Top 47 How To Get Baby To Stop Using Breast As Pacifier 8014 Good Rating This Answer

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The Gentle Method to Stop Being a Human Pacifier for Your Baby. When you put your baby to bed (or in your arms or wherever he goes to sleep), I assume with the bottle or breast, let him suckle for a while until he is almost asleep. But right before he actually falls asleep, release whatever is in his mouth.Nursing for comfort is a normal, expected part of development. As newborns, you may notice your baby does more of this when they are tired or overstimulated. As an older baby, you may notice more comfort nursing if they are scared or hurt. Breastfeeding is nurturing, and babies feel safe when they are close to you.Another way to stop comfort nursing is to breastfeed your baby after he wakes up, not before falling asleep. As easy it is to put him to sleep by nursing, this also encourages the habit of nursing to snooze. Instead, feed him after he wakes up.

5 Tips for Night Weaning Your Toddler
  1. Make nursing part of the bedtime routine. …
  2. Gradually reduce the length of your overnight nursing sessions. …
  3. Increase quality time during the day together. …
  4. Get your partner involved in overnight feedings! …
  5. Talk to your toddler – and gently tell them no.
How to Break the Feed-to-Sleep Habit
  1. Feed your baby at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
  2. Put your baby to bed drowsy but not asleep.
  3. Don’t go cold-turkey if your baby currently wakes between four to six times a night.
  4. Don’t panic if your baby falls asleep during a night feed.

Why does my baby use my breast as a pacifier?

Nursing for comfort is a normal, expected part of development. As newborns, you may notice your baby does more of this when they are tired or overstimulated. As an older baby, you may notice more comfort nursing if they are scared or hurt. Breastfeeding is nurturing, and babies feel safe when they are close to you.

How do I stop my baby from comfort nursing?

Another way to stop comfort nursing is to breastfeed your baby after he wakes up, not before falling asleep. As easy it is to put him to sleep by nursing, this also encourages the habit of nursing to snooze. Instead, feed him after he wakes up.

How do I get my toddler to stop using my breast as a pacifier?

5 Tips for Night Weaning Your Toddler
  1. Make nursing part of the bedtime routine. …
  2. Gradually reduce the length of your overnight nursing sessions. …
  3. Increase quality time during the day together. …
  4. Get your partner involved in overnight feedings! …
  5. Talk to your toddler – and gently tell them no.

How do you break the habit of nursing to sleep?

How to Break the Feed-to-Sleep Habit
  1. Feed your baby at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
  2. Put your baby to bed drowsy but not asleep.
  3. Don’t go cold-turkey if your baby currently wakes between four to six times a night.
  4. Don’t panic if your baby falls asleep during a night feed.

Can babies be addicted to breastfeeding?

While there are no clearly discovered compounds in human milk that convincingly lead to chemical addiction (aside from maternal medications that may cross over), there is indisputable observational evidence that infants breastfeeding or bottle feeding mother’s milk reach a state of complete relaxation and level of …

Is it OK to let my baby comfort nurse?

Many mothers feel guilty for breastfeeding their baby for comfort or as they drift off to sleep. Breastfeeding your child to sleep and for comfort is not a bad thing to do– in fact, it’s normal, healthy, and developmentally appropriate.

Is my baby hungry or comfort nursing?

Check how your baby is sucking

Check how he’s sucking. If he latches on well and takes long, drawn out pulls, then he’s likely hungry and actually eating. But if his sucking motion is shorter and shallower, then he’s probably sucking for comfort.

Why does my baby want my breast all the time?

It is just down to the levels of fat in your milk (and fat levels change throughout the day) and the amount of milk your breast can hold at each feed, as well as how your baby is feeling. Most babies find breastfeeding very comforting and, just like if we feel upset a hug can do wonders.

Do you lose weight when stopping breastfeeding?

You will burn some stored body fat, but your body protects some fat for the purpose of breastfeeding. Many women don’t lose all the baby weight until they completely stop nursing.

Why do babies love breastfeeding so much?

Lactose (milk sugar), the main carbohydrate in breastmilk, is distinctly higher than in cow’s milk, making it very sweet, and providing the energy required for rapidly growing brains and the development of the infant’s central nervous system. Breastmilk is supremely digestible.

