering the boob. Sometimes she'll just go back to sleep, if not, then I know she wants/needs the boob. She still actively eats 1-2x per night, so I'm hesitant to refuse the boob altogether in case she's hungry.
My mom asks me every time I talk to her if DD is still sleeping with me. You have to just smile and nod and change the subject when it comes to nosy family. Go with your gut! If your DS is like my DD, then he'll be changing a LOT in the next few months anyway (teething, crawling, standing, etc.) and sleep will be constantly evolving. Go with what works for your family.
Well first, it's impossible to "spoil" a baby at 6 months old. Second, instead of a paci maybe try to give him your finger or let him figure out how to suck his hand? It worked for my godson and foster kids in the past. That way , you aren't neglecting him and he's learning to self-soothe in a secure way.
Being that this is my first biological child, I know this advice may seem silly, but it's a suggestion!
I agree completely! Both of my kids stopped wanting to nurse to sleep at bedtime by a year. They still wanted to nurse at night so I night weaned when it felt like time - Callum night weaned around 16 months and we are in the midst of a very lazy night weaning with Eleanor right now.
Breastfeeding Counselor with Breastfeeding USA
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