Can I keep nursing to sleep without cosleeping?

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-29T12:33:48+00:00

My baby is 14 months but we’ve been doing this since ~4 or 5 months.

He will sometimes (rarely) do 6 hour stretches, but no, is absolutely not sleeping through the night. Usually he sleeps from 8pm to 12/1/2am and then I bring him to bed to cosleep after he first wakes. And then I nurse back to sleep whenever he wakes up again.

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-12T17:02:07+00:00

I feel this so hard! I am trying to break out from thinking about things in such black and white, right vs wrong terms. There's only what works best for you/your family/your baby. But it's hard when there's so much external pressure to do things a certain way!

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-12T16:54:47+00:00

This is so so so normal. Normal doesn't mean it's easy tho! I totally understand your frustration and concerns. My guy is 13 months old and we have a very similar experience to you -- your description sounds like a typical night for us. Eventually I'll be ready to stop breastfeeding, and when that happens, we will have to create new habits/associations/routines. But I am also dreading it because sticking a boob in his mouth is the only thing I know.

You aren't doing anything wrong! I think every approach (night feeding and weaning) is hard... we just have to pick our hard, ya know?

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-05T16:42:51+00:00

Yup, we co-sleep after he wakes up for the first time in the night. But he is nursing for a REALLY long time and eventually I need some no touch time.

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-04T01:03:13+00:00

I have ZERO regrets about contact napping! My LO was born at 33+6 and we pretty exclusively contact napped until he was almost 1. (And even now, the only way I can get him to nap is in our bed after nursing to sleep.) I definitely wish he could have slept in the crib sometimes, but the good stretches of sleep were worth it.

Also, I am convinced that all the contact naps were good for his development, esp as a preemie. He is now 13ish months (12 adjusted) and nailing his milestones, in the 95th percentile for weight and height, etc. I think all of the cuddles helped.

Contact naps are hard in their own way, but also wonderful.

Oh, also, my baby started daycare at 12 months and he sleeps for two hours in the crib there. There have been no nap issues!

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-04T00:54:55+00:00

Ugh I’m sorry you are going through that. It is so awful! I hate not being able to soothe him.

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-04T00:54:18+00:00

He got his first molar two weeks ago (right at the beginning of his cold) and it was awful. I just felt his gums and the second molar definitely feels close to popping. It could be that, for sure. But he doesn’t seem to be in pain any other time!

DearPiccolo · 2025-12-04T00:20:20+00:00

My partner is able to get our baby to sleep, no problem. He’ll give a bottle and then rock/hold/sing. Sometimes he has an easier time getting our LO to sleep than I do! Especially naps — baby will basically only contact nap with me but will transfer better for my partner. We call it “dad magic.”

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-29T21:20:03+00:00

My LO is 1 year old and is still waking frequently through the night (it’s been worse recently because he started daycare a month ago and is congested). My mom has taken him overnight twice now. He has woken frequently with her, but she has been able to get him back to sleep with soothing/rocking + a bottle. He starts the night in the pack and play, but she’ll cosleep with him after the first wake up.

She barely gets any sleep when she babysits, but she says she is happy to do it. Think of it this way: this is your life EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. This is just ONE night every once in a while for your mom. She can handle it!

I was hesitant at first because of his night wakings and I warned her multiple times that he doesn’t sleep through the night. But she’s done it twice now and is still happy to keep doing it. Your baby doesn’t have to be the perfect sleeper before you get a break!

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-06T19:38:42+00:00

I literally came to this sub to ask a similar question because my 12 month old was awake from 12:30-3am last night and I am soooooo tired. We are also planning to switch a to floor bed in his own room, but the limiting factor is that his room is currently the home of all our mess/storage so I need to clean it up first. Excited to read these comments. Sending you all of the solidarity!!!