Is my baby feeding or using me as a dummy?

Rest periods are also a normal part of breastfeeds. Some babies like to stay on the breast at the end of their active sucking bouts and continue to passively suck. Passive sucking is also referred to as non-nutritive or comfort sucking, or ‘using you like a dummy’.

Is my baby hungry or using me as a pacifier?

How can you tell if your baby is waking from hunger or habit? Check how he’s sucking. If he latches on well and takes long, drawn out pulls, then he’s likely hungry and actually eating. But if his sucking motion is shorter and shallower, then he’s probably sucking for comfort.


Breastfeeding tips latching and sucking | Feeding vs comfort sucking | baby feeding pattern
Breastfeeding tips latching and sucking | Feeding vs comfort sucking | baby feeding pattern


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Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting

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Primitive Pacifiers

Modern Day Pacifiers

Suck Reflex

Fulfilling A Need

Feeding On Demand

Comfort Nursing

Post navigation

Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! - Dianne Cassidy Consulting
Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting

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How to Stop Comfort Nursing at Night – Sleeping Should Be Easy

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  • Table of Contents:

How to stop comfort nursing at night

1 Don’t let your baby fall asleep nursing

2 Nurse after wake ups

3 Check in at set times

4 Gradually wean from nighttime feedings

5 Comfort in other ways

Conclusion

How to Stop Comfort Nursing at Night - Sleeping Should Be Easy
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5 Tips for Night Weaning Your Toddler | Medela

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5 Tips for Night Weaning Your Toddler | Medela
5 Tips for Night Weaning Your Toddler | Medela

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How to Break the Feed to Sleep Association

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How to Break the Feed to Sleep Association Updating Feeding your infant to sleep can result in disrupted nights for both you and your baby. Here’s how you can teach your little one to self-soothe.
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Feeding a Newborn to Sleep

What Is a Feed-to-Sleep Association

How to Break the Feed-to-Sleep Habit

Establishing Good Sleep Habits

How to Break the Feed to Sleep Association
How to Break the Feed to Sleep Association

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Using nipple as pacifier, how to stop it? | BabyCenter

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about Using nipple as pacifier, how to stop it? | BabyCenter Remember that your baby isn’t using you as a pacifier. The purpose of a pacifier is to mimic the comfort of breastfeeding from you. …
  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Using nipple as pacifier, how to stop it? | BabyCenter Remember that your baby isn’t using you as a pacifier. The purpose of a pacifier is to mimic the comfort of breastfeeding from you. My nipples by the end of the day are sore from my little guy sucking on them all day (latches perfect). I love breast feeding him but he will not go to sleep…
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Using nipple as pacifier, how to stop it? | BabyCenter
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Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting A baby is expected to be “done” breast/chestfeeding by a certain time, and anything over that time is just pacifying. How do you know your baby … …
  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting A baby is expected to be “done” breast/chestfeeding by a certain time, and anything over that time is just pacifying. How do you know your baby … Help! My baby is using me as a pacifier! Have you ever felt like this? Read more to learn why this is NOT what’s actually happening!
  • Table of Contents:

Primitive Pacifiers

Modern Day Pacifiers

Suck Reflex

Fulfilling A Need

Feeding On Demand

Comfort Nursing

Post navigation

Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! - Dianne Cassidy Consulting
Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier! – Dianne Cassidy Consulting

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How to Get Baby to Take a Pacifier – Happiest Baby

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about How to Get Baby to Take a Pacifier – Happiest Baby Pacifiers can be a tricky thing, babies either love them or they hate them! If your baby resists taking the pacifier, try offering it when she relaxes, … …
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When to Introduce a Pacifier

When To Give Your Baby a Pacifier

How to Keep Pacifier in Baby’s Mouth

A Sneaky Way to Get Your Baby to Take a Pacifier

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Baby Steps: When Mom’s a Pacifier – Parenting

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about Baby Steps: When Mom’s a Pacifier – Parenting Cuddle · Try a diaper or clothing change if he’s uncomfortable · Occupy him with fun activities · Offer a pacifier or thumb · Hand him off to Daddy or Grandma. …
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How to Get Baby to Take a Pacifier: Tips and Tricks

