Stopping breastfeeding but stuck ...... also feeding baby to sleep

[absandme]

I know everyone said don't do it but I loved it! I feed my baby to sleep & gently put her down in her cot.
Any tips for stopping this?

Also she's now 7.5months & I'm ready to stop breastfeeding but she struggles taking the bottle ......... any tips on timing or how to get her to take the bottle?

It's sad to end breastfeeding but I can't go on forever ......

You won't go on forever, but how about keeping going until 12 months? What are your reasons for stopping now? Do you have to, when it will involve such a struggle for you and your dd?

Why do you have to stop? If you want to that's fine but just wondered? I'm still feeding my ten month old. But that's a side issue I guess.

Okay, DD used to feed to sleep. She stopped, quite naturally, but you can try the pull off method. Basically when the baby is sleepy you use your finger to detach them, they will try and root and recapture the nipple a few times, each time you give them a bit more milk then take them off again, in the end they get tired and just flop asleep in your arms.

Personally I don't see anything wrong with feeding to sleep other than it means you have to be there each night but there are worse things than cuddling a yummy sleepy infant aren't there?

I thought of expressing so she gets my milk for 12 months, I get embarressed feeding infront of friends I know I shouldn't but generally I feel ready & wonder if it will be worse at aged one. I've gotta start one day! Just as a start I'd be happy if she took the bottle............

don't feed in front of friends if you feel uncomfy. By 9 months many are down to only feeding morning and night so it won't be an issue for very long. Don't worry about feeding to sleep lots of us have done it and now have children that go to sleep fine on there own

We skipped the bottle and went straight to a cup. Took a couple of months but she's really getting the hang of it now, and gets excited when she sees it. Mine just stopped feeding to sleep herself - you'd put her down and bang - wide awake again. Now she has a feed until she's sleepy, then a story, and bed. We pat and shush at the moment until she's asleep, and are working on slowly reducing the amount of this we do. I can see progress - just slow - but we are doing this the way we like it. Mine's 10 months, by the way.

abs - feeding to sleep. I find if DD is not exhausted she will drink her fill then lie back and look at me all sleepy. I can then lift her and move her to the cot. The first few times she cried out a couple of times but fell asleep before I was out of the room.

If she falls asleep on me I do the same as nipplesonfire said. I do wind her when I pick her up as this stirs her a little it helps in that she is not completely asleep when I put her down.

I found that by doing this rather than putting her down and sneaking away she is less likely to wake up after 45mins looking for me as she remembers me putting her down.

As for stopping feeding - you will soon not need to feed her as often so if out with friends you could offer her a cup of expressed milk instead. I very rarely have to feed in public now - although I still do but not really through desperate need to stop her screaming in hunger iykwim.

If you transfer to bottles you will have to wean her from them later as well so you will go through it twice instead of once. Try and go straight to a cup if you do stop feeding.
HTH

Gosh I've never winded DD - but I too feed till she is too sleepy to protest and then put DD down.

If you feel uncomfortable feeding in front of your friends don't do it - I have a few I feel uncomfortable with and I just either excuse myself and go elsewhere or not feed her. That's not to say you should have to and honestly it might be worth just saying to them 'does this bother you' because they will probably say 'no, we'd rather you fed her than had her scream continually thanks'. But I do know what you mean.

If you really want to stop, reduce the feeds gradually and go straight to a cup. DD has a water cup on the go all day - she still drinks tons of milk though. She's just a thirsty baby. The ones from Tommy Tippee in pastel colours (£2 in Sainsburys) have sort of areole shaped nipples on the sippy bit and DD took instantly to them - refused all other cups and bottles though. I think these are more booblike.