do your nursing 3yo's only nurse to sleep?

[caught a star]

I don't want to complain. I do find myself wondering though... do all 3+ aged bf children have to be nursed to sleep? I see mother's here still nursing well after the third year, and with more than one child... how do you do bedtime?

I have one child still nursing at 3 1/2 and we always nurse to sleep-- bed and nap. Will this change without my leading?

Thank you.

[Meiri]

I think by that age, DD was starting to fall asleep some of the time without nursing.

It would have been hit or miss though. I was probably still nursing her most nights.

[SereneBabe]

I'm pretty sure that Maya has never, ever gone to sleep at night or for a nap without nursing.

Most of the time, this is just fine. Sometimes it's tough because the rest of the world doesn't understand why it's really important to me to be home around her bedtime.

That said, most mothers I know nursing older children only do it sometimes and sometimes their nurslings fall asleep in other ways. God bless 'em.

--Heather

eta: Maya is almost 4.5. And, YES, even though it hasn't happened for me yet, it WILL happen with Maya leading me. :-) (Eventually!)

[roblauerin]

Originally Posted by caught a star

I don't want to complain. I do find myself wondering though... do all 3+ aged bf children have to be nursed to sleep? I see mother's here still nursing well after the third year, and with more than one child... how do you do bedtime?

I have one child still nursing at 3 1/2 and we always nurse to sleep-- bed and nap. Will this change without my leading?

Thank you.

I wish I had an answer for you, but we're in the same boat DD is almost 3 & she cannot fall asleep without nursing before naps/bedtime. I'm all for child led weaning, but it would be nice for her to fall asleep without me once in awhile so I could go out or if I had an emergency or something. DH can't even get her to sleep, she just wants to play or cries like crazy if I don't give her *nummies*,(when my aunt was in the hospital last year, I got home around 11 pm, she was still up screaming & DH was not happy). So, I know how you feel )

[Thompson'sMommy]

My DS still nurses to sleep some nights. It just takes preservierence (sp) on my husbands part. I do agree that it is hard at times as I am not able to be home every night due to my step mom having cancer and my dad needing me to be there at night to help.

[aran]

Yes... almost.

DS1 will go to sleep without nursing if absolutely necessary, but he must be crazy-tired and it usually takes a long time with someone rubbing his legs, helping him keep his hands still etc.

[Mammy Julie]

Adam (almost 3) went through a stage where nursing made him more alert and would actually stop him falling asleep when he was about 18 months old. At that point I'd nurse him for a while and then lay beside him till he fell asleep. Then when he stopped napping through the day he was so tired by bedtime that he started to fall asleep at the breast again and has done most of the time since. On the rare occasion he does have a nap hes more likely to fall asleep without it though. The downside of this is if he falls asleep nursing hes more likely to wake up and want to be nursed back to sleep which is fine most of the time but there are occasions when its frustrating and tiring for me (as he doesnt always latch on properly when hes sleepy it can get uncomfortable and means going back to sleep isnt an option). I have taken steps to try to help him find other ways of falling back to sleep although Im not going to night wean him. If he wakes its ok to nurse but I also take a snack and a sports bottle of water to bed as | think sometimes hes waking through hunger/thirst as much as a need for comfort so he has that option.

[honeybee]

I still nurse my nearly 4 yo to sleep. When ds2 arrived, dh and I did tag-team parenting. I would nurse ds2 to fill him up, then I would nurse ds1 to sleep while dh walked ds2. If ds1 did not fall asleep in a reasonable time and ds2 wanted me, then dh lay down with him while I took ds2. Ds1 was also not night-weaned, although he usually slept through. But, if he woke up he wanted me. But if ds2 was already nursing he would have to wait. If he could not wait quietly, then dh would take him back to his bedroom (usually screaming). I would go to him and nurse him if I could, but often I was occupied with ds2 until after ds1 cried himself back to sleep (in dad's loving presence, not cio). Eventually, ds1 asked for dad when he woke up, and would fall back to sleep for dad. Now he is going through a phase where he comes into bed with us and MUST sleep next to me. But, he no longer asks to nurse when he comes in. He just crawls in and goes back to sleep. Meanwhile, ds2 actually NEEDS to walk around with dh for awhile to fall asleep... but, it's rare that dh can put ds2 down and have him stay asleep, so then I nurse him back down. But if I try to nurse him to sleep before he gets his daddy time, it doesn't work.

