Hellobee Boards

I nursed to sleep until lo weaned at close to 3! It worked fine for us. Once she weaned we changed the routine up a bit, going right into her room after bath for stories and cuddles and now that's the routine (after a week of adjustment) instead of nursing out in the living room. I think you have to start a new routine rather than just eliminating the nursing/rocking, at least that's what worked best for us.

No advice but just wanted to say we are exactly the same, our 9 month old gets rocked or nursed too. Sometimes I put him in the crib and he has played and then gone to sleep but if he cries I just go in and rock him. Planning to transition to lying next to him and cuddling when he's out of the crib.

I nursed him to sleep until 13 months. Then we rocked him for a couple more months and eventually he learned to put himself to sleep. Now at just over 2 we just put him down in his crib, say goodnight, and walk out. He puts himself to sleep every night and every nap. We never sleep trained. We just developed a really reliable routine that we always use.

My LO is almost 1yo & we still nurse/rock her before most sleeps. For bedtime it's her quality time with Daddy, who sings her songs while rocking her. Many nap times she'll either fall asleep nursing or I pace while rocking her in my arms until drowsy enough to put her in her crib, or sometimes all the way asleep. I'm not too worried yet that we won't be able to transition to a more do-it-herself kind of sleep routine, but I don't have a time frame for making this happen & we won't do any CIO to get there.

I still rock my 2 year old for 5-10 minutes a night but not to sleep. It's just our routine and then I lay her down and she will sing to herself or just roll around until she falls asleep. I don't know any kid who goes to college needing to be rocked to sleep. they're only this little for a short time, do what makes your life easiest and them happiest. There's plenty of time for them to be big kids that don't need you for anything.

I nursed my daughter to sleep for about 8 months, then we did a bottle in the rocking chair, and then it moved to reading books in the rocking chair. She is a great sleeper and at 20 months she knows the routine....goes right to the chair, picks out 3 books, and then gets down and goes to her crib. I loved that time I had with her nursing her to sleep.

Well.
You know I'm in the same boat as you, BUT.....I did the same thing with my now 4 year old. His sleep progression went like this....
0-24 months nurse to sleep (rock if DH was doing it)
24-28 months, DH took over bedtime. Rocked him to sleep.
After that he quickly moved him to starting out in his own bed and the transition was easy. I rocked him for longer when I did do bedtime, but Thats because By then I was pregnant and sappy about him no longer being my baby. From three on, one of us lays with him in his bed while we sing songs/say a prayer and then we get up and walk away and he's asleep in two minutes.
Never did any sort of sleep training. Ill add, when you have a nine month old, two year olds seem impossibly old and independent. But now, with a four year old, I see how much of a baby he still was. I Don't ever rock him to sleep now, and probably won't ever again, and I cherish all those nights I did.

@MrsADS: Piggy backing off of a couple of PP's, do you have any other routine for sleep besides rocking / nursing?
I would be sure to start incorporating that or continue with a very consistent routine. Something like:

Bath
Lotion
PJs
Sleep sack
Books
Sound machine / turn off lights
Rock / nurse

Then when you feel ready to stop nursing or rocking to sleep, you can just shuffle around and rely heavily on the other routine pieces / sleep cues. It might not be entirely painless, but it will help, I think.

@MrsADS: oh and as for daycare, don't worry they'll deal with it. They often do completely different things for different people. My in laws can just dump DDinthe crib and she never cries! We could never do that without a meltdown haha.

I nursed and rocked to sleep. My dd actually self weaned herself from it, never had any issues and she's been a great sleeper

I nursed DS to sleep until 20 months when he weaned. If he didn't fall asleep nursing I would rock him. After nursing I rocked him to sleep for a while. Then I'd just rock him till he was drowsy and put him down. Now at 3 (and since he got his bed about 7 months ago) we read a book and cuddle in bed and then I just leave and he goes to sleep.

When he started daycare he still nursed to sleep for naps (12 months) but he has always napped well there. They have some kind of sleep magic.

@MrsADS: We rocked DD for a few for a year!
We still hold her and sing 1 song before we set her in her crib, but she is awake 99% of the time!

DH does 75% of bedtimes and rocks her to sleep. She's too big & heavy for me so I just put her down drowsy but awake- same for naps- and she goes right to sleep. DH rocks her for naps also.