How do I/should I try to stop DD feeding to sleep??

[Pastaalldaylong]

DD is EBF. I have always fed her to sleep and then placed her asleep or very drowsy into her cot. She did sleep through for a fee months but once 4 months hit she stopped. Shes now 6 months and still waking multiple times. I think more habit than anything. In the night, she will only go back to sleep if I feed her. She has also started to roll in her cot and I think this wakes her up too.

I feel like I should try to help her stop feeding to sleep and learn to self settle. Can they at this age? Ot if I dont, will she always want the boob to get to sleep?

My DS fed to sleep for every nap, bedtime and nightwaking until about 10 months. He then suddenly, with no changes from us, self-settled for naps and only wanted 1 night feed, though I still fed him to sleep at bedtime. I'd say just give it plenty more time and do whatever works to get you all the most horizontal time. Six months is very, very young in the grand scheme of things, though I can fully sympathise with the constant broken sleep.

I’d try to break the association a bit at this age, having fed all three of mine to sleep for years!! I did find it can get to be a strong habit.

Try putting a story then stroking hand (or similar) between the feed and bedtime in your routine first. Then you can work on using the stroking at night instead of one feed if you have the energy. It may be easier for your dp to do the change at first.

I wouldn’t go all out though, it only takes one bout of illness to regress so just do little steps that don’t take too much work. I’m writing this feeding my 2yo to sleep for her nap, but she has gone down at night without feeds for a year or more- we can use either.

Hi @Pastaalldaylong

We are in exactly the same position. Sleep went out the window at 4 months, and now at just turned 6 months it's all over the place still.

I ebf and feed to sleep during the night. I try rocking and shhh-ing her, but I give up quite quickly once she starts crying as her 5 yr old sister is in the next room and needs sleep as she is at school. So I normally end up feeding back to sleep.

I also want to stop this, but finding it so hard when I know that feeding to sleep will work!

We have tackled the daytime naps though. We used half term to try and crack it, (as she was feeding to sleep and then only nap on me ) and touch wood she is now going for naps in her cot, normally just being rocked for a bit.

It's so tough isn't it. Fingers crossed they start to come out of this phase by themselves!

Self settling is largely a myth and is perfectly normal to need BF back to sleep for a lot longer than 6m