feeding to sleep problem

[pinkpinkgoose]

Hi all
My baby is 15 weeks and the ONLY way she will go to sleep is when she feeds. This is through out the day and night. As such whenever she wants comfort she comes to me, she won't even be rocked to sleep by her dad or anyone else, she just associates feeding and sleeping as one. It also means that when she is put down for a nap and stirs she can't settle herself back again. I am returning to full time work in 8 weeks when she will be nearly 6 months old, and my husband will be full time carer. I am expressing and we are trying her with a bottle for feeding but any help with no feed sleeping would be much appreciated as we would like the transition of care to be as smooth as possible. All suggestions welcome thanks

Could always try giving her water when she stirs for her nap? That way she'll be having the drink but not the comfort associated and may learn that this is not worth making a fuss for.

HTH but you could always speak to HV

stirs from her nap I meant to put

I'd concentrate on introducing a bottle for your situation and worry later about the sleep association at a later time.

Don't give her water, please. It's not necessary for breastfed babies, and only necessary for ff babies in extreme heat.

I would also not worry too much about feeding to sleep, as 8 weeks is a long time away - all sorts could change by then!

When your DH is doing full time caring for her, he will find a way to settle her. It happens at nursery/childminders all the time, when parents go back to work at 6 months.

Watching with interest as 15wo DD has started doing this too - I'd got her into a routine where she'd be fed on waking during the day but somehow it seems to have turned around so that she feeds to sleep all the time. Hoping someone has some constructive advice for you OP.

I don't know any adults that need to eat a pizza or sit in a rocking chair before they can sleep. So, if you've found something reasonable that helps them get to sleep do it!

DS never developed one thing, we had to try a dozen things every night/nap before he'd drop off. However, I never tried putting him in the car or walking the streets, these were activities I couldn't handle becoming sleep associations. Being fed, being rocked, deep pressure, object association, night lights, white noise all fine with me.

You probably have, but have you tried a dummy? My LO used to be fed to sleep but decided at 6 months that she didn't want that anymore!!!

She wouldn't settle easily, so I resorted to the dummy and it worked a treat. I just make sure I take it out after 5 mins. Some nights she even takes it out herself!