The Ultimate Guide to Feeding and Nursing your Baby to Sleep
If I had a dollar for every time a parent said “I know I shouldn’t be feeding to sleep, but it’s so easy"…I’d be a rich woman. I don’t know where the narrative that nursing to sleep is something we shouldn’t do came from, because it IS so easy and it can work SO well. In this blog post, we'll explore the pros and cons of feeding to sleep, and offer some tips for you (aka exhausted parents) looking to find a sleep solution that works.
the pros of feeding to sleep:
It’s comforting: For many babies, the act of nursing or bottle-feeding is a comforting and soothing experience. This can help them to relax and fall asleep faster.
It's convenient: Feeding to sleep can be a convenient way to get your baby to sleep, especially if you are already tired and don't want to spend a lot of time trying to settle.
It promotes bonding: Nursing or bottle-feeding your baby is a great way to bond with them and make them feel secure.
the Cons of feeding to sleep:
I want to make this very clear, these are ONLY cons if they are a con for you. So many parents only see the positives of feeding to sleep, which is wonderful (keep it up!)
It can become the only settling option. If you feed your baby to sleep every time they fall asleep and they cannot go to sleep using another method, it can lead to challenges with a breastfeeding parent being touched out or exhausted from how demanding this is and can pose problems if you need to offer naps or bedtime where feeding or nursing isn’t an option.
It can be needed frequently for naps and overnight. Some babies develop a need to go back to sleep in the way they fell asleep, so if they’re waking from sleep cycles every 40-60 minutes, they will need you to go back to sleep. This can lead to disrupted sleep for both you and your baby.
It can cause your baby to consume more overnight: If you feed your baby every time they wake up, they may start to expect this and reduce the volume of milk and/or food they consume during the day. This can further accentuate night wakes and make it harder to climb out of this cycle.
i wouldn’t leave you in the dark, here’s how you can move away from feeding to sleep:
Establish a bedtime routine: Establishing a consistent bedtime routine can help your baby understand when it's time to sleep and can make them more responsive to falling asleep with other methods. We have a whole blog post on the science behind this!
Make sure that you’re offering sufficient calories during the day to support them to need less overnight. It is likely as you slowly reduce the feeds you offer overnight, they will gradually consume more during the day.
Gradually break the feeding-to-sleep habit: There are many ways to do this and we can curate a plan of action for you in our sleep packages, but an easy change you can make is to no longer feed them in the sleep space, instead feed them in a well-light area. This encourages your baby to stay awake and it gives you more of a chance to settle them all the way to sleep using another method.
Use other soothing techniques: There are many other soothing techniques that can help your baby fall asleep, such as rocking, singing, or giving them a pacifier, dummy or comforter. So many parents tell me they never work, but consistency is your friend! Try for a little longer than you usually would and you may have more success. You can also use sleep training techniques to remove the nursing to sleep association and promote their ability to fall asleep independently (it’s not all cry-it-out! There are responsive methods too which actually work better with babies that have been fed to sleep).
At Snug Co, we believe in the power of feeding to sleep, but also understand the importance of finding a sleep solution that works for you and your family. That's why we offer tailored sleep support packages to help you navigate this journey and get the rest you and your baby deserve. Find your fit here.