BFing for comfort

[SundayGirlB]

I admit I do this for my 3 month old, and bf to sleep....I say 'admit' because I get the impression this is a Very Bad Thing. It's just such an easy and lovely way to calm him/get him to sleep etc and feels so natural. He wakes 2-3 times in the night which feels normal for his age and in the day feeds every 2 hours and maybe a quick snack now and then once in between. Everyone talks about not being a dummy for him etc etc but is this such an issue?

Am I setting myself up for a bad time in the future or is this just another weird western obsession with not 'spoiling' your baby?

[SnuggyBuggy]

It's not a bad thing to do. It's biologically normal behaviour for a baby

[seeyounexttime]

I think it's another Western obsession with spiking your baby, definitely. I BF DD1 til she was 18 months including for comfort, I am currently doing the same for DD2. I did a few things which people told me would "make a rod for your own back" (bedsharing, babywearing, etc) but none of them have. Follow your instincts and trust your baby- you both know what's best for you.

[seeyounexttime]

And by spiking, I mean spoiling obviously!

[Bourbonbiccy]

You can never spoil a baby with love or affection and it's not a bad thing to comfort and help them feel secure and safe.

There will come a time when you want to implement a routine and how and when you do that is completely up to you.

[Mintjulia]

I don’t see the problem. You’ll have a happy reassured baby. I bf my ds to 18 months as well, then he lost interest.

[ThePolishWombat]

It feels natural because it is natural.

Your baby is displaying biologically normal baby behaviour.
Western society just has this deeply ingrained, weird idea that you can “spoil” a baby by providing its basic needs: ie feeding on demand whether it be because the baby is actually hungry or just comfort sucking!

Ask yourself this: what is a dummy?
It’s an artificial nipple. A dummy was invented to mimic a breast. So instead of giving babies a boob when they want one for comfort, they were given a dummy - and for some weird reason that’s more socially acceptable even though the baby is still displaying the exact same, perfectly normal behaviour!!

[Sally7645]

100% normal and natural. I'm still BF my one year old. I fed to sleep for months, in fact I still do to a degree for naps.

She now sleeps through with no issues but I was feeding at least once in the night (back to sleep) until about 2 months ago... go with what feels right, don't listen to the while 'you'll make a rod for your own back' thing x

[SundayGirlB]

This is so reassurong thanks for your replies! I figure he will just lose interest when he is ready.

Wombat - totally agree re the dummy! He doesn't like dummies or bottles so boobs all the way haha.