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Many mothers who take sleepless babies nurse them either to or back to sleep. If your baby is old enough, however, she/he likely doesn't need to be nursed in order to go to slumber.[one] By stretching out your baby'southward feedings throughout the solar day and into the night and establishing a sleep routine, you tin successfully become your baby to sleep without nursing.

  1. 1

    Recognize daily sleep requirements. Depending on how old your baby is, she needs a different amount of slumber.[ii] [iii] If she is 5 or nether, the recommended daily sleep amounts time by age are:

    • Infants 0 – two months need 10.5 – xviii hours every day.
    • Babies 2 – 12 months need 14 – 15 hours every day.

  2. 2

    Set a consistent bedtime. Ready a consistent bedtime that incorporates a routine. This can help her fall asleep without nursing in addition to relaxing her and regulate her sleep cycle.[iv] [5]

    • Consider naps, feedings, and your baby's age when fixing her bedtime.[half dozen] Don't worry about setting bedtimes during the first ii months.
    • Set a reasonable bedtime for you lot and your baby. You may want some "me time" after putting your baby down for the dark.[7]
    • You may need to tweak the schedule occasionally to accommodate activities or other factors like illness.[8]

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  3. 3

    Promote relaxation before bed. Near babies crave some time to shift into bedtime way. Promoting relaxation through rituals and surround tin can assistance your infant relax and go to slumber, especially without nursing or feeding.[9]

    • Begin winding downwards at least 2 hours before your baby's bedtime.
    • Dampen whatever loud noises.[ten]
    • Dim the lights around the house and particularly in your baby'southward room. This lets her know that information technology'southward time to sleep.[xi]
    • Speak to your baby and rub her dorsum to relax and reassure her if she is fussy.[12]

  4. iv

    Take a bedtime routine. Follow a nightly bedtime ritual that does not include nursing.[thirteen] Taking a bath, reading a story, singing, or listening to soothing music can cue and your baby to sleep without the aid of nursing.[14]

    • Read or sing to your baby to help relax him.[fifteen]
    • Give him a warm bath and massage to enhance relaxation.[sixteen]

  5. 5

    Optimize the sleeping environment. Create a room for your babe that promotes relaxation and sleep. Setting an optimal temperature, dampening noise, and shutting out light can assist fall and stay asleep.[17]

    • Set the room temperature between 65 and 75°F (18.3 to 23.eight°C).[18]
    • Remove anything from your baby's room that may stimulate her, such as electronics.[19]
    • Control light with soft bulbs and curtains or blinds. Using a night low-cal in a not-stimulating color like ruby can help you find her or even reassure her.[20]
    • Use a white racket machine to dampen noises that may otherwise wake your infant.[21] [22]
    • Remove blankets and soft items from the crib or bassinet to prevent suffocation.[23] [24]

  6. 6

    Put him downwardly while he's withal awake. Identify your infant in his crib or bassinet when he is drowsy merely awake. This tin can help him acquaintance the bed with sleep and reduce his need to nurse in order to sleep.[25] This tin can besides reduce the amount of nighttime care you lot provide.[26]

    • Place your babe on his back to sleep.[27]
    • If he stirs when you put him in the crib, allow him to conform and then see if he falls back comatose. If not, pick him upwards again until he is drowsy.

  7. 7

    See your pediatrician. If your baby isn't sleeping or requires nighttime feedings afterward six months, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician. She may exist able to assess why your baby is even so hungry at nighttime or if your baby is simply wanting feeds for the attention and amore.[28]

    • Set up notes on your babe'south sleep and feeding patterns to have to the appointment with you lot. This can help your physician more effectively diagnose what may exist going on with your baby'southward sleep cycle and give you tips to meliorate information technology.

