OK remind me why it is so terrible to feed a baby to sleep..

[skidaddle]

DS is nearly 8 months and I always feed him to sleep. To me it seems an easy and lovely way for him to go to sleep and i have no problem with it. However, I hear about how terrible it is from everyone around me I am starting to wonder if I should do something about it. Will he really never learn to fall asleep by himself? Will I really have a nightmare when I stop BF him and he has always associated sleep with a BF so can't settle himself?

Or should I just ignore this CONSTANT barrage of advice and carry on as I am? Any success stories warmly welcomed!

Have had 4 breastfed to sleep babies with no problems at all. For me it was the best bit about feeding - having a baby drifting off to oblivion attached to mum. Eldest is 21 and not a filling in sight

hiya googledoogle

BF is very low down on the risk of dental decay, however a small amount of milk does touch the teeth, the saliva decreases during the night so protection is reduced, it isn't only strep mutans that causes decay. Giving a bottle and not brushing afterwards is much much worse, but anything other than water entering the mouth is "fuel" FOR ORAL BACTERIA TO METABOLISE INTO ACID AND POTENTIALLY HARM (sorry) teeth. The dental decay arguement is not a strong one but is a fact nonetheless.

There was a little girl on City Hospital that had most of her milk teeth removed and they said it was from falling asleep on the breast all the time. I now believe it was just something about her rather than it being a risk we should all be stressing over IYSWIM

Hi mears. You wouldnt like me to start posting about extended feeding, sleeping at the breast or co-sleeping would you?? and who would have thought!!!! I'm supposed to be in the attic doing a clearout!

I've always fed to sleep too. Actually, in the last month or so DD (who's almost 10mo) has stopped dropping off at the breast and tends to be wide awake for another 20 mins or so before I rock her to sleep. I think they naturally stop doing it at some stage (or you stop breastfeeding...whichever comes first!).

I have coslept with two babies (just started with a third too ) and breasfed to sleep, both went into their own beds at 12 and 15 months no problem, I feel like sticking a giant two fingers up to everyone who said "making a rod for your own back" "they will never learn to sleep on their own" "they will still be in your bed at age 5" I feel sorry for people who have never experienced having a wee warm body snuggled up to you rooting for milk it's lovely.

i feed ds to sleep, he is 3.3. it takes about 5mins.

dh sings ds to sleep. it takes about 20 mins.

Both of mine stopped going to sleep when fed as they got older - about 7 or 8 months(ds1) and maybe 9 or 10 months (ds2).
Ds1 then had to be rocked to sleep for ages, wouldn't then go to sleep with no-one else in the room till he was 16 months. Now sings himself to sleep. Ds2 no problem at all with going to sleep by himself.
Don't think I did anything different...

Will he really never learn to fall asleep by himself?

nope, never, you will have to go to university with him and boob him to sleep.
you'll be there on honeymoon between him and his new wife, boobing him off to night nights

wow, thanks all - i think that is a unanimous vote for carrying on as I am. I have been getting all the feeding him when he's going to university comments, habloodyha, but armed with MN expertise I shall continue to feed him to sleep for as long as we both want, hurrah

skidaddle, just say "how many uni students do you know who are breastfed to sleep?" none "Well, precisely!"