How to break a feed-to-sleep association

Today we are talking all about breaking a feed-to-sleep association. Now I know this sounds scary to many of you, the thought of putting your little one down in the crib, wide awake without any help and then also expect baby to fall asleep totally unassisted. You might be thinking that that’s impossible!

I get you, I, too, was once in your shoes, about to embark on a sleep training journey where I knew I would have to start putting my baby down wide awake and alert in the crib to figure out how to fall asleep totally on his own. Yikes! But guess what, we did it. And you can, too!

I will tell you how, so don’t fret.

So how exactly do I teach my baby how to sleep without feeding?

Here are my top tips to help you with this.

1. Put time between the bedtime feeding and bedtime.
   Feed your baby about 15-20 minutes before their usual feeding time if they are prone to falling asleep on the breast or bottle. Don’t wait till the last second to feed them before bed because this will likely result in them falling asleep while feeding.

   An extra activity between the bedtime feeding and bedtime is always recommended to really break that feed-to-sleep habit. So if you do your feeding, add in one extra thing to do after, like read a book, or a quick massage, whatever it is.
   

2. Unlatch your baby as soon as they start to doze.
   As soon as your baby starts dozing on the breast or bottle and they aren’t really feeding anymore, it’s time to unlatch them! Don’t let them micro nap (learn more about micro naps here) on you or it can ruin their sleep, decrease sleep pressure and cause them to wake up once they are set down.
   

3. Change the environment during the bedtime feeding.
   Whether you have to keep the light on, or sit in a totally separate room altogether, you want to change what they are currently used to to prevent sleeping on the breast or bottle. Turn a light on, wiggle their toes, undress them, etc…Small changes in the environment can make a huge difference.
   

4. Shift bedtime earlier.
   If you are doing everything to keep your baby awake during their bedtime feeding and all else has failed, you are likely feeding too late. Try adjusting bedtime a good 15-30 minutes earlier so that your baby isn’t totally falling asleep while feeding. You may have had the wrong bedtime and your baby would greatly benefit from an earlier bedtime routine and bedtime.

5. Add in a new temporary sleep prop to help them disassociate feeding and sleep.
   You can start patting your baby’s back or singing a song while feeding and slowly get them used to that while being put down in the crib. Once they are used to the new sleep prop you can slowly work toward weaning them off of that as well.
   

6. You may need to implement some formal sleep training
   If your baby is especially stubborn or you ar having a really difficult time breaking this feed to sleep habit, some formal sleep training may be in order along with all of the other tips provided here in order to really break this habit and teach independent sleep.

Does your newborn have a hard time settling without a feeding?

Does your baby only fall asleep while feeding? Do you find that when you feed to sleep and slowly put them into the crib they wake shortly after? Here’s a small trick and tip you can start implementing into your feeding routine to help break that feed to sleep association.

Start adding in a new habit while feeding your baby like shushing or patting your baby’s back.

Get your baby used to a new habit while feeding so that your baby starts associating it with sleep just like their feed to sleep association. Once they are used to this new habit, you can safely unlatch your baby from the breast or bottle and put them down in the crib without having to feed to sleep.

Once they have broken their need to feed to sleep and are used to being put down with a patting motion, you can start weaning them off of that when you are ready to. This may require some sleep training and it may just require a bit of a weaning process. It really depends on your baby.

It’s that simple! Try it and let me know how it works for you.

That’s all for now and I hope I’ve given you some clarity on the subject. Start implementing these tips and let me know how it goes for you. See y’all later.

Does your child have a feed-to-sleep association?

If you have questions and concerns about your child’s sleep, feel free to send me a message or book a free discovery call so that I can answer all of your questions.