my 4 month old comfort nurses a lot. i mean a lot. and she expects it, demands it and it is unacceptable to her to not let her nurse when she wants, which is......a l.o.t. am i setting myself up for a problem? how do i stop this? is this wrong to do?
2007-05-30 02:52:10 · 15 answers · asked by learnin_toluvme 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
ive tried a pacifier many many........many times, she refuses. help
2007-05-30 03:02:54 · update #1
She is in the middle of a developmental phase. She is learning the difference between needing and wanting and may even be developing some primitive object permanence ideas (like that you may just be there when she can't see you). Be patient and see if she moves on to other fun things in a couple of weeks. You can try to play a little with her before you let her nurse. Sing a song or play a game just before she usually decides to nurse for fun/comfort. Offer lots of physical affection during play and see if she finds other fun stuff to do.
Nursing for comfort is part of the human experience and is not only perfectly normal but quite healthy. That little girl knows that you are there for her, she is learning that she can trust you and rely on you and you are building her self-esteem. You are showing her that she is important. I would try some little stalling distractions so that she can learn other ways to play, but she sounds healthy and wonderful and nursing for comfort is quite normal and will not cause problems later behavioral or any other kind.
2007-05-30 03:07:27 · answer #1 · answered by Momofthreeboys 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My daughter would have been the same way. I breast feed exclusively for 6 months and i still nurse her 2-3 times a day, she is 9 months old. But i gave her a pacifier. I remember in the hospital the min i put her down she would start screaming and the only thing that would make her calm down is if i gave her a pacifier. People would tell me that it was bad to give her a pacifier but she only gets it at bed time and if it falls out she still stays sleeping. Give her the pacifier so you don't constantly feel like you are nursing her.
2007-05-30 03:03:18 · answer #2 · answered by SSV 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES! Besides that can be very uncomfotable after awhile. Also, make it impossible for you to do your daily routine. Luckily she is still young and won't be as hard to break. I would try to give her a pacifier or her thumb. If that doesn't work, use distraction. ( take her outside for a walk, play with her, give her some rice cereal or whatever snacks you give her now ) Babies are very smart! She is training you and not the other way around! You need to train her what is good for her. Right now you probably can't leave her for any length of time. This isn't good for you or her. You need time alone and she needs to learn that everything is okay if mommy isn't here. If you keep allowing her to depend on you so much it is going to get really hairy around 8 or 9 months when they go through their stranger phase. I would buy the book "What to do with your baby" ( I think that is the name ) It is made by the people that do the "What to do during your pregnancy" Very helpful information in there. Good Luck and congratulations! It sounds like you are loving mom.
2007-05-30 03:14:55 · answer #3 · answered by shari m 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It just depends on your personality. If you don't mind doing this for your daughter, then go for it. I gave my daughter a pacifier to avoid this as comfort nursing can cause problems when out in public and such. She should be old enough that using a pacifier would not cause nipple confusion.
2007-05-30 02:55:51 · answer #4 · answered by ChibiKris 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Is she thriving? Some babies eat more than others, and need it. My sister had a daughter that demanded to be fed so much and my sister just didn't produce enough milk so she added formula. She's a thriving young woman now.
I can't imagine its possible to spoil a baby under the age of 1 year. Some babies need more assurance than others. I dont see this as a problem at all, just as long as she's healthy.
2007-05-30 03:11:27 · answer #5 · answered by Frootbat31 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My son is now 9 mo. old and he also started wanting to "comfort nurse" very early on. i started finding an alternative way to comfort him though because around 5 months it was becoming a problem. i think that it has the potential of becoming a big problem if you let her demand something from you. it will expand to other areas if she knows she can get her way. It will be hard to break her of it, and it does not feel good to refuse them of something that makes them so sad but in the long run you will save yourself a lot of trouble. good luck!
2007-05-30 03:03:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
oh this is not good. She needs to find another way of comforting herself. It is normal for newborns to use sucking as a comfort which is why a lot of parents use a binky. There are some that you can get that are supposed to help with nipple confusion. They worked with my son. IT is called the Gerber Gentle Flex. I can only tell you this will get worse as she gets older. And it isn't good for you right now she is cute and small but when she gets her feelings hurt or is just sad in public are you going to sit down and let her nurse every time? Because once she understands emotions she will have more difficulty if that is her method of calming herself. Good Luck!
2007-05-30 02:59:31 · answer #7 · answered by Luvinmykids 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Its not wrong to do. but as u said it must be very hard for u. if she wants it even when not feeding her. would u not consider giving her a dummy. It wouldn't do any harm since u already pacify her with ur breast u obviously aren't against them. Just for ur own sake i would recommend that. I mean ur feeding her yourself which is so great there isn't more u could do for her. I would say get a dummy.
2007-05-30 02:57:30 · answer #8 · answered by RED (green's sister) 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
You can start guiding her hand to her mouth or giving her a pacifier. Or put your very clean pinkie finger in her mouth. It can be damaging to your nipple to let her pacify on you. Plus it keeps you pinned down longer with each feeding. My baby girl (my 3rd) is also 4 months old. They are learning behavior at this age, so be careful. Babies at this age are very visual, so take her outside or show her some toys.
2007-05-30 02:58:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
It is good that you recognize this could be a problem my daughter that is turning two she did that with her bottle up until two months ago. Kepp breastfeeding when she wants to actually eat but when she needs to be comfroted hold her close wit a bottle you can even put the bottle in your shirt to try and trick her.
2007-05-30 03:28:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