- Feeding to sleep, both bottle & breast, is completely normal and all part of the newborn phase
- When your baby is closer to 6 months of age, and feeding to sleep is no longer working for your family, there is lots we can do to help to break this cycle.
- If your baby feeds to sleep and it is working for you, there is absolutely no need to make any changes! Each family is different, so too are their sleep goals.
- I am currently working with many families who want to break the association their baby (>6 months old) has with feeding and sleeping.
If you want to make changes, here are some tips to help break the feed-to-sleep cycle:
✅ Aim to move bedtime feed and morning feed away from the bedroom, to avoid an association of milk with sleep.
✅Try to feed when they wake rather than always feeding to sleep.
✅Give your baby a dream feed to create a longer stretch of sleep and to help with breaking the cycle of waking and feeding.
✅Practice putting baby into their crib awake and gradually teach them to sleep without feeding to sleep. Comfort and support your baby as they learn to sleep without being fed.