How to stop feeding to sleep

[ScaryFairy28]

Dd has always fed to sleep or taken dummy but is now refusing the dummy so only feeding to sleep trouble is she now six months so difficult to put down without waking, meaning we're now cosleeping so I don't have to move her, she was previously sleeping 12 hours and isn't hungry as goes back to sleep after first suck but is feeding to settle at bed time 11 and 3ish. Other problem is I'm back to work in January so won't be able to feed for naps then. She's a terrible napper 2 or 3 x half hours a day.

Ds2 spontaneously improved napping when he was about 7/8 mths. A lot of bables seem to, thankfully Tbh, her nap habits sound pretty normal.

Try No Cry Sleep Solution or No Cry Nap Solution, both gentle ways to help your baby settle more easily. By Elizabeth Pantley.

She randomly slept for 2 hours the other day but that was on my bed. Was wondering about that book. Have tried pick up put down and sushing and patting but both make her scream like your torturing her. Feel so guilty trying to change this as she's such a good baby.

No Cry Sleep Solution definitely worth a punt, yeah.
She does sound fab, yes.

They get so much more managable/predictable as the first year progresses - you'll both get there soon

Hmm well for day naps mine sleeps in the buggy if we are out or car seat on the way home I then move her in the house and sit quietly til she wakes. Now its darker she will sleep in her bed, but fed to sleep only, or hugged to sleep if have to. Could you alter how yours sleeps in daytime? Its just a couple of weeks, napping then at nursery etc (assumption thats the solution) will be their problem! DD does different stuff for different people.

Evening I find without change its always 30mins before she's deep enough to move from my arms to the cot minimum. Earlier and she wakes. Just a thought but does waiting a bit change anything? Don't want to trap you to the bedroom but unsure what you have tried...just a thought.

DD did alter drastically after 6mths and has only improved so am hoping for you that time will alter things as your routine naturally alters with your return to work. Sometimes painfully Ive found patience is the only way, and things naturally changed and I could've saved myself the stress worrying. Good luck!

OP, I BF DD1 to sleep till she was 9 months and we did gradual retreat. It was hard but she soon enough got the hang of it and we introduced it for naps too. She is a great sleeper now .

cerealqueen can you elaborate on gradual retreat? Sorry for hijack.

It is a form of sleep training. I still gave feed before bath, then bedtime was bath, book, bed and then we (mainly DP) sat by the cot and each night sat further away till we were outside the room. We soothed by talking to DD. She did cry as she wasn't used to the routine but after a few nights it was fine. Lots of opinions on sleep training. I had been feeding to sleep for so long, it was time for us and DD needed to learn to nap properly, not just in the car or buggy so it worked with that too. I was due to go back to work so we needed some semblance of routine.

I agree with advice to leave DD a good while before you move any sleeping baby and to lay the hand on the chest if doing a transfer to cot.

Wake to sleep also works with naps as they do wake after a sleep cycle, 30-40 mins. What you do is gently rouse them before they are due to wake and let them settle back into a sleep then they sleep longer. After a few times doing this they will sleep for longer naturally. It is supposed to work for early wakers too though we never tried it for that.

you can tell we had a few sleep issues!

Thanks for the ideas she goes down no problem at bed time as soon as she drops off I can put her down its when she wakes during the night I cant get her back down. I can move her after a bit but that means staying awake during the night not fun!! So have ended up cosleeping. Going to look for no cry sleep solution.

We had a similar issue and also wanted a no cry solution. In the end it was a long process but it has worked so well and I am so proud of my DS! Basically, we had been going in and dangling over the cot to let him suck our finger or holding him to re-settle him if he was more upset. During the day, I started to give him a teddy (the older version of this to play with when he was getting cranky getting his nappy changed. He enjoyed sucking on its hat and so then after a week or so, we started holding it or placing it next to him when settling him for sleep. Night-time took longer but I was amazed that on the very first day, he took the teddy and started to stroke it at his morning nap and fell asleep quite happily It was as if using it when he was upset on the changing mat had given it some sort of reassuring association.

Now, we put him to bed and hand him the teddy (or another animal if it's in the wash!) & 9 out of ten times during the day, he happily falls asleep. Night time, is a bit more hit or miss! Maybe 6 or 7 out of ten but still an improvement!

Good luck!

..actually - made that sound less successful than actually is! Most of the time through the night now, if he wakes he settles himself with the teddy. Is only if he goes into a full blown cry (usually cos he's rolled over and got himself stuck) & we have to intervene that the success rate is 6/7 out of 10!