Breast feeding an sleep

[Jadie90]

Hi I'm looking for some advice on how to wean my son off my breast an also fall asleep without it. At the moment he only has breast to settle for a nap or bedtime. But I don't know how to wean him off an settle him without. Have tried milk from a bottle but he just refuses.

Watching as I have the same issue.
My DS is just 5 months. How old is your LO?

His just turned 1. So his on his solids an rating great. But just feel it's time he came off breast especially when it's only to get to sleep. Don't want to be getting him to sleep with breast forever 🙈

The gentle way yo do it is to start of breastfeeding to nearly asleep (not fully asleep) and put baby down in the cot before asleep.

There's a technique to doing this, it's not a simple matter of "Just put baby down" initially.

(1) With baby in a breastfeeding cradle hold, unlatch and wait to make sure baby is calm and not about to start crying. Give it a good few minutes in your arms (pref still, because rocking creates additional problems)
(2) once in your arms, unlatched from breast, calm but not fully asleep, go to the cot. Cot sides are a problem here. Ideally a sidecar cot is easiest (one side removed off the cot and wedged up to your bed) because there is no leaning over cot sides.
(3) with baby in your arms, bend at the waist make it to that you lower to the cot mattress with baby not moving relative to you. So baby stays in cradle hold at your chest while being lowered with you. By the time baby touches the mattress you want to be parallel with the mattress yourself, still holding baby to your chest. Not sure how well I've explained that?
(4) as baby is laid on the mattress, you stay close and start some shushing.
(5) place your hand on baby's chest quite firmly - your aiming to replace the weight of your body/presence with your hand.
(6) wait. Stay completely still at each stage, shushing if needed. Don't be afraid to go back up the "steps" if baby is distressed and start again. Don't move on to next step until baby is calm
(7) slowly pull your body away as baby goes to sleep in the cot, but leave your hand there.
(8) gently pull your hand a way and leave once baby us in a deep sleep

Slowly, over time, you start the process with baby a little bit more awake each time. The ultimate aim us yo breastfeed baby away from the room they will sleep in, then put down while fully awake and baby settles by usingypur hand on their chest for reassurance. It's a long, slow process to get there though.

Following...my baby is 14 months and has breast milk before bed. Doesn’t fall asleep on me and rolls around in cot for while then self settles. I don’t know whether I should introduce cows milk before bed or not!?

@FATEdestiny thank you for this detailed explanation. My DD is 6mo and currently BF to sleep (and wakes a couple of times a night for a comfort feed). I’m back at work in a month, so have been trying to wean of the breast for sleep - and it’s not been going well.

When you say a long slow process are you talking weeks rather than days?

Thank you

@FATEdestiny that doesn’t work with an older baby that has to have the cot in the bottom position as they can stand though! Literally impossible for me to do that with my almost 9 month old, let alone a 1 year old.
We are also far too big for a cradle hold and we are 0.4 centile!
I’m sure it’s a good technique for younger babies but not toddlers.

At 14 months I decided to stop feeding to sleep. I did this by giving her a last feed downstairs and my husband took her up and rocked her in the rocking chair until she fell asleep. That was three months ago and I've only had to feed her to sleep once (due to illness). She's fine with being rocked either by myself or my husband.