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Parenting

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Original poster

My 2 year old still feeds to sleep

11 replies

AlltheLemurs · 15/05/2020 12:51

My little one has just turned 2. I was going to try and wean him off breastfeeding but then lockdown happened and he wants to feed all the time after only having milk at night.

He has always fed to sleep and has gone from being a very poor sleeper as a baby (up every hour for the first 2 months) to finally sleeping through the night. Is it a problem that he still feeds to sleep?

We have a lovely bed time routine at the moment and I worry that stopping breastfeeding would stress him out. However he obviously can feed to sleep for the rest of his life. If you fed to sleep how did you stop?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Tyrionsbitch · 15/05/2020 12:53

My dd is 18 months and still feeds to sleep. I'm not sure how to stop either, it's the only time she Fred's now but seems really reluctant.to drop it

Tyrionsbitch · 15/05/2020 12:54

Feeds not freds

Galvantula · 15/05/2020 12:56

No! Unless it's a problem for you it's absolutely not a problem. :)

I worried about it for my 3rd as the first 2 stopping coincided with me being pregnant again. She did stop gradually though. If she was asking to feed for longer than I wanted, we'd sometimes use "ok you can have milk until I count to ten then it's time to stop/go to sleep". Eventually it just gradually got missed some nights.

If you look up the "don't offer, don't refuse" technique that can be helpful too.

Interested in this thread?

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2 year olds Babies & sleep Children's sleep Families

fedupandlookingforchange · 15/05/2020 13:00

My DS still fed to sleep at 2, he's weaned at 2 years 9 months. I didn't offer but did refuse during the day. He just gradually dropped feeds and then missed some nights and then I had enough and told him they were empty and only made milk for babies and he was a big boy. Its been a tear free process but he goes still ask 2 months later.

Wombatstew · 15/05/2020 13:02

I fed to sleep past 2 and through the night when DS was getting his 2 yr molars. He ended up getting small cavities on his front 2 teeth. He only ever drank water and although the experts say it does not cause tooth decay, I know it did.

After the cavities formed I stopped feeding him to sleep and to do it I basically had to break the routine. I still bf during the day and he never seemed stressed about it. Basically I wore him out drying the day and then we snuggled up and watched a movie whilst he fell asleep for a few nights. I think it only took three but it broke the habit and after that he was ok and didn’t need it to drop off. I still cuddled him and laid in bed for quite some time after though!

Pandapotato · 15/05/2020 13:07

If you are happy, then it’s not a problem at all.

I fed ds to sleep until he was 2.5. By that point I’d had enough. I gradually decreased the last feed down to about 30 seconds each side. Then I told him the milk was gone and that we would cuddle to sleep instead. He was ok with it. Much easier than I anticipated.

Currently feeding ds2 and will continue as long as we are both happy.

KittenCamile · 15/05/2020 14:35

Am still feeding DS to sleep, he's 2 next month. Am worrying like you as he doesn't show any signs of letting up and won't go to sleep any other way. Day weaning was going well till lockdown so will restart slowly weaning when it's over. Help help I'm afraid just sympathy

Original poster

AlltheLemurs · 15/05/2020 16:43

Thank you. That is quite reassuring(but also worrying about the teeth). I did manage to reduce it right down with don’t offer don’t refuse but it went pear shaped during lockdown.

I don’t want to stop I just want to know that I can.

OP posts:

Eminybob · 15/05/2020 16:52

Not a problem to keep going for as long as it works for you.
But if you do want to stop this is how I did it; I stopped breastfeeding cold turkey at 15 months, so a little younger than yours but hopefully same principal. I had tried dropping feeds gradually but that didn’t work for us as he didn’t have any set pattern and at that time was just wanting to feed all the time.
So I just stopped and dh did the bed times. He just cuddled/rocked him/sang/read, whatever until he fell asleep then transferred to the cot. We had a nightmare couple of weeks where sleep got worse (well it didn’t actually get any worse, as he was waking a couple of times a night anyway, but it took forever to settle him without the boob)

But then it just clicked. He stopped waking up at all in the night which was a nice bonus!

I can now put him down if need be, but dh tends to do it as he has the knack!

Eminybob · 15/05/2020 16:53

Should have said above that feeding to sleep was the only way he settled before hand.

GeriGeranium · 15/05/2020 16:56

My 3 year old still feeds to sleep, and my godson and niece both did till they were 4. They stopped when they were ready to, with no real problems. I was about to wean my 3 year old just before lockdown but have kept going so he gets my antibodies. Keep going as long as you’re both happy with it!

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