I would like to stop feeding my 8mo to sleep

[Cucumberscarecrow]

It usually takes about 45 mins of feeding silently in the dark to get my DD to sleep (nighttime and naps) but she's getting increasingly mobile and vocal and now rolls off my lap and giggles and flaps her arms and legs and is generally very funny and cute except that it's been taking two hours to get her to sleep the past few nights as she's so busy playing the joker.

I have a toddler so need to catch up on housework in the evenings. I'm awake feeding her through the night so should really be trying to get to bed early myself. I'm also going back to work soon and will be up at 6am then so everyone needs to start going to sleep earlier.

It feels like I need to do some kind of sleep-training. Any thoughts on a gentle sleep training method?

Have you read the No Cry Sleep solution or Sound Sleep by Sarah Woodhouse?

How will she be getting to sleep when you are at work and have you talked about nap times and where she will sleep etc with your childcare provider?

I read it to try to establish day time naps in the cot for my son and found it had lots of useful tips but no solution. Perhaps I shall borrow it again.

I haven't worried about naps at nursery as I think that nursery carers and childminders have magical powers when it comes to naps. My son went to the same nursery where they sleep in cots but are rocked gently to sleep. I was horrified when I found out about the rocking thing as I thought it would start a habit but he's never looked to be rocked to sleep at home. I'm assuming this will work for DD too.

Alternatively the "Babywhisperer" which worked for us. Not training so much as helping your baby to understand that getting to sleep on one's own isn't scarey or difficult.

How about super nanny? She has a confident baby book? Try that?

I have just stopped feeding my nearly 11 mo to sleep after posting more than one thread about the BF/sleep association she has on here. DH rocked her to sleep two nights in a row and now I can do the same with minimal fuss from her. She is waking less in the night too. Of course, we will have to transition her from rocking to falling asleep in bed at some point, but this is good enough for now. Is there someone else who could do bedtime for you? Maybe give her a good feed downstairs and then get them to take her upstairs to a dark room to settle her?

Lets hope she just settles at nursery then. Sound sleep is Bfing friendly too. I know lots of people rate the baby whisperer but I think its important to remember that her book is based on opinion rather than evidence based information, its also on the list of kellymom books to avoid. Not sure about Jo Frost but there is nothing in her programmes that would ever make me want to buy her books, but that's just my opinion