7.5m - breaking sucking to sleep association

[Brothy]

My 7 and 1/2 month old still wakes a lot in the night. She is bfed and usually goes straight back to sleep. Most of the wakings are in the second half of the night. She goes down awake at 7pm each night, usually without any fuss. She is usually up for the day at about 7.30m. We have a night time routine in place. She naps well in the day, fairly regularly and for at least 2 hours in total, but she rarely goes down awake for these.

My question is, how do I reduce the night wakings? What would be the best technique to use?

I'd like to minimise crying / distress if possible, but recognise that that she is used to being fed, so there are likely to be some tears, and she will feel hungry in the second half of the night, even if technically she could now sleep through. I have tried to make her wait (with a lot of tears) for a few nights, which doesn't seem to have made much difference. I have also struggled to put her down awake in the middle of the night, she insists on feeding herself to sleep. I guess that it is partly down to hunger and expectation and maybe also that she has a strong middle of the night sucking to sleep association...

Am not sure if she is too young to completely night wean, but I would count it a real success if I could get the wakings down to one or two in the night as I would like some better sleep myself!

All thoughts/experiences welcome.
Thanks