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  1. 1

    Understand babies' sleep cycles. Babies have different requirements for sleeping and eating depending on how sometime they are. Learning about the sleep cycles of babies tin help you more effectively go your baby to sleep without nursing.[29]

    • Babies generally do not require night feedings in one case they weigh 11 pounds.[30]
    • Newborns need to eat more ofttimes and more often than not sleep for upward to three hours in betwixt feedings.[31] This means you may need to wake your baby to feed him until he is erstwhile or weighs plenty to slumber without eating.
    • Betwixt ii to three months and depending on weight, your infant may need an boosted feeding at night. Well-nigh ii to 3 months old babies need one to two feedings at night. They ordinarily demand to feed by 5 to six hours. [32]
    • Subsequently four months, most healthy babies do not metabolically crave feedings during the nighttime and tin can usually sleep for 7 to viii hours without a feeding.[33]
    • Talk to your physician if you have any questions about what is feasible.[34]

  2. 2

    Cut downwards nighttime feedings. At effectually 3 months, reduce the number of nighttime feedings you give your baby. This tin ultimately help reinforce the baby falling asleep without nursing.[35]

    • If your infant cries, either allow her to stir to see if she goes back to sleep or requite her a pacifier, which may soothe her right dorsum to sleep without feeding.[36]

  3. 3

    Fill up upwardly the baby before you sleep. Giving your babe a few sips of milk before y'all go to slumber may continue him from waking during the night. Wake him upward and permit him take a few sips, even if he is also tired to drink.[37]

    • The extra sips may have the added do good of getting you a niggling more sleep.[38]
    • Be aware that this tactic can backfire and stimulate your babe to wake more oftentimes. If this happens, discontinue filling him up at your bedtime and give her a little extra at his terminal feeding.[39]

  4. 4

    Extend fourth dimension between feedings. In one case your baby no longer needs to be fed every two to 3 hours (unremarkably around iii to iv months old), stretch out the time in between her feedings. This can help her realize that she doesn't need to nurse to sleep.[40]

    • Add ½ 60 minutes between feedings at night every other nighttime. After a few weeks, your baby may no longer need to nurse to fall or stay comatose.[41]

  5. 5

    Subtract nighttime feedings. Spend a trivial less time nursing during your baby'southward nighttime feeding(s). Past gradually decreasing the corporeality of time you nurse, you tin can signal your babe that he tin sleep without nursing.[42]

    • Suckle your baby for 2 minutes less per breast over the class of a week.[43]
    • You may demand longer than a week to eliminate your baby'due south need to nurse for sleep.[44]
    • In addition, limit actress stimulation during night feedings such as dissonance, lights, or extra attention.

  6. 6

    Increase daytime feedings. Your infant may be less likely to nurse at night if she gets sufficient calories throughout the 24-hour interval.[45] Gradually increment how much you nurse your infant during daytime feedings until she doesn't require nursing to slumber.[46]

    • Suckle your baby for a few minutes more per chest every solar day.[47]
    • Avoid putting cereal in her bottle or giving her solids too early, which can be detrimental to a baby'due south wellness.[48] Most experts recommend starting solids at around half-dozen months.

  7. vii

    Give your baby a pacifier. The sucking action of nursing may soothe him to sleep. Past giving him a pacifier, he may exist able to fall comatose without nursing. Inquiry has too shown that pacifier use while sleeping tin reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).[49]

  8. viii

    Provide night care only as necessary. Most babies fuss and move effectually during the night. Simply attend to her if she is unable to soothe herself back to slumber or seems ill.[50]

    • Dim lights, speak in a soft voice, movement minimally, and don't put your baby directly at your breast. This helps your babe understand it's time to slumber and disassociate nursing and sleeping.[51]

  9. 9

    Avoid co-sleeping. Although you may be tempted to accept your babe close to yous at night, avoid bed-sharing or co-sleeping. Not only can this tempt him to nurse himself to sleep, merely it can as well make information technology harder for him to fall and stay asleep.[52]

    • Studies have shown that co-sleeping increases the risk for SIDS, suffocation, or strangulation.[53]

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  • Don't get frustrated. It can take a while to train your baby to fall comatose without the comfort of nursing.

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