DD can't get to sleep now bf has stopped

[ChocolateChipCupcake]

I have always breastfed my DD to sleep (yes, I know) so now she is 21 months I have finally stopped, she can't get herself to sleep without a lot of crying, and I don't mean whinging, I mean proper full-on desperate crying which can go on for hours. She used to only cry when we put her in her bed so we let her fall asleep in front of the TV (as an interim measure!). Now even that has stopped working and nothing we can do can stop her crying.

Any suggestions??

Have you tried a cup of warm milk and a story? Or perhaps leaving a bedtime cd on? Sometimes just changing the routine will be enough to get them out of a cycle and they fall asleep without realising! Make sure that she is tired by getting out for a walk every afternoon if you can.

My dd weaned at 18 months when my milk supply dried up during pregnancy, and prior to that had also been nursing to sleep. I started giving her a soother, which she had never had before, and that replaced the comfort sucking. She's 24 months now and still needs physical skin to skin contact and her soother to get to sleep, so will sit/lie with her hands on my or my husbands belly. She generally goes to sleep with the TV and occasionally stories, or if she's really exhausted will go off just lying there with one of us. It was a relief to no longer be the only one in the world who could get her to sleep! She also for a while had milk in her baby bottle and would ask to be held like a baby when she was feeling unwell or really tired, but that hasn't happened in a while now.

What happens when you stand up, cuddling her and singing? Would that work? Just to relax her. Then you can gradually work backwards to less cuddling and stroking her back until she sleeps?