How can I stop nursing during the night?
If your toddler is still nursing during the night, it may be comforting, but you may also be exhausted as a parent. Here are a few things to think about. First, once little ones are about 6-months-old they typically no longer need to be fed overnight for nutritional value. That said, it is OK to set a limit with your little one. Second, think about how he falls asleep at bedtime. If he nurses to sleep, you probably want to start there. That is because we usually need what we had at bedtime when we fell asleep initially in order to return to sleep after natural night wakings. These natural wakings are normal – we all have them. So, move nursing to the beginning of the bedtime routine instead of having it be the last step of the routine. Help him learn to fall asleep on his own in his crib by putting him down drowsy but awake. Once he learns to fall asleep on his own at bedtime – without even having you in the room – he probably won’t need you to help him get back to sleep after he wakes naturally during the night.
About Dr. Kimberly Kirkpatrick Justice
