Breastfeeding to sleep/sleeping through the night 😴

I stopped feeding my son to sleep last month (he was 17mo). He was fed to sleep for every nap and multiple times overnight before that. We stopped cold turkey and it was difficult for him for a few days, but after that, he got used to it. We co-sleep, so when he woke, I just patted him or cuddled him until he settled. I also keep a glow in the dark water bottle in bed, in case he gets thirsty. He never took to a dummy or any kind of lovey. About a month on and his sleep is much better. He's never been a good sleeper, but now he'll only wake once or twice and will sometimes sleep through the night. He still breastfeeds throughout the day, we just don't feed to sleep. It would be worth trying to stop feeding overnight. Maybe try at a time when your partner can help out. The first few nights could be quite tough. Good luck!

@Jasmin this is really helpful, thank you! We also co sleep and I already try to pat or cuddle her back to sleep but she much prefers the breast and doesn’t settle without 😩 I think it’ll be a hard few weeks but I’m thinking of just going cold turkey and finding new comforts to help her…I’m willing to try anything for more sleep, I’m so tired! 🙈

My son is only 8 months (today) but I stopped feeding to sleep about 2 months ago & as of 2 weeks ago I haven’t breastfed. He went from waking every 3 hours on the dot, now he only wakes once in the night (sometimes 2 times but really close to the morning). I used to feed to sleep when he went through teething I stopped this by working with wake windows and making sure I didn’t feed him when he was ready for a nap I either fed him after he woke or in the middle of his wake window. Now we never feed to sleep. I dunno if this helps you at all it’s just what managed to work for us. We usually use a dummy (for naps ONLY) but the past week he hasn’t wanted that at all and goes to sleep on his own. Your baby is much older than mine though and I’m sure it’ll be harder for you than it was for me. I guess you just have to try a bunch of different things to see what works best for you and baby!! That’s like the story of my life 😂 trial & error!! Goodluck! 🤍🫶🏽

My daughter was the same. I stopped breastfeeding in the night (still co-sleep) and literally the next night she slept 12 hours all the way through. My daughter was a bit older so I explained “no more milk” but I let her cuddle me and touch my tummy/skin which was a comfort for her. She honestly wasn’t that bothered about it.

I will say I have heard of *some* women saying that cutting night nursing didn’t help baby sleep through the night 🥲 So if you try it and it doesn’t work, just know you’re not alone! I’ve heard of women easing off, as in maybe the first night stopping nursing at say 3am. Next night stopping at 1am. Then 11pm. Then 9pm. Etc. and putting band aids or a snug bra on boobs. Also know that it might be really easy or really tough. It might look different and your baby may still wake for comfort. Nursing is comforting to little ones and it’s a normal way for them to regulate while in bed. But, it’s also your decision when to stop. Best of luck!

So glad I made this post, you’ve all been helpful, thank you 🫶🏻 I am definitely going to try it and see how it goes, I know it’ll be tough but hoping it’ll be worth it!

Ahh I’m in a really similar situation with my 11 month old! I’ve been so hesitant to wean her as at the moment it’s literally the only way she’ll go down for a nap or sleep at night 😭 unless in the pram or car seat. Does anyone have advice on how to put them to sleep without feeding them? 😅😅

Mine stopped on her own slowly from 16months to 21months and that's when she sttn