https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:58:41 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-755803 Thu, 02 May 2013 02:52:55 +0000 Kemma 755803@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Twine: I wondered if you'd comment! The thought of nursing to sleep until weaning doesn't alarm me although I don't think we'll still be nursing at five (I do however like to freak out my husband by saying that I'm going to nurse until LO is seven...). It actually makes sense to me that LO will learn to self soothe as she self weans from the breast.</p> <p>Thanks for all your responses and stories ladies, sometimes it's hard to sift through all the opinions and white noise when working my way through this parenting business! </p> <p>At this point in time the nursing to sleep is working and we're all pretty happy so I think we'll just roll with it, no point worrying about a future problem that might never happen! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754329 Wed, 01 May 2013 10:30:22 +0000 Mrs. Twine 754329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I debated not saying anything because I didn't want to scare you, but it's also a positive story, so here goes. Ellie nursed to sleep until she was five. Yep. Five. We never tried to do it any differently. Now she is a wonderful sleeper and falls asleep on her own every night. I don't think it hurt her in the least, and when she was ready to wean she seemed to also be ready to make an easy transition into putting herself to sleep without the nursing. I guess I feel like you can have success even if you never actively push. I never formally night weaned her, so she was nursing in the night pretty much until she weaned (if she would wake for any reason, which she often did), and I never actively weaned her, and I never tried to "teach" her to self-soothe or fall asleep on her own. As she grew up and matured, she figured all of that out. So you might not want to do things that way, but if you choose to, just know that you are not setting your child up for failure or depriving them of some crucial skill they will never have any other opportunity to learn. Children learn and grow so much with all sorts of levels of guidance and help, and whatever you choose to do you are not making a choice that cannot be re-visited or re-evaluated or changed. This parenting gig is all about evolution. You'll evolve together and figure out what works! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754225 Wed, 01 May 2013 09:49:51 +0000 littlebug 754225@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When D was first born I was dead set that I wanted to eventually get him off the need to nurse to sleep, but now that we're 3 1/2 months in, I feel differently. I mostly didn't want to because I didn't want him to "rely" on me to fall asleep, but he doesn't - he'll fall asleep with a bottle or a paci, too. I love nursing him to sleep, and I think that it's a totally natural thing to do. It may bite me in the ass when we start to wean, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'll continue doing it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754188 Wed, 01 May 2013 09:34:07 +0000 BlueWolverine 754188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO is 3.5 months and we kind of nurse to sleep. When she was super tiny she kept falling asleep while nursing and swaddling made it happen faster. Now it's bath, lotion, story (if she can handle it), nurse, swaddle, rock a bit and then bed. She usually falls asleep while nursing and stirs a little when I swaddle her. I rock her for a minute or two and off she goes. I like the idea of a bottle before bed, but I already miss the morning feed - she wakes up after I leave for work, so DH gives her a bottle. I don't want to miss nighttime too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754152 Wed, 01 May 2013 09:14:40 +0000 Mrsbells 754152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we still nurse to sleep at 12months but I am trying to wean her off that. It has been so convenient and easy though </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754137 Wed, 01 May 2013 09:04:14 +0000 littlebittyhouse 754137@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We nurse to sleep and on demand through the night. We had the same things happen as you around the 6 month mark and nursing to sleep became a really great way to end our evenings. Its calm, comfy and we both really love it. We have a rock solid bedtime routine that ends with a long lazy nursing session. LO will take a bottle at bedtime for Dad/Grandma so I am not worried about it.</p> <p>ETA: On weekends we nurse to sleep for naps too :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-754114 Wed, 01 May 2013 08:49:28 +0000 NovBaby1112 754114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i nurse to sleep for all naps still, and it hasn't created any problems. she takes great naps (1.5 hrs long) for me since we increased her awake time and i consider it my secret weapon...she totally conks out after nursing and it is so easy to get her to sleep that way. i just feel bad for my husband who has a harder time getting her down since he cannot do that obviously...eeeks, oh well </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-752602 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 752602@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We stopped nursing to bed a while back (my son is 7 months), because I was worried about the association. So now we nurse, then bath, then jammies, and my husband reads to him. His "bad" sleep habit is being cuddled to sleep :)</p> <p>However, for all night wakings (and man, are there night wakings!) he's nursed until he falls asleep. It's not a problem for us now (i.e. I don't mind it), so we're going with it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-752237 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:44:19 +0000 sarac 752237@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've nursed my baby to sleep always - she's 19 months old. She'll go to sleep with daddy just fine, but she loves to nurse to sleep. The problems it has caused are just drastically less than the good it's bene. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751768 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:42:26 +0000 Weagle 751768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PrincessBaby: DH started giving a bottle for bedtime when LO was a few months old. Not only does it speed up the bedtime routine, but it's their own special bonding time. DH LOVES it, and LO definitely prefers her daddy at bedtime. It's pretty sweet :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751759 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:36:21 +0000 lamariniere 751759@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I nursed my son to sleep for most of his 1st year. He was a terrible terrible sleeper, so after a few months, we did what worked and what worked was the boob. When he was about 11 months old we knew we were looking at big upcoming changes (a looming international move when he was 14 months) and decided to start to wean him so it would be one less challenge with all the changes. Gradually I cut out nursing for naps. The last month I only nursed in the morning and before bed, and then finally, only before bed. Our last nursing session was the day he turned 13 months.</p> <p>It was not easy and it took a lot of patience. We tried sleep training and CIO a few times the 1st year but it did not work for us and I was very uncomfortable with the various methods. DS figured out sleep on his own, when he was ready. He literally went from waking up 2-3 times (or more!) per night every night of his life until one day, he just slept for 12 hours when he was 1 year and 2 weeks old (I remember it well!). Since then, he has STTN every single night and he is now 28 months. He also naps really really well.</p> <p>I agree with the others, if what you are doing is working and you are comfortable with it, keep doing it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751733 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:10:33 +0000 PrincessBaby 751733@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it depends on how the baby does with it...I am getting a little frustrated with nursing to sleep bc she gets so comfortable on the boob and loves it so much, that she KNOWS the instant I'm trying to get her off of it. Last night it took almost an hour to get her down, then she kept waking herself up and crying bc she rolled over and was mad she was on her tummy so I had to go in like 6 or 7x and nurse her back to sleep. This makes me fantasize about weaning. And tonight we are doing a bottle at bedtime so we can see if we can speed things up. DH can give her a bottle and she falls asleep in 10 mins. But on me, she doesn't want to leave the boob and it can get exhausting when my entire night is spent nursing her in the hopes of getting her down for the night! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751729 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:06:54 +0000 hilsy85 751729@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think if it works, it works! We had to stop doing it because LO would wake up in the transition to the crib and not fall back asleep. But if you are doing it and it's working for you and A, then I say keep on! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751677 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:25:47 +0000 honeybear 751677@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I nursed LO to sleep for almost 2 years. Every nap, every night! That would have sounded like a looooong time to me at the 6-month mark, but as LO heads toward 3 years old, it really doesn't seem long at all. LO self-weaned at just shy of 2.5 years. It was a gradual process, but he dropped nursing sessions on his own. We replaced the ones before sleep with back-rubs. First he wanted to nurse and then have a back rub, and later he just wanted a back rub. It was shockingly simple. ;) We never sleep-trained/CIO, but we do have a regular routine before nap time and bed. </p> <p>And I fully agree with@runsyellowlites: Things will fall into place naturally with time! The rough patches are almost certainly just that--patches. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751674 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:16:54 +0000 rachiecakes 751674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: agree!<br /> We always nursed to sleep and on demand throughout the night. I work full time out of the house and think we both needed that time together. When he slowly gave up nursing it was me that had trouble sleeping, kept thinking he would wake up to nurse. By 11 months we were done, I miss it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751642 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:05:23 +0000 googly-eyes 751642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@runsyellowlites: I'm really glad I read your post. Part of what makes me afraid of nursing #2 is that I attribute some of dd's good sleep habits to not nursing, but it helps to hear I put into perspective. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751586 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:46:46 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 751586@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is almost one and still nurses to sleep for naps.</p> <p>To be honest, I can't even think of a down side. We both love it!</p> <p>I believe breastfeeding is a powerful tool that extends beyond nutrition to comfort, and I intend on taking full advantage of the fact I can comfort my LO conveniently with my body. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751558 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:27:04 +0000 runsyellowlites 751558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've pretty much always nursed to sleep. At 7.5 months P decided that she didn't want to nurse to sleep &amp; started putting herself to sleep for both naps &amp; bedtime, but she has since picked nursing back up. I don't see nursing to sleep as an infant/toddler as a problem though &amp; feel that's the whole purposed design of the nursing relationship so I don't feel any need to stop it. We also don't sleep train so that's not an interference... During times of WW, teething, or sickness I just assume there will be sleep disturbances &amp; just roll with it. I guess after seeing G, who is almost 9, grow I realize that many of these things will naturally fall into place in the coming years. *shrugs shoulders* </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751546 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:14:23 +0000 Weagle 751546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think as long as it works it's fine! Sadly, it just stopped working for my LO. We then ended up in a downward nap spiral and she was exhausted. And I was frustrated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751541 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:10:28 +0000 mamimami 751541@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sleep trained my son which meant removing that association. But I think I've decided I'm ok with nursing my little girl to sleep. My ideas about that have sort of changed. Nursing to sleep is so natural. I think there is probably a reason for that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/talk-to-me-about-nursing-to-sleep#post-751536 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:02:18 +0000 Kemma 751536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For Mama's who nurse to sleep or have nursed to sleep in the past, I'd love to read about your experiences, perspective and wisdom on the subject - I'm talking advantages / disadvantages, time frames, did you sleep train etc.</p> <p>Miss A is just over six months now and used to be a reasonably good self-soother but lately I've resorted to nursing her to sleep rather than having her yell at me for up to an hour when I try to put her down with no nursing. I know part of our "problem" is that we're on the tail end of a wonder week, transitioning down to two naps, learning to crawl and cutting four more teeth but I'm wondering if I'm making a rod for my own back by nursing A down for so many sleeps.</p> <p>At this point in time Miss A is having two good naps a day and one night waking (which I'm ok with) so her actual sleep is fine and whilst I'm not at the point of sleep training or interested in CIO, I'm evaluating my plan of attack and options! </p>