Nursing to sleep - 7 month old

[Drowsybutawakedoesntexist]

I am fully breastfeeding and recently started adding solids. My baby has always fed to sleep. Mainly because I havent able to settle him any other way since birth. Drowsy but awake is just not something he has ever done. It’s either awake or full meltdown. I don’t understand how to introduce a routine. All books say feed as soon as baby wakes up. But for me it just means I will feed when he wakes up and feed to go to slees because he refuses to sleep without nursing. He won’t sleep when tired. I tried. He can stay awake for more than 6 hours if I won’t nurse. Even rocking doesn’t help. I still spend 40% of the day on the bed nursing. It takes me 2-3 hours to put him down for the night. He sleeps for 4 hours straight and then from then on it’s wake up every hour.

During the day he takes 2-3 40 minutes naps. I tried extending the naps but he refuses to go back to sleep. The thing is he is capable of self settling as when he is down for the night he sleeps for 3-4 hours straight.

I’m exhausted. Nothing I tried works and I tried every single thing you can find online.
I can’t go on like this and this is really affecting me now.

Has anyone had something similar and has any advice?

I am in the same boat with my 9 month old. She will only fall asleep in the pram/car/nursing. She screams if I or anyone else tries to rock her! I’ve tried introducing new “sleep cues” (a muslin to put between us whilst she nurses/to cuddle in the pram, same lullaby song that I play on repeat on my phone until she’s off & the same story before bed).
In the day I’m just using the pram to get her to sleep only. Making sure I play the song & give her the muslin. Then at night I put the muslin between us as she nurses on the bed and I play the song. The plan is that she’ll associate these other sleep cues with going to sleep and so I can gradually remove the nursing to sleep :) she’s getting much quicker at falling asleep so it’s a start!!

Also I co sleep which is a massive help with the exhaustion but I know that decision isn’t for everyone x

I was thinking of introducing a sleep cue but I forgot to mention I also still have to swaddle because other wise he wriggles so much and won’t fall asleep even feeding. Once he is asleep I unswaddle hom. Sometimes he inswaddles himself. He would turn from side to stomach and get frustrated! Maybe I can try just have a toy near or something.

I have started co-sleeping after midnight which does help to an extent but lately even that is starting to get on my nerves...

This heat is not helping either!

Re swaddling have you tried a sleeping bag instead? Swaddling in this heat seems like madness...

I thought a light swaddle is thinner than a sleeping bag? Maybe I should get a very thin one....

This is unfortunately the scenario with most breastfed babies. Mines is 4 months old, fed to sleep every time, can do a three hour stretch to begin with maybe then up every hour. The association is the boob to sleep, before 4 months he sucked his thumb and fell asleep him self sometimes or I could put him down drowsy and he would get comfortable and go to sleep, 4 months hit and this all changed. I genuinely believe the only saviour is co sleeping, something I didn’t actually want to get into but I definitely feel more rested if I’m honest. Mattress on the floor, boob out all night I don’t even sit up anymore and when he wakes just position him and drift off myself. I’m not in love with the idea as sometimes he is a restless sleeper and actually kicks me etc lol which means I can’t sleep but il work in pushing him further away from me when he isnlike this. I think you need to ride t out until baby is big enough to really understand no more boob through the night and that will help wean off by otherwise unfortunately “this will pass” is all we can hope for xx

I got a Muslin cloth sleeping bag from TK max. Still signals bedtime for my 3 month old but isn't too hot for her.

It's very normal and if it works, why is it a problem?

Just wanted to offer a handhold as I'm in the same boat with my 8 month old. DS has always fed to sleep (although will fall asleep in buggy or car but not feasible to do that as frequently as required) and he wakes every 90mins-1.5hours all night and requires feeding to then get back to sleep. Very very difficult but co-sleeping has made this much more bearable. Appreciate not for everyone though.

Tried the whole put down drowsy malarky but was never going to work with a baby like mine who is super alert (not always in a good way) and very nosy about the world around him.

Wish I had the magic solution!

I have fed both of my babies to sleep, DD just gradually grew out of it by the time she turned one, so I did the same with my second. DS is 16 months and still wont sleep without BF so I don't have any advice but am following for any tips you get.

I know DS doesn't need it as when I am at work he will nap for my mum (albeit with alot of walking and rocking) but when I am there it's BF or meltdown. We co-sleep and he also still feeds through the night.