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about How to Get Baby to Take a Pacifier: Tips and Tricks It can also help soothe your child at bedtime and distract them from physical pain. In fact, some pediatricians recommend using a pacifier for a … …
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When to introduce

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Going without a pacifier

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How to Get Baby to Take a Pacifier: Tips and Tricks
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How to Stop Nursing Baby to Sleep | Sleep Advisor

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about How to Stop Nursing Baby to Sleep | Sleep Advisor If your babe is attached to your nipple (literally), you’ll need to start by unlatching before he falls asleep. Try gently inserting a finger, … …
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How to Stop Nursing Baby to Sleep | Sleep Advisor
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Breastfeeding to Sleep and Other Comfort Nursing • KellyMom.com

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about Breastfeeding to Sleep and Other Comfort Nursing • KellyMom.com One thing that sometimes helps is to slip a finger in his mouth near the nipple, then ease the nipple out so he is just sucking your finger. …
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Dummies and Breastfeeding – La Leche League GB

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Dummies and Breastfeeding - La Leche League GB
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What Does It Mean to ‘Use You as a Pacifier?’ — Nancy Mohrbacher

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What Does It Mean to 'Use You as a Pacifier?' — Nancy Mohrbacher
What Does It Mean to ‘Use You as a Pacifier?’ — Nancy Mohrbacher

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Baby Using Breast as Pacifier: 2 Efficient Ways to Stop It

Baby using breast as pacifier… a common situation, and natural in many ways. But what if you’d want to break that habit? Let’s take a look at different ways to improve the situation.

Mom’s Question:

How can I stop my baby from using my breast as a pacifier to fall asleep? I breastfeed and formula feed. Please do not just say try a pacifier because I do and he has a hard time putting and keeping it in his mouth.

Thank you, Heidi

How To Break Baby’s Habit Of Using Mom As Pacifier

I know very well how tough it can be to become a human pacifier for your baby! Maybe it can be good for you to know that at least during the first four months, a baby’s sucking reflex is very strong, and probably most breastfeeding moms feel like human pacifiers at some point during this time.

Not all babies accept real pacifiers – ever! (But the time moms spend as their human pacifier ends at some point, one way or the other!) That said, there ARE tricks to use to help your baby accept the pacifier, and you’ll find six tips to try here.

Now, there are a few things you can do to improve the situation. The most important one is to help your baby break the feeding-sleep association. You can do this in two ways; the tougher and the more gentle.

How to Stop Being Your Baby’s Pacifier Quickly

The tougher way – and often very efficient, especially with babies older than 6 months or so, is to simply make up your mind to not allow the suckling for comfort and sleep anymore. Let dad or someone else put your baby to sleep as often as possible and don’t interfere.

While it may be tough for a few days, with a sad or angry (or both) baby, who falls asleep late, it usually works. Dad (or you) can rock your baby, use the stroller, offer the baby’s hands to suck on, a pacifier, offer a stuffed animal or whatever, but no suckling. After a few days, your baby is likely to have learned the new routine.

The other, gentle way, is to slowly teach your baby how to fall asleep without suckling.

The Gentle Method to Stop Being a Human Pacifier for Your Baby

When you put your baby to bed (or in your arms or wherever he goes to sleep), I assume with the bottle or breast, let him suckle for a while until he is almost asleep. But right before he actually falls asleep, release whatever is in his mouth. Then press lightly on his chin to keep his mouth shut.

This may sound very strange, but it actually helps the baby to not root for the nipple.

Your baby will probably wake up when you do this, and NOT accept it the first few times. Give him the nipple back and repeat the above process. Do this over and over again until he falls asleep without the nipple.

Then continue to do this every time he needs the nipple for falling asleep.

Eventually, he will learn to fall asleep without suckling, and your time as a human pacifier is over (until the next baby arrives… ;-D )

The advantage with gentle method is that you really teach your baby fall asleep in a new way without making him so sad.

The disadvantage is that it might take time and that it can be very hard at night to really motivate yourself to continue doing this.

Do you have someone who can help you at night? To be able to share the burden for a week or two would probably be of great help for you.

A bonus if you manage to break the feeding-sleep association for your baby is that it is also likely that he will wake up less often at night if he learns how to go back to sleep without your breast or bottle.

You can .

Remember, though, that apart from making mom exhausted, there is nothing wrong with letting your baby nurse to fall asleep.

I wish you good luck!

Paula

Hey moms, have you ever felt that your baby is using your breast as a pacifier? Share by leaving a comment below!

Find comments below.

Help! My Baby Is Using Me As A Pacifier!

Sometimes it seems like breastfeeding is going on forever. You know what I mean, those days when the baby has been on your breast / chest all day long. I have heard some parents refer to this as being a human pacifier. This is when family members and medical professionals might make it sound like a horrific experience. Don’t let your baby use you as a pacifier. Is that what’s happening? Not at all.

First of all, let’s go over a little history about how pacifiers started. Using an object to help your baby soothe is not a new concept. In fact, families have been doing this for centuries.

Primitive Pacifiers

The early history of pacifiers is inextricably bound to the development and use of the baby rattle. The two were often attached to both amuse and assuage a crying baby. Rattles were used for centuries by primitive adults for ceremonial and musical or dance use and could be of sticks, teeth, shells or pods. In addition, primitive man used rattles with bells to ward off evil spirits and even children wore bells.

Romans gave children peony wood bead necklaces that were pulled into the baby’s mouth for teething and to ward off illness. Such soothing bead necklaces were used for many centuries. In addition, some rattles were constructed with a handle that had inserted into it a smooth piece of stone or bone that was used for the baby to suck upon and teethe. This end of the rattle was known as the gum stick and could be made of rock crystal, ivory, agate, carnelian, mother-of-pearl, bone, or coral, all of which felt cool upon the gums. (Bryk, N)

ancient pacifier made of gold and coral

The pacifier we know of today has been around since about the beginning of the 1900’s.

Modern Day Pacifiers

When the sap from rubber trees was viably used in the manufacture of household products by the middle of the nineteenth century, nipples for nursing bottles and simple soothers were devised. In the twentieth century, with better refinement of rubber and associated materials, many companies entered into the pacifier market. You can read more about the construction and history of pacifiers here.

Nowadays, pacifiers are typically made from latex or silicone. They are designed to resemble the mother’s breast and nipple. Ideally, pacifiers should be made in one piece with one kind of material to reduce choking risks.

modern pacifiers

Suck Reflex

Babies have a high need to suck. It’s true sucking is one of the reflexes babies are born with. You may have ultrasound pictures of your baby sucking in the womb. Sucking is soothing and comforting for your baby. By the time your baby is about 3 months old, they start to have a little more control over sucking, but until then, it’s a reflex triggered by stimulation to the roof of the mouth.

So how did we get from soothing comfort to your baby is using you as a pacifier?

Personally, I find this statement offensive and rude. For a couple of reasons. First of all, it is insinuating your baby is using you. Your newborn baby is not using you or manipulating you in any way. That’s impossible. It is true that babies like to suck, and they like to be close to their birth parent. This may look like manipulation, but it’s a basic need.

Fulfilling A Need

When babies are breast/chestfeeding, they are fulfilling a need. They need to be fed. Babies also receive much more from the act of breast/chestfeeding that they cannot get anywhere else. Babies receive nurturing, security, trust, warmth, and soothing while at the breast. This is not anything they will receive from pacifier use. We know a pacifier was meant to be the replacement for suckling at the breast. Instead, society sees breastfeeding as the replacement for the pacifier.

It is not uncommon to see a baby gently suckling at the breast, making little mouthing motions while they doze. This is what we call non-nutritive sucking and it is therapeutic for babies. You may see this during cluster feeding, at the end of a feed, or just on it’s own. This is usually when the breast is compared to a pacifier, and the baby is quickly removed.

Feeding On Demand

A baby is expected to be “done” breast/chestfeeding by a certain time, and anything over that time is just pacifying. How do you know your baby is actually done nursing? They are still getting milk during that non-nutritive suck time, just not at the faster rate they get it when actively feeding. When baby is at the breast, they are passing that signal to your body to make the milk. If you take your baby away from the breast before they are done, what message are you sending your body?

The American Academy Of Pediatrics encourages new parents to feed babies on demand. This means whenever your baby is showing feeding cues such as rooting and sucking. These cues may be frequent at times, or they may be spread out at other times. This is all normal behavior for a breast/chestfeeding baby. You can read all about the American Academy of Pediatrics and their statement on breastfeeding here.

Comfort Nursing

I understand breastfeeding a baby can feel physically and emotionally draining. I have been in that place with my babies as well. However, it helps to know why they do what they do, and know it is not manipulation in any way. Nursing for comfort is a normal, expected part of development. As newborns, you may notice your baby does more of this when they are tired or overstimulated. As an older baby, you may notice more comfort nursing if they are scared or hurt. Breastfeeding is nurturing, and babies feel safe when they are close to you. If comfort nursing is feeling overwhelming, try carrying your baby in a sling or a wrap. They will be close to you, comforted, and secure. If you want more information on breastfeeding while babywearing, you can check out this blog.

baby comfort nursing

These days, our society isn’t necessarily baby-friendly. We want babies to adapt to what we are doing, but that’s not altogether realistic. Answering your baby’s cues is the best way to help them adapt to life outside the womb, and comfort nursing is very much part of that. Above all, your baby is not manipulating or using you in any way. They are staying close and connected, which is important for development. In conclusion, if you ever have any concerns about your baby’s eating patterns or behaviors, reach out to a lactation consultant. That’s what they are there to help you with.

How to Stop Comfort Nursing at Night

Does your baby want to stay latched on all night, or only stops crying when he’s breastfeeding? Learn how to stop comfort nursing at night!

Comfort nursing can come with a bag of mixed emotions.

You’re quickly realizing that, while comfort nursing works for other moms, you’re eager to do away with it once and for all. Nursing sessions are frequent and long, since your baby relies on them to sleep. And while he can likely sleep through the night, he won’t go back to sleep without nursing.

In fact, if it were up to him, he’d probably want to latch on all night (you even suspect he comfort nurses more than he actually eats out of hunger). He’ll only stop crying when he’s finally breastfeeding. Yet as much as he falls asleep while nursing, he wakes up right when you put him down in the crib.

It’s not easy when comfort nursing seems to be the only thing that can calm him down. He’s always attached to you, to the point that your partner can’t even soothe him back to sleep and give you a break. Giving him solids or using a pacifier don’t always work. How can you help him stop associating nursing with sleeping?

How to stop comfort nursing at night

If you’ve felt frustrated for wanting to know how to stop comfort nursing at night, you’re not alone. It’s okay to want a full night of sleep without feeling guilty for not wanting to breastfeed all night.

I hear you, friend.

At this point in your parenting journey, it’s hard not to crave a bit more sleep now that he’s an older baby. You’re past the early days of the newborn stage, yet still find yourself dealing with a night waking multiple times.

Don’t worry—with consistent and compassionate sleep training, you can help your little one fall asleep. As always, check with your baby’s pediatrician to see if he’s ready to sleep through the night. Then, take a look at these tips to help you stop comfort nursing:

1. Don’t let your baby fall asleep nursing

The first step in helping your baby stop comfort nursing at night is to break sleep associations between nursing and sleeping. Right now, he has a habit of needing to nurse to fall asleep, but that doesn’t mean he can’t sleep any other way. He simply has to experience what it’s like to fall asleep on his own.

If he starts to drift off and he still has more to eat, try to keep him awake. You can tickle him, change positions, talk to him, anything to keep him awake while he eats. You might even want to move nursing to the beginning of the bedtime routine—before you give him a bath, for instance.

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2. Nurse after wake ups

Another way to stop comfort nursing is to breastfeed your baby after he wakes up, not before falling asleep. As easy it is to put him to sleep by nursing, this also encourages the habit of nursing to snooze.

Instead, feed him after he wakes up.

His first feed could be right when he gets up for the day after nighttime sleep. Then, instead of feeding him before naptime, feed him after he wakes up from these naps. The only exception would be the bedtime feed, but as mentioned above, try to prevent him from falling asleep while nursing.

An added benefit to nursing after waking up is that he’ll be awake while his body digests what he consumed. No longer will he have fitful sleep and gas issues from lying down after eating. Now he can be alert and upright after a feed.

3. Check in at set times

So, you didn’t nurse your baby to sleep—in fact, you set him down completely awake. What do you do when he starts to cry?

Set a timer for five minutes after you close the door. If he’s still crying when the timer goes off, go into his room and reassure him that he’s doing a good job falling asleep and that you’re right in the next room. Keep this brief—30 seconds at most.

Then, set your timer again, but this time for 10 minutes. Should he still be crying at this point, check in on him again, repeating what you had done earlier. And finally, set your timer for 15 minutes if he’s still crying. Check in on him in 15-minute intervals moving forward if needed, until he falls asleep.

Do the same check-in process any time he wakes up when he’s not supposed to, from middle of the night to early morning wake ups. You’re giving him the chance to learn how to fall asleep on his own while still reassuring him that you’re right here, cheering him on.

Tip: Make his room conducive for sleep by adding white noise and hanging darkening curtains. Both can help lengthen his sleep.

4. Gradually wean from nighttime feedings

What do you do if he still relies on nighttime feedings for milk, and not just comfort? After all, he could be drinking breast milk in the beginning before he tapers off to comfort nursing. Cutting feedings cold turkey would mean one hungry baby.

The first change is to wake him up for feedings, instead of waiting for him to cry for them. Right now, he associates crying with getting fed, but you can beat him to the punch by waking him up to feed. As strange as it is to wake him up when he hardly sleeps, this helps him break that association.

Set your alarm to about 30 minutes before he typically wakes up for a feed. If he tends to wake up at 10pm and 2am, set your alarm for 9:30pm and 1:30am. You’re feeding him before he tends to wake up crying.

What do you do if he doesn’t have a particular pattern or regular times that he cries? Take the average of the times he has woken up the past few nights and stick to those times.

The next change is to gradually decrease the amount of milk he consumes at night, and adding that amount the following day.

Let’s say you feed him twice a night for 20 minutes each. On the first night, feed him like you usually do. Then the next night, decrease the amount by two minutes each nursing session (in this example, feed him for 18 minutes each breastfeeding session). On the third night, feed him for 16 minutes each, and so forth.

And finally, you’ll want to make up for that “lost” milk by giving him what you had decreased the following day. Since you fed him twice for 18 minutes each, you can increase two of his daytime feeds by two minutes. That way, he can adjust to taking in his calories during the day (and sleeping through the night).

Want more details? Get more tips on dropping night feeds.

5. Comfort in other ways

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I don’t know about you, but I felt compelled to stop my baby’s crying the minute I’d hear it. I almost felt like it was my duty to make him stop crying, that this was what moms are supposed to do.

But I realized that we tend to stifle their tears more than we show compassion for them. We get frustrated when they won’t stop crying, allowing our own negative feelings to affect them.

Nursing isn’t the only way we can provide comfort. We can do so by holding them and showing empathy for how they feel. By helping them learn to self soothe and sleep on their own. By being more patient and present, not angry or disappointed.

Your baby can also learn how to soothe himself in other ways.

For instance, you can give him a lovey for comfort and even for comfort sucking. One of my kids would suck on the corners of his lovey as an alternative to falling asleep while nursing. My other kids learned to suck their thumbs or hands instead of breastfeeding.

Conclusion

Comfort nursing works for many moms and their infants, but not for all, so don’t feel bad if you want to stop it. In fact, you might realize that you enjoy motherhood and have a stronger bond with your baby once you do.

The first step is to avoid letting your baby fall asleep while nursing, as this only reinforces the habits you’re trying to break. Instead, nurse him after waking up so that he doesn’t rely on feeding to fall asleep.

After putting him down awake, check in at set intervals until he falls asleep. Gradually wean him from night feedings so that he can take in his nourishment during the day and sleep all night. And finally, comfort him in other ways, from showing compassion to offering a lovey.

You can help your baby fall asleep—all without the constant comfort nursing he has grown used to.

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