https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:17:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties/page/2#post-592138 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:17:37 +0000 littlebittyhouse 592138@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Kemma: ha ha ha it's true though! They can't pick anything up or play with their hands! </p> <p>I remember the first time he was inspecting his fingers - I just about screamed "he has hobbies!" Such a turning point when they are like 8 weeks old. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties/page/2#post-592023 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:33:22 +0000 Kemma 592023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebittyhouse: your comment about hobbies cracked me up, I just had this vision of babies playing golf or knitting :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-592012 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:29:51 +0000 cascademom 592012@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Ohh, I can't wait. We're still on the fence about CIO. We attempted it at 4 months to screaming being ramped up. At 6 months, we're ready for him to self soothe and get a full night's rest without our help. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591740 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:21:03 +0000 babynumber1 591740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: I know it was directed at Mrs jacks, but we didn't CIO and LO naturally started STTN at 8 months. I coincided with her crawling. We had to start putting 4-5 paci's in the crib, and when she woke up she would pop on back in her mouth and go to sleep. </p> <p>@ladyfingers: The first 2 months is survival mode. You are learning about the baby and they are learning about you. Do whatever works. We nursed to sleep as an infant and had zero trouble with transitioning to laying down awake but drowsy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591717 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:14:16 +0000 wheres_c 591717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: looking forward to reading them. SO and I are currently in a huge disagreement. I am anti cio, but he is pro cio. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591605 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:29:17 +0000 littlebittyhouse 591605@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: trade down sleep associations! </p> <p><a href="http://www.isisparenting.com/page/webinarssleep" rel="nofollow">http://www.isisparenting.com/page/webinarssleep</a></p> <p>Allows you to tend to your baby, not cry it out and get sleep. It seriously works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591594 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:27:30 +0000 littlebittyhouse 591594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Until they are 16 weeks/4 mo old they are not able to form sleep associations! weeks 3-8 are the hardest because they are awake more but don't have any 'hobbies.' You spend most of your time feeding, soothing or tending to them so that they are not fussing. Vestibular motion helps a ton and babywearing comes in handy. Put them in the carrier and bounce on an exercise ball! Swaddling helps to muffle their startle refex so that they will stay asleep longer (wake ups usually happenbecause of an arm flail) </p> <p>Check out <a href="http://www.isisparenting.com/page/onlineclasses" rel="nofollow">http://www.isisparenting.com/page/onlineclasses</a></p> <p>Free webinars on sleep and breastfeeding. They are about 20 minutes long and so useful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591581 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:25:37 +0000 immabeetoo 591581@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: I'm very interested too! I don't mind the night wakings but definitely want to help him fall asleep more independently as he moves past " the fourth trimester" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591571 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:21:07 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 591571@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@cascademom: I'm working on a series of posts, but it's seriously like inventing a new sleep method... so I'm still tweaking things and revising the method with friends' babies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591427 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:40:14 +0000 cascademom 591427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Can I ask a question? How did you get your LO's to STTN without CIO. We've followed Happiest Baby since colic set in around 6 weeks. We're at 6 months right now and ready for him to self soothe to sleep for the entire night. If you don't CIO or rock to sleep, how does the baby learn to self soothe? I'm really curious as both DH and I would love an 8 hour block of sleep a night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-591405 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:35:46 +0000 shellio 591405@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Jacks: Sorry, not trying to put words in your mouth! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590549 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:09:35 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 590549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@shellio: just to be clear, I was agreeing with most posters about soothing the baby with rocking, feeding and movement. Babies need to learn how to self-soothe in a healthy way, and their main role models for doing so are their caregivers. What I really meant was that at time when the baby was already in a good sleep or very drowsy and happy, that it's good to put them down if you can bear it, so that they can see what it's like to be comfortable by themselves too.</p> <p>I'm not a huge fan of scheduling the youngest babies. I feel like their needs lead until about 16 weeks or so. That's a time when the CIO crowd can do their thing if they so choose. We didn't like CIO for either of our girls, though our second could have done fine wih it! I do like starting to put a stronger structure in place at this age :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590388 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:44:27 +0000 shellio 590388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a different opinion from most of the posters, and I agree with @Mrs. Jacks: We put our baby to sleep on his own all his life, although in early days he did sometimes fall asleep in peoples' arms and we would usually leave him. We implemented a nap schedule very early, woke him if he was sleeping longer than we planned, and didn't keep him awake longer than 30-60 minutes as a newborn. There was sometimes crying when we would put him down, so I guess we were doing CIO although it never felt as awful as it seems to be for many other parents, any crying usually only lasted a few minutes. I think doing this really helped him start sleeping through the night early, since he knew how to soothe himself to sleep - he is a restless sleeper and when I watch him on the baby monitor, I think he wakes up sometimes, but just goes back to sleep. Anyway it worked well for us, but it seems like many people try to hold the babies for their naps and that works for them. </p> <p>@ladyfingers: Good for you for sticking with BF'ing. I hate to say it but I had pain for several weeks, and after that it was still painful off and on until I stopped at just over a year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590375 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:27:36 +0000 DillonLion 590375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: hang in there! I know exactly how you feel with nursing not being enjoyable and being a constant, two handed feat. I swear it will get better. We are just now getting into the 'blissful, easy, relaxing" type nursing that I always associated with nursing. It was such a shock to me when that wasn't our experience from the beginning. Now that we are there, I am SO SO glad we stuck it out and got to this place. It is so worth it, I promise! It even makes it sweeter now knowing how hard it was in the beginning.</p> <p>To answer your original question, think of this time as survival mode. you do whatever it takes to get that baby asleep, fed, and clothed. However you have to do it is fine. The baby won't get spoiled. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590341 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:58:03 +0000 sarac 590341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can certainly understand not nursing to sleep if your latch is painful. Nursing for comfort like that needs to be beneficial and enjoyable for both parties to be a healthy thing. I can also say that other people are able to put my babe to sleep. Her father snuggles her up and talks about their day. Her grandmothers and babysitters snuggle up in bed and read books. She isn't dependent on the boob to sleep, unless I'm there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590267 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:51:22 +0000 BeachMama 590267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had to bounce LO to sleep for the first 3 months. She would cry and cry if we put her down. We sleep trained around 4 months and now she sleeps amazingly. We are able to just put her down and she falls asleep on her own. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590257 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:43:05 +0000 mrskc 590257@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: aww I'm sorry you're having such a roug time. Those first few weeks are hard. I luckily didn't have much pain but it was still hard having a baby attached to my boob all day long. I remember week 3 being soooo brutal. He seriously nursed every hour, sometimes even less, ALL day long for a week. My husband would come home to me crying every day. 3 weeks was by far the worst week ever. Around 4 weeks it stared getting easier. Hang in there! You're doing great. </p> <p>@PrincessBaby: I nurse LO to sleep but our nanny is stil able to put LO down for a nap. It took a little bit of time for her to get the hang of it but now he goes down easier for her then me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590218 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:06:25 +0000 Kemma 590218@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: @hilsy85: the first few weeks are just so hard, aren't they?!</p> <p>@ladyfingers: that's awesome that you're still persevering with breastfeeding and you're starting to find it a wee bit more comfortable, I found that around six to weeks was when we really started to get the hang of it (and I could start to have a free hand!)</p> <p>I'm not sure if anybody else has mentioned it but have you tried nursing lying down? That might allow you to slip away once LO has gone to sleep and you wouldn't have to change baby's position.</p> <p>Also, do you have any friends or relatives who could pop round for an hour just so you can get a wee break? Even if they took LO out for a walk while you grabbed a shower and some food, that might help :-)</p> <p>Hang in there Mama, you're doing a great job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590207 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:00:08 +0000 PrincessBaby 590207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@hilsy85: Yes, I am worried her Nanny won't be able to get her down for a nap and she'll be miserable! