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Original poster

Does bfing your baby to sleep ALWAYS mean your in for major sleep issues later?

20 replies

plumcake · 11/12/2008 10:10

Just wondering! I bf my 14 week old ds to pretty much asleep, then try the NCSS gentle removal thing, rock him a bit and put him down with some more shhing in his cot. This seems to be the only thing that works and I just can't imagine him magically falling asleep on his own at this age... But I've read so many horror stories about the sucking to sleep thing. Anyone out there where this didn't prove a problem in the end? Would love to decide to stop stressing about it!

OP posts:
franch · 11/12/2008 10:11

No it doesn't plumcake - you're doing just fine, relax

shitehawk · 11/12/2008 10:13

No, it doesn't. Dd was breastfed to sleep until she was over 2 and has never had any problems sleeping - she's nearly 8 now.

Relax. You're not doing anything wrong.

shitehawk · 11/12/2008 10:13

No, it doesn't. Dd was breastfed to sleep until she was over 2 and has never had any problems sleeping - she's nearly 8 now.

Relax. You're not doing anything wrong.

boogeek · 11/12/2008 10:14

I guess it depends on your timeframe and what you mean by "in the end"?
Both mine fed to sleep until they decided not to at around a year. They then had a feed before bed. Dd1 weaned at 2 1/2 and has been a brilliant sleeper ever since she came out of night nappies. DD2 doesn't yet sleep through but is still bf and in nappies (she's 2).

moopymoo · 11/12/2008 10:15

He is still very little to worry about this imo. however, although I am a huge supporter of bf and have 2 ds who I fed for a total of 5 years i have to say that both mine were never able to self settle - ds2 is now 4 years and is still a nightmare sleeper. So maybe keep trying ncss but it can take months and months. Nothing worked for us! Sorry that is no help with you stressing, ds1 is now 10 and sleeps like a log...

seeker · 11/12/2008 10:18

No it doesn't. And don't listen to ANYONE who tells you otherwise.

PortAndStilton · 11/12/2008 10:25

No it doesn't. And it's not even something you always need to wait for years to resolve. DD is eight months, was bf to sleep for the first six months, and now goes to sleep just fine on her own.

fishie · 11/12/2008 10:30

don't worry, do whatever you need to to get him to sleep now. plenty of time to introduce all the other stuff. ds is 3.6 and it takes about 15 mins to get him to sleep now.

Original poster
plumcake · 11/12/2008 13:17

all things I wanted to hear - thank you X

OP posts:
cmotdibbler · 11/12/2008 13:22

Ds fed to sleep every night till he stopped that himself when he was one. He continued to feed back to sleep in the night until he decided to sleep through at 18 months. At 2.5 he is a bombproof sleeper, and unless he is really ill, never wakes up - easy to put to bed as well

Original poster
plumcake · 11/12/2008 13:25

Out of interest, what changed PortandStilton? Did you stop breastfeeding at that age?

OP posts:
ches · 11/12/2008 14:41

No it doesn't. The pressure to change something that works leads to a lot of upset thought. I felt pressure to stop it and it led to hour-long screamfest bedtimes and then bf to sleep no longer working. Once molars started around 15 months bf to sleep was the ONLY thing that worked and I was so grateful to have it back! Last night he went to sleep for his dad with no tears at all, like he used to before the molars. It took maybe 20 mins for him to fall asleep, though, whereas if he nurses first he'll be out in less than 5 min afterwards.

PortAndStilton · 11/12/2008 14:41

No, she basically just stopped falling asleep (or stopped falling deeply asleep) while breastfeeding. She still has one night feed and tends to feed back to sleep from that, come to think of it.

StarlightWonderStarlightBright · 11/12/2008 14:50

Don't be daft!

Greedygirl · 11/12/2008 23:17

You read my mind Plumcake, I was going to post something along these lines (although my DS is 1 now so we are a bit further down the line than you!) as all my friends seem obsessed with the idea of their LOs falling to sleep independently and I have been chilled up until now but finally succumbed to a bit of - OMGihavemadearodformyownback - type negative thinking the other day. So just what I needed to hear too. BTW Plumcake, we have left my DS with Grandma at bedtime and he will go to sleep without breastfeeding.

tumpymother · 11/12/2008 23:18

nah - I did it til he sent himself to sleep - prob when he was about 6 months.

mookickkick · 12/12/2008 09:10

I used to worry about this, but then DD started settling herself (between 3 and 4 months). Nothing to do with me. Just keep doing what you're doing

Original poster
plumcake · 12/12/2008 10:01

mumsnet is ace - thanks! the reason I was thinking about it is ds's sleep seems to be getting BETTER (now he can do a 4-5 hr stretch at the beginning of the night) and I even heard him wake up, squawk and fall back asleep on his own the other night. But it's hard not to doubt yourself when everyone else seems fixated on the into the cot-awake-thing...

OP posts:
StarlightWonderStarlightBright · 12/12/2008 11:22

Beware:

here

CuddlyUnderTheMistletoe · 12/12/2008 11:31

I used to breast feed my ds (now 9)to sleep and have never had any issues re sleep.
He has a bed time routine, gets hugged and tucked in then left to go to sleep by himself.
When he was a toddler he took to burbling singing himself to sleep which was lovely. Nowadays he yawns, farts and then he's off. Typical Bloke.

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