only goes to sleep on the breast

Kerrie - posted on 11/30/2009

thank you so much for all your comments it is helpful just knowing i am not alone, and that i am not doing anything wrong, i will definately try these tips and let you know how we get on , once again thank you all :)

Sudha - posted on 11/27/2009

hey i didnt see melissa had tried the same thing and worked for her. by the way she will wake up in the middle of night and cry , dont pick her up and feed her, have to let her cry for a while. if she is crying for a long time then same method go in 5 minutes, ten minutes and put her back to her bed. i have left my little one crying for 10 to 20 minutes in the middle of night and she settled herself. this is hard but do it. its so peaceful.

Sudha - posted on 11/27/2009

Hi ya, my baby was doing the exact same thing around 6 and half months. I had to wake up nearly every hour and put her to sleep by feeding her, she would just suck for few secs and then fall asleep. what we tried is brought a routine, dinner,bath and then a bottle of milk. wait until she gets really tired and then put her down in her bed in her room. the first night wasnt easy, she cried for one hour.heartbreaking but we did it. we would go in 5 minutes,ten minutes,15 minutes give her a hug and then back to her bed. hey this is not easy....iam telling you. stick to the routine giv baby a bath every night just before going to bed, 3 weeks now iam telling you honestly she goes to bed at 8 and wakes up in the moring around 6.30 takes a bottle and then back to sleep. you have to be very strong to do this and you need a lot of support from your partner as well. all the best and let me know how you got on. it will work. dont give up and get stressed. i got so stressed and tired during the day and decided to mover her into her own room. it worked perfectly. now i can sleep and so does she !!!!

Desiree - posted on 11/23/2009

a dummy is a pacifier...fake nipple;-)

Desiree - posted on 11/23/2009

I asked my midwife and other care providers about this as my son did the same thing....they said don't worry about it! If thats what it takes to get them to sleep then thats what it takes. If it doesn't cause stress to you or her then its ok. My 7 month old did that until two weeks ago when overnight he didn't fall asleep like that anymore, he settled himself. I think he is finding out what works for him now:) Hope this helps, no worries.

Gretchen - posted on 11/23/2009

what is a "dummy"?

Sophie - posted on 11/23/2009

My eldest used to do the same thing, but with a bottle. Used to have bitter crying and fights, and some nights she'd stay up until 3am waiting for a drink to sleep with. But once she was walking I found she was so worn out at the end of the day she didn't need that comfort anymore. Once they get up and about and wear themselves out a bit, they go off on their own. Just wait it out, and try to avoid letting them sleep after a drink.

Melissa - posted on 11/22/2009

I had this problem with my son for awhile. We developed a bedtime routine and at first I admit it was really hard. We broke him of needing the boob to sleep in steps. First step.. we made a routine and stuck to it. He goes to bed at 7 every night. Hes to the point now where he WANTS to go to bed at 7. This is our routine: Around 6 he eats his last meal.. either the boob or food, whichever works. Around 6 30ish he takes a bath. 7pm he is in bed. 7 15pm he is fast asleep.
For a couple of weeks every night after his bath I would take him in his room, turn out the lights, rock him in the rocking chair and sing to him till he fell asleep then I'd put him in his crib. Once we got that down pat we moved to just putting him in his crib. The first couple of days were hard. He did cry.. but it was less each night.
I would put him down, rub his back, put on his music (he likes ocean or rain noise) and tell him it was "night night time" and then leave the room. Of course he would cry.. I'd let him cry for a few minutes then I'd go back upstairs.. didn't pick him up.. Don't pick them up.. I rubbed his back, told him it was "night night time" maybe even sang to him again... and left again. After a few days of this he got to where when you put him (Dawson) in his crib, he gets comfy (within seconds) and falls asleep.
Once you get them into a routine, its a miracle. I will tell you that Dawson is a great sleeper.. BUT when he first started to crawl he'd wake up for no reason in the middle of night.. I found out the hard way not to pick him up. I learned just to comfort him.. rub his back.. sing etc. etc. and he'd go back to sleep. It may go on for a few days but after that everything will go back to normal. This will happen again when they start pulling themselves up on things.
The main thing is once you get a routine and a schedule.. stick to it. And persevere. I know its super difficult not to pick them up and cuddle them when they are crying.. but if you stick with it.. they'll learn to go to sleep on their own!

Julia - posted on 11/21/2009

my daughter is 7 months and is still wanting the boob to get to sleep,and the same as yours she will scream without it. she still is waking 4 or 5 times a night and sucks for a minute and drops off but if i don't go to her she will not go back to sleep. i am hoping she will grow out of it i need a good sleep....she will only drink from a straw.

Jennifer - posted on 11/20/2009

Hi, my son is 7 months old and does the exact same thing. Won't take a soother or bottle...never has a I dont want to start now. I'm trying to get him really full before he gets too tired so that he wont want to suck too much, but so far it only resulted in him falling asleep once without me. He curled up to his daddy and drifted off. If you find anything really works that makes an easy transition for both please let us know!!
I would love the advice too.

Christine - posted on 11/18/2009

my daughter used to do only fall asleep on the breast too. But once she was 7months old (lastweek) she stopped falling asleep on the boob (on her own)..So last week during the day I started to put her down for naps when she showed signs that she was tired. she cried for a bit, but then settled down ( she sucks on her tongue or tries to suck on her fav. blankie). Don't be too concerned.. She will stop when she is ready. .

Charlotte-marie - posted on 11/18/2009

I have exacaly the same problem..my daughter same age, wont take a dummy or bottle lol and only will fall asleep on the boob...people have just said to give her time, shell soon start falling asleep when shes bigger and more active. I know it can be a pain but if shes in a routine i find it so much easier as she sleep at certain times now..prob dont help what i said but just letting u no u not only one and ano it can be hard xx

Laura Zoey - posted on 11/17/2009

she will break the habit eventually. mine does the same most times but is now begining to fall asleep sometimes w out me. dont push her and watch for clues on how she needs to learn to fall asleep. no rush. she loves u and knows she can count on u to comfort her.