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590203 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:57:31 +0000 sera_87 590203@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: +1xmillion </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590198 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:52:06 +0000 hilsy85 590198@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: I was the same way (painful latch, physically couldn't handle LO being on my boob all the times he just wanted to comfort suck) so we introduced a paci and it worked really well. he didn't become addicted to it and now at 4 months we only use it at night, and it didn't impact breastfeeding. </p> <p>@sarac: the main reason I feel like I wouldn't want to make nursing to sleep a habit is my fear that it would prevent anyone else from being able to put LO down! Otherwise, i would totally welcome the baby snuggles, which are few and far between now :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590192 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:47:35 +0000 ladyfingers 590192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: I'll gladly nurse him to sleep but I have a problem constantly nursing him to soothe because, despite seeing 4 different LCs, DS latches shallowly and it can be quite painful to nurse. It's getting to where it doesn't hurt as much, but it's not as physically possible for me to just pop out a boob as it seems to be for so many women. We're just now getting to where it only hurts for a few seconds and its somewhat tolerable to nurse. I'm also having some mental issues with nursing him all day long - he's on each boob for 30 minutes and if I pop him off once he stops swallowing and falls asleep, he immediately wakes up enraged. Then if I let him come off in his own, the second I put him down, he wants back on. We're on our 3rd day if this and I'm so tired I can't complete sentences, I haven't showered in 2 days, and I can't even eat (nursing is a two-handed feat right now). DH helps when he's home but all day it's been hard while he's at work.</p> <p>Not to get off topic. But nursing isn't always an easy thing for everybody, even if its what's right and what works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590160 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:23:48 +0000 mrskc 590160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: I will gladly nurse my baby to sleep for as long it works for the both of us. :) I love the snuggles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590152 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:21:02 +0000 heffalump 590152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was always about letting LO do what she wanted to get to sleep. It took her 8 months of needing movement to sleep until she would sleep in her crib. When she was a newborn she would only sleep in my arms, and then as she grew older she would sleep in the swing, stroller, or car seat, and then all of a sudden she became a good crib sleeper. Yes, it took her awhile, but that's just what she wanted. DH and I were never a fan of CIO, so we just let her do what she needed to get to sleep. </p> <p>And now at 19 months she's an awesome napper. She loves to nap, she tells me when she's ready for a nap by saying "night night" and if she doesn't say that then at nap time I say "are you ready for nap time?" and she gets a big smile on her face and says "night night!" So I change her diaper, put her in her crib, and she goes straight to sleep. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590148 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:14:35 +0000 immabeetoo 590148@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: my LO hasn't nursed to sleep since he was three weeks :/ I'd happily do it if he would but it doesn't work!</p> <p>We were so focused on starting good habits when he was tiny and proud we could put him down drowsy... It made no difference once he was out of the sleepy newborn phase! He never slept on me and would only sleep on my husband or his crib after that and now he's in a phase where he only wants I sleep on me. My mom always tells me whether something's working or not it'll change soon anyways an so far she's right! Don't over think it and do what feels right. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590126 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:45:44 +0000 sarac 590126@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I still nurse my 17 month old to sleep, and it is one of my favorite parts of parenting. The benefits I've gotten from it have vastly outweighed the downsides. If it works for you, I suggest doing it, and continuing until you feel done. I personally have no idea why so many women don't want to use this tool they have right at their disposal. I hear all about the rocking and shushing and CIO-ing they have to do, and I really struggle to comprehend. I would nurse my child to sleep forever before I chose to deal with that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590107 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:28:36 +0000 littlebug 590107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ladyfingers: At our 1-month appt (on Monday), I asked the ped the same Austin. She'd said it's way too early to form habits, and for now, keep doing what we're doing cuz it's obviously working (he sleeps for 5-6 hours when we first put him down). Same as what ppd have said: you're in survival mode, so do whatever you need to get as much sleep as possible, for you and for Baby! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590034 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:29:21 +0000 ladyfingers 590034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ok thank you for making me feel better! I've been doing what feels right so I'm glad to know it is :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590021 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:19:00 +0000 Mrs. Jacks 590021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Early on is when you are teaching your baby to self soothe! They need to learn these skills from you in order to successfully put themselves to sleep later. However, if there is an opportunity to put them down while they are sleeping, take it! Not because you are a mean mama or anything, but because it teaches small amounts of self regulation in a no-cry situation. We put #2 down a lot more and the differences were evident early on. Those naps out of our arms made a huge difference in giving her confidence to sleep without us. We were unable to do this with #1 because it was all so new to us. We wanted to hold her and we interpreted any amount of fussing as crying :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/will-nursingrocking-newborn-to-sleep-cause-later-difficulties#post-590014 Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:16:05 +0000 mrskc 590014@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PrincessBaby: my nanny rocks him to sleep. She's never done a bottle to get him to sleep. I don't think it's conflicting for me to nurse and her to rock. Everyone has their own way to get him to sleep. My DH has his way too which is with a paci. </p>