naptime/bedtime

[mom61508]

I'm curious how you Mamas start putting LOs down for nap and bedtime without nursing?

DD has always nursed to sleep for naps and bedtimes so I'm curious how to get her down without nursing. I'm needing a game plan

[Baby_Cakes]

Rocking!
Lets say DD just nursed and then didn't fall asleep but wants to play a little longer. After maybe 10-15 min of quiet play, she climb up into my arms and I rock her off to sleep. Combine with singing as needed. It's the only thing that works for her/me.

[spirit4ever]

When dd doesn't nurse to sleep, which is more and more these days, we just snuggle in bed.

When I'm not home dh rocks her to sleep.

[Megan73]

Right there with you.
DS is NOT falling asleep nursing more and more. When that happens being rocked by mama seems to do nothing - only DH will do. I"ll follow this thread with interest!

[Fluga]

Naptime is out in this house, gave up with that one some time around 16 months. Bedtime usually goes that I'll nurse her up to 30 minutes. After those are up I usually wait until she is switching the boob and comes off it herself. I put her into her crib and lay down next to her only soothing through the bars or by singing to her. She has come quite far, she seems to understand that now is time to go to sleep. I only leave her when she is either quite calm or then if she has fallen asleep.

Whenever daddy puts her to sleep he snuggles with her for about half an hour and then she goes to the crib.

It took quite a bit of work to get her used to being in the crib but something had to be done. Bedtime was taking 2-3 hours per night and we were both dreading it every time. We never left her to cry there but tried to make do with just calming her without picking her up

[wbg]

Either DH or I will just lie down next to her. With me she will nurse, but then pop off and roll over. Then she falls asleep a little while later.
In the day, if she has not fallen asleep within 15 minutes, I know that there is no naptime coming!

[CheriK]

Naptime -nursed them to sleep until they gave up their naps (at 2 1/2 and 3 1/2. . .and the baby better keep napping for a while longer)! Actually, losing the naps was a HUGE step in decreasing their nursing frequency, as they'd nurse down to sleep, and nurse upon waking up, so that cut out two LONG nursing sessions a day,

Bedtime -at some point, probably around 4 or so, they stopped falling asleep while nursing. For DS, it actually begin to seem like nursing was over-stimulating. They'd also gotten to the point where they wanted to talk/decompress at bedtime, so gradually we changed from nursing to sleep to nursing, then talking, then falling asleep while cuddling. It was partially child-led (they wanted to talk) and partially Mommy-led (they weren't falling asleep, so we started trying something else).

If I wasn't home, DH would rock, walk, or cuddle to sleep. Depended on their age. By 4, they could lay down w/ Daddy and fall asleep just as easily. Didn't seem to particulary miss that nursing if I wasn't there.

Oh, we have a family bed if isn't obvious!

[Baby_Cakes]

I'm intrigued buy this whole concept of lying down and cuddling. DD wants nothing to do with this! Could it be her age? She's just shy of 14 mo, but has never, ever been a cuddler. She won't lay back, she will either crawl all over the bed or sit up. Even if I keep putting her on her tummy or back, she just cries or keeps thinking it's a game.

I would love cuddle time w/her but she's soooo active, I've never been able to do it. Anyone else w/a child like this?

[riomidwife]

For bedtime, my LO would never have gone to sleep without nursing ALL the way down until about 24 months.....then sometime in there I decided I HAD to switch up the routine and as soon as he was just fiddling around at the boob and no longer actively nursing I'd unlatch him (which wasn't easy). We'd lie there and for a while, yes, he was very upset and wanted to be on the boob but I had to hold my ground, I was starting to loose my mind! Soon we started to nurse in the rocking chair next to the bed at bedtime instead of lying down, and that helped A LOT. After nursing both sides and lost of cuddling he'd transition relatively seamlessly to the bed. Now we just lie there together and he will fall asleep easily. He's 28 months now. Naptime though is an entirely different story!

[SollysMom]

Originally Posted by Baby_Cakes

I'm intrigued buy this whole concept of lying down and cuddling. DD wants nothing to do with this! Could it be her age? She's just shy of 14 mo, but has never, ever been a cuddler. She won't lay back, she will either crawl all over the bed or sit up. Even if I keep putting her on her tummy or back, she just cries or keeps thinking it's a game.

I would love cuddle time w/her but she's soooo active, I've never been able to do it. Anyone else w/a child like this?

This is my DS too (26 months). He always nurses to sleep or falls asleep in the car. Very rarely, he will unlatch himself when almost asleep then roll over and drift off on his own. But usually, he nurses until he falls asleep and then I have to wait a while to unlatch him and slip out of bed. It has been taking longer and longer to get him to sleep lately. If he's showing me he's not ready or just not tired enough, we'll get out of bed and go read or something until it's time to try again.