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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

DS needs boob to sleep - any ideas?

17 replies

Flangelina · 04/04/2007 20:02

My 12 week old son only goes to sleep one of two ways - on the breast or in the pram. Consequently I spend a lot of time with my boob out. Has anyone experienced this and if so, what did they do about it? I have tried controlled crying (which occasionally works but only if I can be absolutely sure it is nap time). He refuses to take a dummy. Is there any chance he'll just grow out of it?

OP posts:

emkana · 04/04/2007 20:03

He'll grow out of it!

I have two dd's who always fell asleep on the breast.

Excellent sleepers now both (at six and three years old.)

Original poster

Flangelina · 04/04/2007 20:04

Oh that's great news. At what age did they grow out of it Emkana? And how long did you breast feed for? I have to go back to work at some point!

OP posts:

emkana · 04/04/2007 20:12

Now this is the part you might not like - they were both over a year old.

And I breastfed them both for two years.

Personally I am a SAHM but if you seek out hunkermunker for example I know there are plenty of women who combine work and extended breastfeeding.

Hope it all works out for you.

CorrieDale · 04/04/2007 20:13

Yep, he'll grow out of it. DS did this for months - can't remember how long. Regularly until he was, I think, 11 or 12 monhts. Sporadically thereafter until 15 monhts. Then I was able to put him in the cot awake but drowsy (like all the books recommend!) and he'd chunter himself to sleep nicely.

CorrieDale · 04/04/2007 20:14

BTW, the nighttime feed is the only one he's had for months and months now.

Original poster

Flangelina · 04/04/2007 20:15

Oh dear! It's not that I'm not prepared to carry on breastfeeding, but when I go back to work, the nanny/childminder will have to find a way of getting ds to sleep without me. Well, thank you anyway - it's very useful to know.

OP posts:

Original poster

Flangelina · 04/04/2007 20:16

Sory CorrieDale - our messages crossed. That one was in response to Emkana.

OP posts:

Quootiepie · 04/04/2007 20:16

I just went with the flow, he grew out of it. Just relax about it, unless it's causing major problems, there is no point getting worried about it for the sake of it. DS grew out of it about... 7/8 months I think.

Quootiepie · 04/04/2007 20:17

and that was co-sleeping aswell, so, he had every oppurtunity (sp??)

emkana · 04/04/2007 20:48

Flangelina, from what I've heard children can adapt to finding different ways into sleep with different people, so don't worry too much about that.

Jelley · 04/04/2007 20:52

ds stopped going to sleep on my breast at abot 10/11 months, and I am just stopping feeding him now (13 months)

Will your childminder have him at bed time?

DS also only ever went to sleep in the buggy during the day. He still does, but now doesn't need it to be moved at all if I'm not going out.

maximummummy · 04/04/2007 22:22

surely thats perfectly normal for a 12week old baby? i think that's a bit too young for controlled crying . When do you have to go back to work?

JodieG1 · 04/04/2007 22:24

Please don't use cc on a 12 week old baby
I wouldn't ever use it but it's not even supposed to be used under 6 months. My ds is 12 weeks tomorrow and I'm breastfeeding him, totally normal to bf him to sleep. Enjoy it and make the most of this special time, it does too quickly and the next time you blink he'll be running about and you'll be wondering where your baby went.

ChasingRabbits · 04/04/2007 22:25

perfectly normal. and when with other people they develop different routines. ds1 stopped it pretty early, ds2 still pretty much does (14mo).

ChocolateSucksWithoutSugar · 04/04/2007 22:27

It is soooooooo normal at this age.

You don't really mean controlled crying do you, surely? It's a very harsh technique not designed for a baby as young as yours (and I'm not anti cc btw, just at this age).

Original poster

Flangelina · 05/04/2007 12:02

ChocolateSucksWithoutSugar: Sorry, I don't actually know if I do mean controlled crying. Just once or twice I fed him until he was drowsy (as usual), put him in his cot and he woke up and started to grizzle. I left him for 10 minutes (but no longer) and he went back to sleep again. I don't like doing it even for 10 minutes though.

Jelley: No, no, the childminder won't have him at bedtime. I was thinking more of daytime naps. He is pretty grumpy if he doesn't get some naps during the day. But he/she can always use the pram.

Emkana: that's very interesting. Maybe my husband can get him to sleep another way because he isn't me!

Thank you everyone for your advice and for making me feel normal! I will promptly stop worrying about it. I should add that he is a dream baby at night (more or less sleeping through already) so no worries there at all.

OP posts:

maximummummy · 05/04/2007 21:25

glad your feeling reassured everything is normal but don't be surprised if baby goes back to waking in the night wanting feeding as babies do have a growth spurt @ 12weeks

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