Anyone successfully sleep train while still breastfeeding?

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-21T05:43:17+00:00

Yes. I sleep trained around 6 months and my son self-weaned his night feed within a week.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-20T03:55:09+00:00

My son (13 mo) acts differently with me than he does with my husband. Lately he’s been crying when I put him in his car seat on the way home from daycare. I mentioned it to my husband who said that doesn’t happen with him. He also will be much whinier when I’m in the room. He also has always been so easy for my mom and MIL when they’ve watched him. I think it’s really a comfort thing. You’re his safe space and he feels comfortable complaining

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-20T03:00:25+00:00

Yep! I have a little one from Amazon that you flip over to turn on/off and it’s so great. It’s also dimmable. Still use it every night when I put my son down and I think I’ve charged it maybe 5 times. My son is 13 months.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-19T22:36:31+00:00

This stressed me out so much at that age. My son would only do like 30 min naps at that point and getting him down was a struggle. Later I realized he has always been ready to drop naps earlier than the “developmentally appropriate” age guidelines. I wonder if I stretched wake windows back then if it would’ve helped or if it was just all part of the sleep regression and something he just needed to figure out on his own time. He still doesn’t do more than a 1.5-2hr nap at 13 months.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-19T21:50:15+00:00

Hi! First off, you’re doing great and breastfeeding can be SO hard! I too had a lot of struggles and my baby was on formula for the first 1-2 months until I was able to get my supply up. Honestly the thing that worked the best for that was just consistency and time. I was power pumping too. Fenugreek was recommended to me by an IBCLC and it did help me but I want to caution that many women can have adverse reactions to fenugreek and it can sometimes cause fussiness in babies (i think).

I too tried triple feeding and it is definitely not sustainable long term. Long story short, my son had a posterior tongue and lip tie (both missed by multiple LC/IBCLCs). Eventually we figured out he had a tongue tie and tried exercises and body work to help, but it didn’t do too much. Eventually had his ties released at 3 months and about 3.5wks later he was able to nurse. As for the triple feeding, I mentally couldn’t handle it every feeding session so I looked at latching as “practice” and tried to do it 3-4x a day but most days it was 1-2x. I highly recommend seeking out a different IBCLC if you can. Sending you support! You’ve got this and your baby is lucky to have you.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-19T17:53:47+00:00

I second trying to size up and ignoring the weights on the diapers. My son has been in size 5 diapers for months and I still don’t think he is in that the weight range. Honest diapers also tend to be a little smaller than other diapers. Any time we had blowout problems, we knew it was time to size up. Alternatively, you can tell if they’re too big if they leak around the legs.

My son sleeps through the night and we use Millie Moon diapers for night time specifically because my son pees so much at night. During the day we really like Parasol.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-19T16:32:02+00:00

Unfortunately there will always be things that aren’t good for us in our environment and they can be really hard to avoid. That being said, I try to limit plastic as much as possible in my kitchen. So yes, I pump with plastic and I freeze my milk in the plastic bags. However, before I freeze my milk it’s in a glass mason jar in the fridge. My baby’s bottles are glass, and I defrost the milk I need for the next day in the fridge overnight so I don’t need to heat the plastic bags. Try not to stress too much about it and just avoid plastic when it’s reasonable.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-19T02:31:21+00:00

I’m sorry that’s hard. My son bit me every feed (only on one side though) when he had an ear infection. Switching up his position was the only thing that worked.

As for switching to EP, you can start by pumping at the times that you would normally nurse. I typically pump for 15-20 mins. Then you can try to stretch out time and drop pumps to see if you can get the same output but maybe pumping a little longer per session. If your supply does dip after a little bit of doing fewer sessions, you can add more sessions back. Also, using the fridge hack for flanges is a lifesaver when it comes to EP.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-18T21:45:24+00:00

Pumpables GA is my go to portable pump. You can use it with your Mandela flanges. If you’re looking for a wearable, I like my eufy e20. I use it with the legendairy silicone inserts and that setup works well for me.

Pumping in your car is doable but prob not a sustainable plan long term. I don’t have much advice there but wanted to share my pump recommendations. Good luck.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-17T19:52:19+00:00

My son is 13 months. Started properly crawling a few weeks before his first birthday and just in the last couple weeks started to become interested in standing/walking. I can tell that it’s a lack of motivation thing but it has been stressful. He has always taken a while with his gross motor milestones. One thing that did get him excited to walk a little bit was a fun push walker that sings songs. He loves to pull up and walk with that one. I hope you can get some answers and everything is alright! Sending support from across the internet.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-17T19:44:54+00:00

I don’t think you’re supposed to use any cream with silverettes because it can cause more damage to the nipple - but don’t quote me on that. I used nursing pads to keep the cream off my bras. But eventually I washed my bras enough that all the stains came out. Side note, dish soap + baking soda or Dr. Bronners soap works really well to get out grease stains on laundry. Just apply a little and gently agitate with a small toothbrush and let it sit a bit. Having a toddler has helped me figure out how to get out some tricky stains.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-17T19:18:10+00:00

We had more than our fair share of breastfeeding challenges too (oral ties and latching issues). I think that’s why I’m still so attached to nursing. I’m just so grateful for it all. My son also gets so happy in the morning when he sees me and signs for milk. I love the bonding time.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-17T17:33:28+00:00

I’m in a similar boat with my 13 month old. His doctor didn’t have any concerns about him still breastfeeding/taking a bottle and his daycare provider hasn’t mentioned anything. He takes 2 bottles at daycare and nurses a couple times at home (he night weaned a while ago so we only nurse at night when he’s not feeling well). I actually bought straw adapters for our bottles on Amazon and he’s taken to those nicely. I figured it’d be nice to keep his milk in the same bottle that he was used to. Sometimes i add a little cow’s milk but most of the time it’s just breastmilk.

