Different ways to settle bubs to sleep at night?

[Jeclipse]

Just wanted to know some different things people do at night to settle bubs to bed.

Atm I am Breastfeeding Heath to sleep, it doesn't bother me but I'm worried that there may be long term affects from it and it will be the only way to settle him IYKWIM.

Really need some advice on how else I could get him down for the night.


TIA:)

[Mamalicious]

Hey there :wave:

I don't breastfeed anymore, but DS has been fed to sleep someway or another since day 1, and at 8.5 months he is more than capable of going to sleep on his own. :)

He likes the cuddles, as long as he has a quiet place and a cuddly pair of arms for a few minutes to cam him down and get him feeling a bit cosy and snuggly he's out to it.

As they get older they learn how to sleep.

Something I used to do was when he was almost alsleep and just randomly sucking on my boob was to take it out and just lie together for a few minutes then I'd pop him into bed. :)

I remember thinking the same thing when he was little, that this would be the only way for him to sleep. :yes:

[ikis84]

I wouldn't worry about it TBH :) They really do change as they get older... you may find it comes to a point that he just won't feed to sleep anymore.

If it's not broke, don't fix it IMO.

[KapowSchazam]

Feed to sleep is the way to go IMO! Calming for bub AND mum! :thumbsup:

Happy hormones all round please! :D

[Freya]

Like ikis said it will come to a point where he won't need to be fed to sleep anymore... Kaidayn is only fed to sleep during the day now at 8 months. I miss it though.:(

[OJandMe]

Cath, honestly....

don't worry about it.

Nurse him, rock him, cuddle him. They are only little for so long....


And it won't be the 'only way to settle him' I don't know a single 4 year old still being breastfed to sleep. :D

Enjoy it while you can. Enjoy the one on one with him.:yes:

[Jeclipse]

Phew!

Thanks for all your replies, so glad to know that!

I enjoy feeding him to sleep, I love it:D
Pity they can't stay little forever huh!

[Pixie]

I am still feeding Eliza to sleep for her day sleep and her night sleeps and when she wakes up in the night usually once she is 21 months old. She has never really self settled from 4-6 months I did manage to keep her awake into her cradle and rock it to get her to sleep but it didn't last.

Now well I prepare the room I also have a chamomile heat pack and I warm that up and put it on her bed to make it smell nice. I give her a bath in calendula milk & chamomile to calm her and relax her then in the evening we only have low lights throughout the house and we do jigsaws and reading or quiet play until she is ready for bed.

When she was Heaths age I just let her sleep whenever lol she was a good sleeper.

I am worried when she will self settle but only because I have another on the way!

[mazzie]

We used to roll her crib (although we usually co-sleep) but have stopped because she will be going into her cot that has no wheels.
So if she's not sleeping with me (then I just feed her to sleep or cuddle her and she nods off) I have been wrapping and holding her close and patting her back and rocking my body until she nods off.

[metalhead713]

To be honest, although its nice once they are settling themselves, they do stop (usualy) on their own accord, even though I like the extra sleeps I acctually sometimes miss those late night and early mroning feeds where she would fall asleep all dreamlike drunk on the milkness lol its soo cute. My dd stopped way too soon :( but at least it means :sleeping:

You could try just some calming music and place them in the cot/bed/wherever they sleep awake, and rub their belly or whatever will calm them, a relaxing bath with lavender oil or lotion etc. whatever works. DD used to sleep in a bassinette next to my bed and id rock her in that, it worked most of the time.

[dragonflyblu]

I bf to sleep, but lately Clea has fed then rolled over and layed awake for a few minutes and fallen asleep with me lying next to her. But some nights its rocked to sleep in dads arms with music playing.

[stellarella]

My experience of feeding a baby and now a toddler to sleep is that is works every time and it works quickly. Fool proof and no stress method. :yes:

I see no reason to stop doing it. They don't do it forever.

Sometimes Oscar just takes himself to bed (on his little sofa in the loungeroom)....and the other times (which is the vast majority of the time) he just plays happily until he decides its time to sleep, then he comes over to me, indicates he wants to breast feed and promptly nods off.

I let him decide when he is ready to sleep, this way we have no stress, no struggles...it all works seamlessly. :hugs: