i did what i always tried to avoid... my 14 month old has always been a difficult napper. he goes to sleep with a bit of protest at night but naps have always been a struggle. i guess because of this and because i really needed the time he is asleep to work i got him into the habit of falling asleep on the breast. when he was smaller i could just pop a pacifier in his mouth toward the end and he's take a nice long nap. now that i'm slowly starting to wean ( i only nurse in the morning, nap time and evening, he's on one nap a day) he wants to absolutely be nursed to sleep and then continue to use me as a pacifier. if i unlatch him he starts to cry. in the evening we sometimes let him cry it out which usually helps but at naptime he will cry for a really long time and then only take a very short nap.
i really want to do the best for him... does anyone have any tricks? advice? i do have a bedtime routine, saying goodnight to everything, reading a book etc but the nursing on the bed became the highlight. uffffffff....
Try this trick I learned in the No-Cry Sleep Solution-she says if they fall asleep nursing and once they are good and asleep you unlatch gently by putting your finger in the corner of their mouth and then place your finger under their chin for just a bit to keep their mouth closed. And it works! I did it with both my extended breastfeeders.
If you are looking for advice on how to not nurse before bed, I am not your gal! But, I can offer some advice so that he wont cry when you unlatch him so that way, you can start on the road to getting away from nursing. First of all, make sure he is really tired. I have found that if my son is not really tired, then unlatching him too soon ends his fun and he cries or wants to party. Second, nurse untill he is tired, almost asleep, then put on the same music you always do and put you hand on his chest. That way, he knows you are there but you don't have to be nursing him. If he cries, then pick him back up and start him over. I think the key is not forcing him, rather, creating an environment where sleeping in the crib is pleasant, and nursing the whole time becomes more of a hassle for him.
My oldest (now almost 6) nursed himself "down" until he was 2.5, when he decided a song was just as good. Up until then, I did the same thing Dori (below) suggests. And...to be honest, I also usually fell asleep with him.
Hi N.,
It seems obvious to me that your baby is not ready to fully wean yet.
Can't you let your baby tell you when he's ready to quit you? It's not just the nourishment. He still needs YOU!
"Grams"
from the Pocono Mts. of PA
