Want to get my baby to fall asleep in her cot!

[Rosewb]

My nearly 4 month old girl still needs to be rocked/held to sleep and she's getting too heavy for us!
The reason she has never been able to just go down in her cot is she's had very bad wind colic and reflux, so would scream the whole day and sleep in a sling. Plus from birth I had her on me a lot to stimulate milk supply as she started off on bottle due to Tongue tie and I got her back to breast after about a month ( just as colic set in!).
She screams on her pram and car seat so she's pretty much always on me or my other half when we're out, and will sleep well in sling.
We have her cot raised slightly, and when we do get her down for the night at around 7.30pm she sleeps through till about 7am.
It's mainly the daytime I find difficult, she's fallen into a natural routine which it helps to follow, but when she's tired and I need to put her to nap ( 4 times a day), it's hard work spending 10-30 mins each time getting her to drop off! I always try lie her in cot first and sometimes she'll lie for s bit before crying. Will she eventually 'grow into' being able to fall asleep on her own?!

[gingercats]

Hi Rose, my DD is 6.5 months, also had v.bad colic & reflux. She can't/ won't fall asleep without shhhing & rocking. She is a very light sleeper & usually wakes the minute I put her down. Thank goodnes for MN as I spend ages each day holding her for naps. I've done lots of reading into methods & the no cry nap solution has good advice. Also happiest baby on the block has good tips!
I was getting very frustrated by it but am now working on embracing the extra cuddles with my baby & reminding myself why I am on mat leave. Do u have other DC's/ work to do, or can u relax with yr smartphone & enjoy the cuddles until she is ready to fall asleep alone? X

[Misty9]

Sounds v similar to ds at that age. To give you hope, at around 20wks he just seemed to get it and self settled to sleep pretty much from then on - at bedtime. Naps are still hard work (he's on me and just awoken!) at 13 months though....

[Rosewb]

Thanks for the advice. I'll re-read some of those books I think, I chucked them all aside when nothing worked a couple of months ago. I think I'm also accepting that while she's still so young and my only child, I should also just relax and enjoy the cuddles ( and just try and cope with clingy baby when out and about). I think they eventually start to like their pushchairs and car seats, I live in hope!

[gingercats]

My LO would scream the minute I put her in her pushchair, until a out a month ago... I bought a 2nd hand baby jogger City mini & its so lovely even she likes it. She fell asleep in it yesterday & I could hardly believe it! Its hard work with a 'high needs' baby but I think all the extra love & cuddles we give them will pay off long-term. Since weaning I am seeing a huge improvement in her mood ie she doesn't always burst into tears the minute someone else holds her. It does get easier & as I said before, the most helpful thing I did was to accept her as she is & stop comparing her to friend's perfect babies who effortlessly drop off in their car seats while mum has coffee :-D