Is it really so bad to nurse baby to sleep?

Question

I’m getting mixed messages and would like opinions. Please comment with details, your experience, age of your baby, and when/how you stopped nursing to sleep, if you’ve done so.

Answer

I love this so much.  I do it all the time and people were like no!
But yeah, this is my baby and I have limited time to experience this.
I’m gonna nurse my baby to sleep as much as he wants:)

Answer

Hi, so I nursed for 2 years and often nursed my daughter to sleep until maybe 18ish months. My reason for retraining was that I wanted her to go to sleep in her bed and that she had begun to wake up if I took her off. For example I would nurse her, she would fall asleep with my nipple in her mouth and if I moved she would wake up and start nursing again. This would happen even up to 30 minutes or longer. She almost never nursed more than 10 minutes (even as a newborn) so I was ready to stop that cycle.
I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing, but I was getting frustrated that I couldn't move so I stopped doing it.

Answer

It’s not bad at all, it’s natural for a baby to want to fall asleep like this. It does however create sleep associations so if you’re going to start this - be prepared to keep on going until you stop BF(!) My LO is 13 months and has nursed to sleep since day one. The only issue is that it seems to be the only way she’ll really fall asleep besides the driving/the car seat. This means for every nighttime waking, she “needs” me in order to go back to sleep. This can be frustrating because I’d like to see her soothe herself back to sleep. But I’ve created this habit/association...

Answer

It’s perfectly fine. Babies need mom for more than just food. They need you for comfort too.

Answer

So I just recently broke this habit ... my son co-slept with us from day one, always with my nipple in his mouth to go to sleep. He is now 7 1/2 months old and last week was a TERROR at night. I mean, up every hour, fussing, wouldn’t settle. When previously, he had been sleeping a solid 11 hours at night with me. He’s been napping in his crib for the last 2 months, and I just felt like he was ready. In one night, we switched from nursing in a side-lying position in my bed to upright in the rocking chair in his room. He never fell asleep. I laid him down when he was done and he went to sleep. We’re a week into him being in his crib, and he has slept 11 hours, with no night waking, since the first night. 
I just felt like he was ready, and that helped me make the switch. I was a nervous wreck the first night and spent the whole night staring at the monitor, and expecting him to wake up for food, and he just never did. 
Good luck, mama! Whatever you decide is best for you and your family, is what is best. You’re doing a great job!

Answer

My son is 7 months and loves to nurse to sleep but can also be rocked without nursing and he sleeps fine. I don’t see how it’s so terrible 🤷🏼‍♀️ and what are we supposed to do anyway, wake them up when they’re so peaceful and comforted?

Answer

No, it's not that bad. It can create a sleep association for some babies, which can be a hard habit to break for some babies. It's mostly people who are sleep training advocates who say it's bad. My baby had colic from 11pm to 5am for the first two months so I was happy with anything that helped put her to sleep. We nurse to sleep about 50% of the time as I find is an easy way to put my LO to sleep. It doesn't necessarily have to be at the breast, she will fall asleep with a bottle. The other 50% of the time we will use rocking, walking and\or music. Breastmilk has hormones in it that promote sleep, and these hormones rise during the evening and night. So breastmilk really is designed to help put babies to sleep.

Answer

They say you aren’t supposed to, but i did. Wasn’t going to try and wake him up. Plus we need all the rest we can get. He didn’t develop bad habits bc of it.

Answer

I’m nursing my 8 month old. She will only sleep with a full tummy. I have thought her to lay down while still awake to fall completely asleep. 
I nursed my older daughter until she was 2 1/2 years. Around 2 it was the only for the nighttime right before bed. They sleep better when they have that comfort.
Nursing 🤱 is so much more than food. They bond with momma too. I think it’s best to do it for as long as you can. They grow up so fast. Enjoy your little one while they are still little.

Is it really so bad to nurse baby to sleep?

Let's Glow!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey