finished BF, now FF so how to I get him to sleep?

[vsmuma]

we can come to the end of BFing my DS is nearly 6 months, BF ending is earlier than I wanted but i'm ok with it.

my only problem is that my DS got used to going to sleep on the breast and I dont know what to do to try to get him to sleep. there is still some milk but its dring up very quickly because my DS has been in hospital recently and needed to be starved and other factors.

anyway could someone please give me some advice on getting him to sleep another way.

I'm not sure that I can offer much help as I've no experience of this, but I'm not sure that it would be any different if you're using a bottle - can you not feed to sleep with a bottle?

Or perhaps just continue to BF to sleep and use formula for the rest of the time?

With DS1 I would feed him to sleep while playing some "sleepy" music which got the association going. Later he would just fall asleep to that music and now at 6 years old he still gets heavy-lidded when I put that CD on . Maybe if you can keep the BFing going while you set up an association like this it would be a way to move from one way to another?

HTH and well done for getting to 6 months. Hope your LO is ok now.

If it is just the suckling which helps him to fall asleep then perhaps you can continue to do that after a FF? TBH though I agree with carrots that a move to another from of sleep association might be best. 6 months is probably a good time to move to more independant sleep associations - easier for both of you in the long run. Until I went on holiday recently I always gave ds a quick suckle in his bedroom before putting him down half asleep. He was so jet lagged when we got home that this was not necessary and as he has "recovered" from the jet lag I have simply continued to just give him a little cuddle and put him straight down with a little music and all has been fine.

Good luck - I hope whatever took your LO in to hospital is all resolved now.

my DS has a heart condition, it hasnt been ressovled and looks like he is going to need open heart surgery. the condition has meant that he has never really stopped demand/ constant feeding and it was really wearing me out, i have a toddler as well.

he wont fall asleep with a bottle he just finishes it and then starts looking for the boob, even if he has left milk in the bottle so obviously full. last night was the first time during the night I tried to give him a bottle and he kept turning his head trying to get my boob!

we used to cuddle my ds1 to sleep until about 7 1/2 months and then we would put him down and let him grissle for 10 mins until he fell asleep.

Oh - I'm sorry - that's tough for all of you I'm sure you are worn out - emotionally and physically.