Sleep: Nursing a Toddler to Sleep

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When Ellen was two and a half, she often nursed to sleep. I had no problems with it: actually, I was always pleased when it happened--it's such a quiet, peaceful way to help a child go to sleep. Plus, I figured that since God made breastmilk with an ingredient that helps induce sleep, why not let her fall asleep at the breast?

She began falling asleep at the breast less and less, and I felt sure that she would stop when she was ready. And, well, she did. I was pregnant, and as my milk supply went down, and as I started having a hard time nursing her for very long periods of time, she gave up naps, and at nighttime I started scratching her back to help her fall asleep when she didn't fall asleep nursing. For a while we also had to rock in a chair while watching "Deep Space Nine" late at night on the television (I admit, for a while it was a bit of a struggle to help her go to sleep, and I had to be creative ;-)).

Three days after Ellen turned three, our little boy was born. Ellen nursed to sleep only once or twice after that. Our routine was really messed up for a while and Daddy took Ellen on nightly drives to see "pretty lights!" (Christmas lights) untill she fell asleep. Soon, though, nightly back rubs took the place of nursing to sleep, and, as I had been doing for quite a while, I continued to sing to her to help her go to sleep.

Now, at age four, I still sing to Ellen, but now I also sing to her baby brother at the same time. I sing to them until he falls asleep (while he nurses). Sometimes she'll fall asleep while I'm singing, but sometimes she won't and then she usually asks me to "scratch her back." I do it for a couple minutes, then kiss her on the cheek and say, "Good night!!" . . . and she quietly falls asleep.

I nurse her little one year old brother to sleep for naps and at nighttime, and it (usually combined with rocking and singing) works like a charm. :-)

When I started breastfeeding, a friend told me "you not gonna nurse him more than 2 months I hope!" She was shocked when I told her I was expecting to nurse him until he was ready to wean himself! :)

Another issue was if it was a good thing to nurse my son to sleep. For me, it was such a wonderful way to calm him down after a long day, feeling him relax at my breast and fall asleep for the whole night without waking up (that was after 6 months old. :P )

I had so much bad comment about breastfeeding on demand... I did what I thought was the best thing to do, and I truly believe that God is happy with what I did. Now, my son is weaned... he is happy, falls alseep on his own and sleeps all night. He proved to those around me that it is not true that if you nurse a child to sleep he will always depend on you to fall asleep.

Go ahead friends, nurse your babies and toddlers to sleep.
~ Lisanne

If you are nursing a toddler, what are your experiences with and feelings about nursing your toddler to sleep? I'd love to hear them! Please write to me at mykidzmommy@hotmail.com.

If you are nursing a toddler or considering it, you might also like to check out the Nursing a Toddler page.

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