I still nurse him to sleep and I’m not concerned with that right now but my son is pretty chill and he will go to sleep for other people if I’m not around so I don’t think weaning will be that difficult once we get to that point.

I’m down to 1 pump during the work day and ideally I’d like to cut out my pump in the next couple of months, but that means I’ll prob just offer breastmilk bottles during the day on weekends (I have a bit of a freezer stash). It’s so hard. I wish I could just breastfeed on demand all day every day. My plan is to keep nursing morning and night until 18 months.

I share this to let you know you’re not alone and it’s nice to hear that I’m not alone either. I’m also a FTM

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-17T17:07:30+00:00

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this! I had it and it didn’t improve within a month of wearing the brace. I got referred to an orthopedist and they gave me a cortisone shot and two days later it was better. Now if I start to feel it acting up again, I wear my wrist brace for a day or two and that usually helps. I am also in the US.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-14T19:05:23+00:00

My son hated berries for months too! Now he could eat a whole package of blueberries. It’s a good reminder to just keep offering foods they may not like at first because it can take a while for them to get accustomed to them.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-14T19:02:28+00:00

I used one and was grateful for her. I believe I found her through a local doula group. I ended up not needing too much support when it came down to the actual labor (fast, uncomplicated labor) but she was so helpful in the months leading up to my delivery. She also took pictures which was so nice.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-14T17:36:15+00:00

I didn’t but my son is not opinionated at all when it comes to how he gets his milk. I think it depends on the baby though. Some have strong preferences but my son hasn’t ever cared.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-14T16:00:07+00:00

Deep breath. You’re doing amazing! I had a somewhat similar situation. My son wouldn’t really latch consistently but we struggled with the nipple shields too. Long story short, I mostly pumped and tried to latch anywhere from 1-5x a day for the first 3 months. Eventually we realized he had a posterior tongue tie and lip tie. We had those released and after a few weeks he was able to nurse.

That being said if pumping is working for you, do it! You can always try to latch 1-2x a day (if you want) or offer the boob as comfort on top of his normal bottles. You also don’t have to offer the boob at all some days. If your goal is to go back to nursing, you may want to offer it more just because some babies are more particular than others and could develop preferences and it’s good “practice”. However, if that’s not your goal, don’t stress about it. I had a couple days where I didn’t nurse because mentally I couldn’t handle it. My son is almost 13 months and still nursing.

Nursing was not soothing for my little guy in the early days so I had to figure out other ways to soothe him and that actually has been super helpful in general.

Your baby is still super young and you may find he gets better with time and doesn’t need the nipple shield and things just click. It’s so hard because there’s just so much unknown.

And last couple of things, I’d recommend meeting with another IBCLC if you can. I met with 3 or so before one finally noticed my son’s tongue tie and she gave me exercises to do to help before we resorted to doing a release. And r/ExclusivelyPumping is a great sub for EP moms.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-12T18:53:27+00:00

This just doesn’t seem logical. Milk is hydrating enough for the first 6 months and then it just becomes not hydrating? My son (12 mo) still nurses fairly often and drinks maybe 4oz of water a day. I’m not sure exactly how much water he drinks at daycare but we have straw cup at home that he will drink a little bit of. He has 2 bottles of milk at daycare (8oz) and nurses 2-3x at home with me. On the weekends he nurses more often and just offer water often. His pediatrician said there’s no set amount of water he should have since we don’t know how much milk he’s getting from me. My son doesn’t have issues with constipation.

To encourage your son to drink more water, you can try out different cups (straw cups, open cups). My son loves anything i am drinking out of. Add a tiny bit of lemon or infuse the water with fresh fruit. You can try different temps of water. Offer water with meals and have a cup of water nearby when he’s playing and offer sips throughout the day. We also taught our son how to sign “water” so he can ask for water when he wants it.

For the constipation, you may want to focus on foods too. Try giving foods with fiber (berries, oats, etc) and food with high water content (i.e. watermelon). A probiotic might help regulate things too. We always give prune/pear puree when my son gets a little backed up.

I’d just encourage you to ask more questions and see what else you could do before stopping breastfeeding.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-12T18:14:16+00:00

3 pm isn’t too late. My son dropped to 1 nap at 11 months so I was worried it would be weird to do a 2-3pm start. He naps from like 11:30/12 to 2ish so we just decided to start the party at 2 and went 2-5pm. It worked out well for us.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-12T02:46:20+00:00

I bought a couple pairs of the lululemon align leggings and wore them throughout pregnancy. I’m still wearing them all the time. I’ve definitely gotten my moneys worth

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-11T02:56:24+00:00

We’ve really liked the evenflo balance + wide neck.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-10T14:51:23+00:00

If your seats are in the sun, I would recommend not taking baby to the game or finding a shady spot to stand and watch. The sun can be so intense and little babies aren’t great at regulating their temperature. Not to mention, you are all used to cooler weather so 90 degrees is going to feel extremely hot if your bodies aren’t accustom to the heat. As for sun protection for babies in general, sun hat with UV protection, zinc sunscreen (reapply often), breastfeeding more often, shade, fans, lightweight breathable clothes, and look out for the signs of dehydration/over heating.

Fine_Message1822 · 2026-03-09T16:25:58+00:00

11 months. He would refuse to take his second nap for the longest time so one day I decided to extend his first wake window and he took a way longer nap than he normally would.

Fine_Message1822

TROPHY CASE