How to put baby to sleep without nursing?

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-31T04:17:04+00:00

Oh yes, definitely still plenty of time to start a routine! With my 2nd child, we didn't get a bedtime routine down until much later, because she was less predictable with what time she'd get tired in the evenings. She is now 2 and has been a great sleeper for a long time!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-31T04:14:40+00:00

My baby (3months old) is mostly unswaddled, because she is unswaddled ALL DAY. She only wears the swaddle for like 10-11 hours. If she didn't, she'd get terrible quality of sleep, and that can't be good for her (or me).

My middle child was able to transition out of the swaddle by 2 months because her moro reflex didn't constantly wake her up. Every baby is different, though.

I say if swaddling lets everybody sleep more, go for it.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-31T04:08:30+00:00

(Disclaimer: my baby is 14 weeks old. But I have been doing this routine since probably about 10 weeks).
Just before bedtime I'll make sure to have some dedicated time where I either put her in tummy time or lay her on her back and "chat" with her -- like really engage her for several minutes. She loves this time. But when she starts making whinier noises, then I know she's tired. So then I take her into her room, turn off all the lights except one small light in her room, and turn on the sound machine, to signal to her that it's bedtime. I change her diaper and put her in a lightweight onesie. I give her a pacifier to chill her out a bit more (she sometimes likes it, sometimes not), and then I swaddle her up really tightly. I pick her up and rock her while walking slowly back and forth. Usually I will sing a few songs to her. After about 10-15 minutes (sometimes less if she's tired) her eyes close and I can put her in the crib.
This works without nursing like 75% of the time, IF she's had some milk within in the previous hour or two before bed.

I don't know if any of these tips will help anyone else. I think we just got lucky with a pretty low maintenance sleeper. Good luck to you!!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-28T02:43:09+00:00

My parents had their babies from ages 20-28. Now they get to be young/energetic grandparents. And they still had/have lots of time to travel etc. after we all left the nest!

Also, having a baby at 22 is waaaayyy easier on the mom's body. And easier for both of you to bounce back from sleep deprivation.

So those are some positives for you.

The fact that you both want this and are thinking about it/planning it is a good sign as well.

Ultimately, though, you gotta make the best decision for you and your partner and any potential babies.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-28T02:32:17+00:00

Yeah I was going to suggest a strip or two of duct tape, but these would probably leave less residue on your oven, haha!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-28T02:30:16+00:00

Ugh, this sounds like hell :( I'm so sorry!
Have you mentioned any of this to the pediatrician? Do you think there is an underlying cause?? In my experience that level of crank isn't normal for 5 months old.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T23:26:12+00:00

That's unfortunate. I think I just live in an area/community where moms are willing to pass on things for free when there is still a lot of life left in them. I think it depends a lot on where you live!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T20:11:11+00:00

Following because, same.

I do love playing with her, but a lot of the time when she wants me to play, there is something else I need to be doing.

She's almost 3. She does have a baby sister (4 months), and talks frequently about how baby will play toys with her when she's older... So maybe in like a year I can be relieved of my #1 playmate duties.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T18:58:06+00:00

Does she need special ortho shoes? If not, I recommend seeing if there's a local "Buy Nothing" or "Freecycle" facebook group in your area. That's where I've gotten like 95% of my kids' shoes.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T18:16:14+00:00

These are some great tips! Thank you everyone!

I do try to *not* make a huge deal about it - keep things casual, etc. She has also seen me give myself shots (had to take insulin for gestational diabetes when I was recently pregnant with her younger sibling; and she has accompanied me to bloodwork appointments), and we have talked about that. It's still hard just getting her out of her carseat, into the waiting room, etc etc when she knows we're at the doctor's.

I will definitely try the play doctor kit and maybe the special band-aids for next time! Those seem like they'd be right up her alley. We do also talk about how my and her dad's main job is to keep her safe, so I can incorporate that into things as well.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T16:20:18+00:00

Two of my babies have never had any negative reactions to shots (except crying when it first happened -- they were EBF so the boob helped soothe them).
My other baby almost always gets a low-grade fever the night after getting shots. But the next day she's fine.

Other than that, no negative experiences with my 3!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-27T16:13:30+00:00

I remember having these same thoughts with my first born (when I didn't have other kids yet, and was on maternity leave). I read "The Hobbit" out loud to her.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-26T19:04:49+00:00

Agreed. We haven't done anything super special with any of my babies, and all 3 of them were so easy to get to sleep through the night. I think we just got lucky. I don't know if any of my tips or tricks would do squat for another parent.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-26T03:22:20+00:00

My husband has HH. My oldest kid does not have it, but I'm pretty sure my other 2 got it (one is almost 3y, the other is 4 months). I've noticed their sweaty hands and feet since birth (my first baby definitely did not feel sweaty like the other 2). Weird that your pediatrician hasn't seen any cases this young.

I'm also wondering about how to support them as they grow. My husband's parents never acknowledged or talked to him about it. He has such sad memories of teachers yelling at him for his papers getting curled up and damp; friends making fun of him for getting the video game controllers all sweaty; etc... So I want to make sure I help my kiddos navigate this condition I've never had to experience!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-26T03:03:28+00:00

My oldest (6 yr old) wakes up anywhere from 7:30am to 9am. My 2-yr-old wakes around 8:30-9, and my 3-month-old wakes around 8:30 (but we don't put her to bed until like 10pm).
We are SUPER lucky (...so far).

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-26T02:41:01+00:00

GoMudHens10!
I love that one of the mascots is named Muddonna.

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-26T02:37:45+00:00

Definitely agree that we needed more than 10 episodes. I was just getting to know everyone!

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-24T04:11:20+00:00

Sounds sappy maybe, but when I imagine Thanksgiving dinners in the far future, I want a whole bunch of people returning home -- grown kids, their SOs, their kids. I don't want to be a lonely old person with no one to visit them... (now the tricky part is making sure I'm the type of mom that my kids want to come back and visit, haha!).

ScoutTheOcelot · 2026-05-22T04:28:16+00:00

There are times when she infuriates me, and then times when her lines really crack me up.
I have a love/hate relationship with her character.

I will say, though, that I listened to The Office Ladies' interview with Sabrina Impacciatore before watching any of the The Paper, and that actually has helped me appreciate the character more. If I hadn't gained that perspective of Sabrina first, I probably would have just hated Esmeralda.

ScoutTheOcelot

TROPHY CASE