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Breastfeeding Baby to Sleep Through the Night – Sensible, or Bad Idea?

Breastfeeding baby to sleep through the night – a contradictory phrase, or a clever ploy?! I’ve heard it said so many times that breastfed babies sleep worse than their formula fed counterparts – but is it true? Nope, as it happens. Read on for the full lowdown…

Breastfeeding Baby to Sleep Through the Night

Breastfeeding baby to sleep through the night | Image shows a mother and baby sleeping beside each other, with a soft green dinosaur on the bed.

As I never tire of repeating, I’m a huge breastfeeding advocate. I fed my first daughter for about 21 months, and it was an incredibly precious time – until it wasn’t (my two have never been great sleepers!) and I found myself struggling to wean. 

It was a bittersweet conclusion to our journey

With my second we long surpassed that milestone, and I eventually weaned her shortly after her third birthday. It was not a decision I took lightly because it was not something she wanted, but I was done.

I never imagined nursing for so long, but contrary to what others may believe, by that age we are not doing it for ourselves! 

Read these new baby sleep deprivation tips to help the whole family get more rest.

I was beginning to develop bouts of breastfeeding aversion and, while it was a bittersweet conclusion to our journey (I’d hoped Elfin would instigate the end), I’m convinced it was the right one for us at that stage.

Breastfeeding will always remain a very precious period of my life, for so many reasons. And I hope that the information I’ve put together here over the years will prove useful in your own journey.

Do Breastfed Babies Ever Sleep Through the Night?

Can it happen? Is it a thing? Am I kidding myself?

As for whether breastfed babies can sleep through the night, and whether nursing them to sleep is counterproductive, well – it’s complicated.

Firstly, you’d have to clarify all of the above, because of course breastfed babies can sleep through the night. But anecdotally I’ve heard the same stories as everybody else – they’re unicorn babies. But there’s even more to consider:

  • What age is the baby we’re talking about?
  • Is there anything else going on, such as a leap, or an illness, or an allergy?
  • Is it even a problem anyway?

If you are, in fact, content with your situation – then choose to stop viewing it as a problem!

Society tells us again and again how our babies should behave, that they should fit in with our lives as far as possible, and that we should get them into a good routine where they sleep for as long as possible during the night, as quickly as possible.

But the reality is quite different – because that whole idea literally goes against nature!

Sleeping Baby

Ultimately, it’s probably not the best way to think about breastfeeding and baby sleep. A better way of looking at it might be to think about whether your baby is happy and healthy, and also whether their irregular sleep patterns are actually causing you a problem.

If you simply feel that your baby is not conforming to western expectations (which are not realistic for babies), and you are in fact, content with your situation – then choose to stop viewing it as a problem!

But, in terms of what’s typical behaviour when it comes to baby sleep and breastfeeding, and whether it’s a good or bad idea… Do you want the good news or the bad news first? I’ll go with the bad and rip it off like a plaster, then leave with you some hope…

Your Baby is Supposed to Wake Frequently

If you breastfeed your baby to sleep, allowing them to fall asleep at the breast, then it’s true that they’ll come to associate nursing with sleeping. But is it a bad idea?

It depends. Is it a problem for you? If it’s not, then there’s no need to change anything. If it is, then you might like to consider your options, which I’ll talk more about later.

Breastfeeding baby to sleep pin.

Some babies will naturally start to sleep by themselves, some will nurse to sleep till they’re five years old or beyond, if you let them. Everything is relative, and you’re allowed to change your mind! You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.

That said, I truly do understand how awful it can be when your baby never sleeps. So I’ve collated lots of information that will hopefully help you in the meantime…

Should You Breastfeed Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night?

The pros and cons of nursing your baby and allowing them to fall asleep at the breast.

A Final Word on Breastfeeding Your Baby to Sleep…

Simply trusting your instincts offers you the very best guidance for how to parent.

I remember sometimes feeling unsupported for simply wanting what seemed best for my babies, and easiest for our family.

But, as our young family grew and I gained confidence as a mother, I began to realise that our society places crazy demands on parents which can actually prove harmful.

…And that simply trusting your instincts offers you the very best guidance for how to parent.

Plus of course, while it feels like it will never end – it will. All too quickly. When this time has passed, no matter how testing it is right now – and trust me when I say I know how testing it is – you’ll miss it.

The newborn days are so hard. And so incredibly precious.