[bc1995]

My 3 yo ds still nurses to sleep for every nap and at night. He also wants to nurse back to sleep when he wakes during the night. Other than falling asleep in the car, he always nurses to sleep. I am just wondering when he might start going to sleep on his own occationally?

 

[callmemama]

I can't remember when he actually stopped nursing "to sleep". I just remember that at age 4, he nursed every night at bedtime (I can't remember when he started rolling off before he fell asleep), then at age 5, he started really stretching out the time between nursings - like 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[luckymama]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lurk.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lurk">:

 

[chel]

My dd nursed before bed on a regular basis until 4.5yrs. I think she was around 3yrs when she stopped falling asleep at the boob. Now at 5yrs she nurses about 1-2x/week. Many a night, Dh will cuddle her to sleep, as I often am up late cleaning or talking to long distance friends during the "free time" on my cell. Dh normally goes to be earlier than dd and I so when dd wants to turn in early Dh is normally willing and often happy to have someone with him. dd has no problems with this and most of the time does it without asking about nursing.<br>
I know most people aren't excited about having a child that needs a parents and/or nursing before bed, but it works with our life. The switch to not needing night nursing was gradual with the times getting spaced out farther and farther over time. I see the same thing happening with dd's need to sleep with someone. There are some times when dd falls alseep on the sofa and we put her into bed while Dh and I stay up. dd has even asked to go to bed and fell asleep so quickly that Dh and I would stay up. I'm not sure how dd will ever leave our bed but I'm not worried. From very early I did the "don't ask, don't refuse" method for nursing. So if we all climb into bed and she doesn't ask, I don't offer. Some believe this might lead to early weaning. I'm not that concerned, and I don't think it has hurt our nursing relationship. dd has always been one to choose nursing over food, but it's something you might want to think about if you are concerned with weaning.<br>
As for naps, she was a big car sleeper, I actually kept books for me in the car so I could read while she napped. We lived on a second floor apt and there was no way I could carry her up without waking. When at home she would sometimes accidently nap if she nursed when the "stars were alined" but mostly wouldn't nap after nursing in the afternoon. So for her it was more giving up naps then trying to get her to nap without nursing.<br><br>
So I'm living proof that dc will "learn" to fall asleep without nursing just fine on their own. I'm marking on the calendar each time dd nurses as I don't know if it will be our last time. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/happytears.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="happytears">:

 

[stafl]

DD1 (now four years old) stopped nursing to sleep around 12 months. Then started back up about six months later, and ever since then sometimes she nurses to sleep and sometimes she doesn't. She's nursing maybe once every week or two nowadays, but sometimes she'll nurse a lot more often for no apparent reason.<br><br>
DD2 (22 months old) has never *needed* to nurse to sleep (she's one of those mythical "easy" babies you can just lie down and they go to sleep on their own without a fuss), but I choose to do it because it's just easier that way when I want her to go to sleep and she doesn't think it's time yet.

 

[wasabi]

DD#1 stopped needing to nurse to sleep around her second birthday. My milk was starting to dry up and she had dropped all her regular nursings except the nighttime nursing. One night I was having a bad day and it was taking forever and DH told me to leave and he'd give the nighttime routine a try. She was asleep a few minutes later and he's put her to bed ever since. DD#2 is another one of those babies who can frequently put herself to sleep pretty much from the start. I usually nurse her to sleep but sometimes if she's almost asleep and then something rouses her like our cat this evening then I can leave and she'll go to sleep on her own.

 

[nicema]

It was my question of the day, until I found this thread. Ds is 3 and always nurse to sleep at night and nap, when he gets up in the morning and almost every time when he gets up from nap, except when my mom is around visiting, and goes pick him up from nap, then he "forgets" he needs to nurse. I even thought that it would be impossible for him to sleep without his "maymees", until for the first time in 3 years last week I went out for dinner with a friend and dh stayed home with him. I told them I would be back for bed time, and to my surprise when I got home ds had just fallen sleep. Dh said it wasn't very easy, but it happened. Now I know it is possible! It is probably a matter of time!

 

[AnnR33]

I still feel a little guilty about my DD's weaning...she was 2 yrs old and nursed 3x per day and always before bed. I went on a overnight trip with some friends (total of 24 hrs gone) and DD stayed with DH. He said she never fussed or asked for it at all (sniff, sniff on my part)<br>
When I got back she never nursed to sleep again and weaned very shortly after <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> It was bittersweet.<br>
Not saying you should go on a trip <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1"> but maybe letting your child go to bed with DH/partner when you are away for the evening might help? Out of sight out of mind worked well with my DD at the end...and I'm glad it was never a negative experience for her.<br>
Good luck<br>
Ann

 

[Ruthla]

Ds nurses before bed every night-sometimes he nurses to sleep, other times he nurses and then snuggles to sleep.<br><br>
He stopped nursing to sleep at naptime when he stopped napping <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1"> He still nurses around what used to be naptime but he no longer falls asleep (except once in a while.)

 

[SagMom]

The bedtime nursing was the last one my kids dropped. It was a gradual thing--maybe we'd be in the car and they'd fall asleep that way, or they'd be particularly tired and fall asleep during stories before they'd gotten to nursing. The bedtime nursing gradually got shorter and shorter, to the point where it was just a nip and then we'd snuggle until they fell asleep. So, for us, nursing to sleep stopped when they weaned.

 

[TiredX2]

I don't know when DD really stopped nursing to sleep. I know that she wasn't relying on it by four.<br><br>
DS still nurses to sleep most nights but if he can't DP can "hold him to sleep."

 

[hottmama]

My son is 2.5 and transitioning away from his nap- on the days where he does take a nap, I usually nurse him to nap- unless we're in the car, or on a long walk with the sling. At nighttime he occasionally nurses to sleep, but if we go to bed together, he does not. The times he nurses to sleep at night are times where I'm busy doing something else- he'll fall asleep nursing on the couch or wherever. It's been since turning 2 that he'll fall asleep at home without nursing, although he's been doing it since 12 mos. at his dad's house (he's spent 1-3 nights a week there since his first birthday).

 

[babydoll]

dd stopped nursing to sleep at 31 months. This was the last nursing time she kept and when that was over she was weaned. She still asked occassionally up to 35 months, but by then my milk was dried up and she would put mouth the nipple and pretend and say "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm that is GOOD mommy milk"