Moving away from feeding to sleep (toddler)

[Maud]

I was just hoping for some other bfeeding mums to tell me how and when their children made the switch from feed to sleep to fully self settling at bedtime?

It would be good to know if it's something they just do on their own one day or if we will need to proactively make the switch. Our 18 month old self settles for naps and she usually stirs and resettles when I put her in her cot at bedtime but this isn't happening at the moment (meaning she is up all evening) so OH is putting the pressure on to stop bfeeding her. I don't want to so would be good to get an idea of other people's experiences.

 

[Nutsyputs]

I stopped feeding my son at 10 months but he went through a massive sleep regression at around 18 months., could it be that? It took a couple of months but eventually my son stated settling himself again.

 

[Maud]

I'm convinced it's developmental. Her speech is coming on really well lately. But my OH keeps dropping hints that he doesn't think I should keep bfeeding her much longer and I think he is jumping on the bedtime issues as a reason to stop sooner rather than later.

 

[Nutsyputs]

I had to stop feeding my son due to returning to work and working shifts. I plan on feeding my daughter till she's ready to stop. Perhaps explain to your husband that you'll stop when she is ready. I think they go through a massive developmental leap at that age. Hopefully it will pass soon.

 

[Maud]

Thanks. I definitely won't be stopping feeding her yet and have told him so. But would still be good to know how other people's toddlers made the bedtime switch.

 

[tinselcat]

Hi Maud

My baby is a bit younger at 8 months but I am transitioning to put the feed earlier in the bedtime routine which has worked successfully. Previously it was a major effort to get him to go off to sleep and it would take hours until after 10pm some times, and it was at that time only via feeding! He is not self-settling yet but our routine is now:

- evening meal
- hour later, milk feed upstairs in baby bedroom
- go into another (calm) room upstairs, sit on rocking chair, read a couple of baby books together
- sing lullaby songs while in chair (this is the point where he mainly goes to sleep)
- return to baby's bedroom, switch on fan for white noise to help him stay asleep

I wouldn't blame the inability to self-settle on the breastfeeding, maybe if you can put the feed at the start of the routine then it will allay some of your partner's concerns? xx

 

[TTT]

My lo is just 8 months and I have stoped feeding him.to sleep because of the vasospasm problems I have as they arena big problem if I let him suckle in his sleep. He still has his last feed right before bed but I started to take him off as soon as he was asleep and rocking him. I had no problems with this and by the end of the first week doing this he stopped falling asleep at the breast. Now he has his last feed then gets rocked to sleep. We co sleep and I go to bed when he falls asleep so its not a problem for us atm.

 

[Maud]

Thanks ladies

 

[BunnyN]

I stopped night feeds with DD when I got pregnant again because it was too hard on me and she stopped BFing altogether shortly after DS was born 8 months ago. She still doesnt self settle :/. Infact feeding her to sleep was much quicker and easier. Now its OHs job to put her to sleep though .