When is the best time for a newborn to stop breastfeeding and sleep? Which type of breastfeeding should a newborn stop?

We all know that breastfeeding is a common sleeping habit for newborns. Many babies like to sleep with breastfeeding, especially those who are younger. When babies grow up to a certain stage, they can start to stop sleeping with breastfeeding. So when is the best time for newborns to stop sleeping with breastfeeding? Let's take a closer look!

How old does the baby need to stop breastfeeding and sleep

Babies have gradually developed the ability to sleep independently after reaching a certain age. In other words, they do not need to be held or fed to sleep. Babies are capable of falling asleep on their own. Parents must believe this and try step by step, and they are likely to succeed.

Normally, babies are able to sleep through the night after 4 months of age, and mothers can gradually stop feeding their babies at night. Give your baby a fixed sleep routine at night, such as washing, changing clothes, drawing curtains, turning off lights, and sleeping. As the baby gradually forms a habit, he will know that it is time to sleep, and he does not necessarily have to sleep with milk in his mouth.

Of course, starting from 4 months old, babies no longer need to feed as many times during the day as before, and the feeding time of babies begins to become regular. Mothers can also find out the baby's regularity and try to reduce the number of times they fall asleep after feeding. Many babies fall asleep after feeding, so mothers should not continue to feed them. This will easily make the baby develop a habit and will also bring burden to weaning in the future.

After 6 months of age, since babies have started to eat complementary foods, this period is a good time to gradually wean babies off breast milk and help them sleep.

Which breastfeeding situations need to be stopped?

In fact, some babies fall asleep while eating, which is normal. However, some babies or sometimes babies do not want to eat because they are hungry, they just want to seek comfort. This is also easy for mothers to judge:

One situation is that the baby has just finished feeding, but he won’t sleep without feeding.

Another situation is that the baby keeps crying and asking for milk but the baby doesn’t eat seriously and falls asleep after just two bites.

The third type is that the baby suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night and keeps crying unless he is fed.

These three situations are actually unnecessary milk-sleeping situations. Mothers can gradually stop feeding their babies and switch to other methods:

1. Pat or comfort your baby to sleep.

2. Don’t give milk as soon as the baby cries; delay satisfying the baby.

3. Let the father or someone else coax the child.

4. Feed your baby once or twice occasionally, but do not feed him for a long time. Take the baby away after a while and gradually shorten the time. At the same time, reduce the number of times the baby falls asleep after feeding every day.

5. Use pacifiers appropriately. (It is not recommended to use them all the time, otherwise you will have to stop using pacifiers, which is also troublesome)

In general, helping your baby to get rid of the habit of falling asleep after feeding, especially bad habits of falling asleep after feeding, step by step according to the characteristics of your baby can help your baby have better sleep and better quality sleeping habits.

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

In fact, the biggest benefit of breastfeeding while sleeping is that it relieves the mother's mental stress, especially for new mothers who have just given birth and have no experience. They have to get up every two or three hours to breastfeed, and each feeding takes half an hour. Some mothers with less milk may have to breastfeed even longer. At night, when the baby is asleep, they have to get up in the middle of the night to express milk, and the baby may cry before they finish expressing. They can't sleep well for several hours in a row, and have no energy to coax the baby to sleep.

Generally at this time most mothers are thinking about how to coax their babies to sleep quickly, no matter whether they sleep with milk or in their arms, as long as the baby falls asleep.

Most fathers are unreliable. Some do not take care of their babies at all. Some are willing to help but the babies do not want to be held by their fathers. Few fathers can patiently coax their babies to sleep. Many mothers are exhausted. Although breastfeeding to sleep may develop bad habits for babies, it does help mothers for a period of time and reduces the burden on new mothers. Babies under three months old especially need to wake up every two or three hours. Breastfeeding mothers also have to suck milk, which is even more tiring. It is understandable that they occasionally fall asleep while breastfeeding.

In short, sleeping while breastfeeding can relieve the mother’s mental stress to a certain extent, and on the other hand, it can also enhance the mother-child relationship.