How long does this phase last please?

[Zimm]

DD just learnt to pull herself to sitting unassisted an now is doing it rather than going to sleep.....ARRGH!

I am assuming the novelty of this will wear off soon and she'll go back to being able to self settle? Well she self settles about 50% of the time, by rolling round in her cot for about 20 mins and then drops off, I wait with her and speak softly to her. We are very happy with this sysem and would like it back! due to her refusal to settle I am back to feeding to sleep for all naps and sleep which only works if she is exhausted so not ideal. I try lying her down when she sits up but she just screams.

This is a phase yes? She will get over the novelty soon?

[vmcd28]

It probably is a phase... I think. They seem to thoroughly enjoy doing all the "new" things for a few days, then it's not so exciting to them, when the adults stop giving such a big reaction each time they do it!

IMO, I'd try to get out of the feeding-to-sleep habit. I stopped doing that at 15 weeks for the same reasons as you are saying - he started deciding that, actually, he wasnt tired after each feed, and there was more and more to see and do. I would then get stressed as to what we should do next.
I went cold turkey - I decided I wouldnt give in, and feed him to sleep ever again. It worked very very quickly. He sleeps brilliantly on his own - and actually gets upset if we stay in the room with him. It's as if he needs to be on his own to relax properly, iyswim.

Are you in the room with her when she's doing this...? Maybe try to relax her, eg sing a song, then quietly leave...?

[Zimm]

Hi - yes I stay with her and shush her. But she just laughs at me! She only feeds to sleep when exhausted - otherwise she was doing really well with the self-settling, hence why this new development is so frustrating!

[WizzyBizzy]

Lasted a couple of weeks for us - 3 or 4 tops. I'm now at the stand-up-and-throw-all-soft-toys-out-of-the-cot-and-cry-until-they-are-put-back-in stage which seems to be lasting rather longer....

[blueberrysorbet]

agree feeding to to sleep is a bit of a nightmare for some, although i did it with mine:) if she is well fed, dry and clean and tired but fighting it, i would do the bedtime routine, put the nightlight on or the outside light if you just use that, and either go and sit in the chiar in the room with a book or next to the cot- so she can't grab you. the trick is not to make eye contact! and just say every now and then if she appeals to you whatver you say, shush then or whatever then quiet again. she will roll around a bit and have a play which is ok, she is just learning to put herself to sleep. if you chat and sing she will stay awake and join in, esp as she gets older. however, she is still just a baby and i guess you will have to deal with her crying, which is a different issue and one i dealt with by picking them up instantly soothing and putting back. can't bear crying hysterically babies reaching their little hands for mama:) controlled crying is a very emotive issue!

the other thing may be that she doesn't need to nap quite so much during the day as she is getting older, so putting her in bed when she is not tired won;t work! mine hardly slept during the day anyway, little scamps. move the nap times or cut them out, maybe take her for a walk in the pram instead, though obviously not at night!

[vmcd28]

Wizzy, we had that with ds1. I remember wanting to throw HIM out the cot too!!
We ended up reducing the nbr of toys in the cot every couple of nights, and he didn't seen to notice. Eventually there was only ond left which made it a lot easier.