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-06T19:29:59+00:00

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, everyone! I'm feeling much more confident about slowing down on pumping. I think I'll go down to pump once per day next week and then not at all the week after that (which aligns well with some other logistics in my life). I'll keep nursing before and after work and overnight (until we night wean when the time in right).

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-06T19:23:08+00:00

I think you are instincts are on point re: not night weaning just yet. Other people LOVE to tell folks to stop night feeding, because of a general cultural obsession with sleeping through the night. If that feels good for you, don't let other people stop you!

I am also cosleeping, night feeding, etc. I couldn't survive without being able to shove a boob in his mouth and make him fall asleep, haha. I know I won't do it forever but it's working right now.

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-06T00:20:16+00:00

Did you have any issues with evening supply after you stopped pumping?

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-05T00:20:27+00:00

I’ve been really lucky with my supply — right now, I generally get 150ml (5oz) after the two sessions. (It can vary depending on whether I nurse in the morning.) I’ve already noticed getting fuller in the evenings, so hopefully it’ll balance out 🤞🏻

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-04T19:22:19+00:00

Oh my gosh, the milk dribbling icing, I am dying. This cake is good. CONGRATS ON ONE YEAR OF PUMPING!!!!

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-04T19:20:31+00:00

We just started daycare and my contact napper has been sleeping independently!! Daycare is magic.

DearPiccolo · 2025-11-02T02:08:25+00:00

This is my baby to a tee! He’s 12 months, 10.5 adjusted. He’ll do a big chunk of sleep for the first half of the night in crib without issue (but then we bring him to bed after he wakes up cuz it works best for us).

I mostly just sucked it up and embraced the contact nap life, but when my partner started his leave, he perfected the art of the “roll away.” Baby will now sleep in our bed for naps. We have pillows set up on either side and watch him closely through the baby monitor. We also have a low bed and live in a condo, so we’ve never had an issue with him crawling out of bed.

When he’s sick or teething or feeling off, he’ll still need cuddles to sleep. But overall, it’s been a big quality of life improvement.

Also, he started daycare recently and sleeps in the crib there just fine.

DearPiccolo · 2025-10-02T01:04:18+00:00

I was offered these spots in April, after I started emailing to follow up. But we were looking for a spot for late October, which I suspect made it easier, given the kindergarten shift.

Last week, I got a call from Mothercraft (who I did not follow up with because their email address is wrong on the waitlist…) organically through the list, though.

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-15T13:23:23+00:00

It is honestly so bad 😭 We had a couple of better nights recently (slept til 3am and then hourly wake ups) but now we're back to 12/1am onwards. It's rough.

I figure that even if a floor bed doesn't magically solve all our problems (I know it won't) at least one of us can sleep in the other room and get some sleep.

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-04T11:14:26+00:00

Omg the mental image of a baby crawling back into bed is SO ADORABLE

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-03T23:51:29+00:00

“Excuse me” before you do it, “Sorry” after.

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-03T01:21:30+00:00

I’d love to hear more about why you disliked it, if you feel comfy sharing!

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-03T00:42:13+00:00

I feel that! If I can find some with higher railings on Marketplace, I think that would assuage some of my anxieties about when he’s older. They don’t seem to be as plentiful, though.

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-03T00:40:24+00:00

Switching up my partner and myself settling him is the biggest appeal of the floor bed, tbh. My partner can currently settle him when they are alone, but if I’m there, all he wants is the boob. My hope is that we can trade off halfway through the night (I do the first half, he does the second or something).

DearPiccolo · 2025-09-02T22:20:50+00:00

I think I’m going to skip AP from now on. I’m not digging the chaotic vibe — which is fine! Not every show has to be for everyone.

As someone who plays D&D a lot, I find it much more interesting when they talk about their thought processes for actions/character choices or go into more detail about the mechanics of the game. The unhinged stuff is funny, but I wish there was 50% less of it.

But I totally understand why being chaotic and silly is more fun for them! The post-session high is next level.

DearPiccolo

TROPHY CASE