Stopping feeding to sleep - 9 month old baby

[agirlcalledvicky]

DS is 9 months old and has always been breastfed to sleep for his morning and afternoon nap and at bedtime. I really don't mind this as it works, I am at the moment at SAHM and he's a good little sleeper (sleeps about an hour in the morning, same in the afternoon and 12 hours at night). However I am starting to wonder what the hell we will do when I (and my boobs!) go back to work part time in 3 months.

My partner is also going to work part-time when I go back and will have DS three days a week. I will finish late on my two days at work and DS will have to go to bed before I get back from work. Should I start now in weaning off feeding to sleep? And if so how??? Or as he has such as strong association with me and feeding to sleep carry on as we are doing now and let hubby find his own way of getting him to sleep at bedtime and naps when he takes over? I also would like to continue breastfeeding when I go back to work if its possible with my long hours.

Sorry if this is rambling, its really starting to panic me and any advice or experience much appreciated! Thanks!

I had the same fears about DD1 as she could only really go to sleep when fed to sleep for quite a while. However, when I went back to work and she went to nursery, the staff there managed to get her to sleep for naps just fine - I think with a bit of rocking. I was amazed, but they do adapt.

The other thing to remember is that your ds will be a very different baby in 3 mnths time. Your dh will find his own way - it may well be that yor ds no longer wants to feed to sleep at night by then (it stopped working with my ds1 at around 9 months - still going strong with ds2 tho...) Seriously, don't panic, and don't spoil your precious last months at home with lo by trying to fix something that isn't broken!

Second that DH will find his own way. And it may often be more effective than yours

I was in very much a similar position when DS was 9 months. He was also a crap sleeper at night so I started to address it by using Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Sleep Solution. She describes a 'pull off' technique, plus other ideas and it worked well for us. DS wasn't feeding to sleep by the time he was 1 unless he was exhausted. I recommend it if you really want to change things.

However, BF then stopped having its magic soporific qualities and there are lots of time when I look back fondly etc etc, so also agree that not doing anything is also likely to be fine.

DS took quite a while to go to sleep happily in childcare, and I did find this stressful when I went back, but that's more about him than anything else and he got there eventually.

Thanks soooo much for your replies. My gut feeling was also to carry on as we are doing as it is working nicely and to be honest I love our snuggly sleepy us-time when I am feeding him off to sleep. I just have my Mum nagging in my head about "rods for backs etc" - she thinks its silly feeding him to sleep still but I think he's still a tiny baby and not ready to go to sleep on his own. I don't really want our last 3 months at home to be tearful and stressful trying to wean him off the boob.

I think we will just see what happens when DH takes over, as you say he will hopefully find his own way. I do have the No Cry Sleep Solution which we looked at in the early days - I think we will revisit it for ideas again.

Thanks again!