Wakes after 40 min - what’s the alternative to bf?

[Arianna1]

I currently bf my 14 month old to sleep ; he wakes once or twice after going down lunch nap so after each sleep cycle , and I always have to bf him to extend sleep. I’m looking to stop bf but I’m unsure how I can help him sleep past 40 min at lunch nap without breast? He gets fully awakeX water doesn’t work, and rocking is too heavy

Hi there, I’m a long term breastfeeding mum so might be able to help, but equally might not! I fed DD to sleep for naps long term. She had the issue you describe until she was 15months, at which point she spontaneously started linking sleep cycles. When she first started linking cycles I would feed her, and when she started to rouse I would hold her a little tighter and rock her slightly but try not to feed her unless she came totally out of it. It was hit and miss for about a month. But once she’d had that second feed at 30 mins I could then put her down and she’d sleep longer, eventually managing a 2 hour nap. Then she no longer needed a feed at 30 mins, but would wake if I wasn’t holding her. Then she grew out of that too.

I’m not sure how to do it by stopping bf though. Generally I’ve found it best not to make two changes at once, so perhaps choose either weaning or nap extension and just work on one of those, then tackle the other once that has made some progress?