Ds1 can fall asleep without me, he just generally doesn't choose to. A couple of times he stayed the night at his nana's house (his idea) and went to sleep fine with nana. But, otherwise, he insists on waiting for me... even if nana's babysitting at our house.

It was tough for awhile, but things've worked out, and dh being forced into taking on more of a night parenting role has been good for our family as a whole.

[alegna]

At first I thought you were asking if that was the only nursing session of the day

Dd often nurses to sleep. BUT, when we all go to bed (at night) I often can nurse her a couple of minutes and then roll over and she will go to sleep on her own.

-Angela

[Peony]

DD1 only nursed to sleep until shortly after she turned 3 then she just stopped one day.

[annethcz]

My (CLWed) kids all started falling asleep on their own before their second birthday (some before their first birthday!). I don't know if I really encouraged this- we'd nurse before bed, but they wouldn't nurse to sleep.

My 3.5yo nursling hasn't nursed to sleep for years...

[Meredith&Alexander]

Alexander rarely nurses to sleep these days- maybe once every couple of weeks. he usually has quickish "night-night nursies" but that's before he goes to sleep, usually not in the bed.

But God forbid he try to wake up without nursing. It's like his morning coffee- he's useless without it!

[roblauerin]

Originally Posted by Meredith&Alexander

But God forbid he try to wake up without nursing. It's like his morning coffee- he's useless without it!

Erin is the same way. If I don't BF her the second she wakes up, she has a complete meltdown!

[momcnl]

Hi,
My DS 3 3/4 nurses to sleep every nap and night. He actually still nurses all night long along side my 17 month DD. I share the same belief as some other's have already stated...in time he will find his way away from his milkies and my breasts. Soem days/ nights are easier than others...but I still trully cherish this relationship
Belinda

[NatureMama3]

He doesn't NEED to be nursed to sleep, it's just so durn easy and quick that I usually DO. I'm not really big on waiting for hubby to get him down. I need my quiet evening time!

[cheenya]

DD is closer to five now than four and a half, last night was the second time I can remember since DS was born that she fell asleep without nursing to sleep, not that she didn't nurse before going to sleep, but then she stopped and I told her a story and then she fell asleep without nursing. She then proceeded to sleep through the night without nursing for the first time ever. I don't think this will be a regular occurrence yet, but I can see now that she might be starting to get ready to wean

Originally Posted by Meredith&Alexander

But God forbid he try to wake up without nursing. It's like his morning coffee- he's useless without it!

Yep, its just within the last 6 months that this has started to change for us, with advance warning I can now be gone in the morning and things will be fine - IF her brother is the first one she sees in the morning.

[BundleFishMama]

My almost 3.5 yo DD2 always nurses before going to sleep, but doesn't need to nurse "to sleep", if that makes sense. So, if I'm going out at night and leaving the kids with DH for a couple hours, I can nurse her right before I leave. I usually nurse her and then tuck her in bed (I think it helps that she shares a room with DD1, who has weaned).

DS (almost 16 months) does have to actually nurse to sleep, with me lying next to him, so I normally nurse DD2, tuck her in her bed, and then go lie down and nurse DS to sleep in my bed. If I'm going out, DH just gets the girls to bed and then lets DS stay up with him - he's finally at the age where he won't cry for me, he'll sit happily with DH and play or watch the ball game on TV with him, but he won't go to sleep until I get home to nurse him (usually - I think it may have happened once or twice that he fell asleep in DH's lap after a while when he was really tired).

[Himom]

I tandem nurse DS (4.5) and DD (2) for nap and bed. I'll do the kid who's more ready to sleep and the other waits with daddy.

[broodymama]

DS doesn't nap anymore but he does nurse every night before bed. He doesn't nurse to sleep, just as part of our good night routine and then he falls asleep on his own.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

dd is 4.5 and still nurses to sleep probably 80% of the time.