7wo bf ds, feed back to sleep or use dummy?

[smk84]

Hi! My 7 wo DS is EBF and if held will usually nap for around 2 hour stretches during the day . I can't keep doing this as have 3yo ds. Sling not really working well, so need to be able to put him down in his moses basket for naps. He will go down for around 20 mins, and then stir and wake. If I feed him he will suck for a few mins and go straight back to sleep, but this doesn't really seem helpful as it makes him fart and then I need to settle him, and I also feel like he doesn't need the feed. If I don't feed him, I try to rock him back to sleep or use white noise or a combination of these, but it takes about 20 mins to get him back into a deep sleep,and I can't always get him to go back down, and with DS1 around this isn't easy !! I haven't tried a dummy to get him back off to sleep yet, but I wonder if it's worth trying? Please can you share your experiences of this or any advice please? (p.s. he feeds well before his sleep, I offer him as often as he wants while he is awake - e.g. on waking, 2 breasts, then perhaps another, then a little top up before he goes to sleep). Many thanks.

As he's still so little, I would probably go with feeding him back to sleep on the basis that he might not need 'feeding' as such, but does need the comfort and reassurance of knowing that you're still nearby when he does wake up. This also sounds to be the easiest route for you!

Disclaimer: I have a 2.7 toddler and a 12 week old so am taking the easy route to everything! :)

thank you :)

Hi

I know you posted this a few days ago but I have a 8 week DD and a 19 month old DS. I EBF but do use a dummy. Sometimes she'll use it to go to sleep other times she won't but I found offering her one gave her the sucking she needed after she had been fed/winded/played with etc. had to try a few dummies before she found one she liked but now she settles herself most of the time and this week by pure luck she has slept through from her last feed about 10 to 6am. I'm sure this will stop now :-)

You're not actually feeding him back to sleep, you're comforting him by letting him suck on you as he would a dummy. Both are sleep aids which may have to be withdrawn further down the line, but IMO, the dummy will be the easier one to get rid of. He is still v little so it's a very personal choice, just my opinion... Hope that helps. :)

I offered dd a dummy for this reason at about 6 weeks. Sometimes she would take it, sometimes not. If not I would feed her back to sleep. She is 6 months now and i still struggle with her sleep and self settling but if she is tired she just needs a dummy popping in and she goes back to sleep quickly.
She doesn't need one every time to sleep though which is good. It's kind of a trial and error thing with her - a pat, a cuddle, dummy or feed.

I think dummies can effect a good latch sometimes though so keep an eye on that.

thank you everyone, good to know your experiences, havr tried a couple of times but he doesn't seem to like it !