My 6 month old has become a nighttime boob addict!

[Tusa]

I'm not talking about your regular she need to feed to go back to sleep, she needs a boob in her mouth to sleep!

She's always been a light sleeper following her wake up at around 3-4 an and even after she's gone into her own room about 6 weeks ago she still usually ends up in our bed at this point which is fine. But in the last week or so she's started refusing to let go of my boob, if she loses the nipple she gets all shouty and flappy then starts crying. Which was tolerable for a couple of hours in the morning but now she's started refusing her dummy when she goes to bed (she's pretty much fed to sleep then I swap out boob for dummy, but now she wakes up and shots if I try) I can usually still get her asleep in her crib but the point at which nothing else works and she has to come to bed, and then must stay latched on is getting earlier. Last night she was attached to me from midnight until now at 7:30!
We're blw with her and also trying to get her to take a bottle so she can go into creche when we go on holiday in a few weeks, but that seems like a compete pipe dream at the moment. Help!

Do you cosleep? SAFELY of course. They can smell the booby. It's comforting. It's natural. If you can feed lying down on your side, with you curled around her she will fall asleep and then the booby will fall out but as its close by it wont be an issue to cover it up and go back to sleep. I do this with my 6 mth old. I know cosleeping isn't for everyone - and you both really have to be committed to it (eg my DH lies across the bottom of the bed if had a drink) but I think especially at this age when they are bigger, it's not only lovely, it's safe if you follow the guidance re separate bedding (baby in own bedding), clothing (lighter than if sleeping on own), temp of room, use your arm as your pillow etc and its win-win in that everyone has lots of sleep and if she does rouse a quick snuggle will have her back off. I would view it in terms of being proud of her - she's bigger and clever enough to know where the booby is now and to be able to protest! I was terrified of cosleeping when dd was little so we had a side car cot...slowly she's crept in...we all sleep so much better for it (except when her eczema is itching but that's another issue) and we all love it. At baby groups everyone is obsessed with them sleeping thru and going in their own room...I just don't think it fits . Google James McKenna and cosleeping. Good luck and have a fab holiday xx

Thanks, we do cosleep and that Was fine when, as you say she would fall asleep, let go of the nipple and that was that. She's doing this whilst Cosleeping! It means I can't move at all or she loses the latch and wakes up and my poor nipples are taking a hammering.

Sorry...do you think she's teething? Erm.....

Bump x

Just watching with interest, DTB doing the same, though thankfully only 2-6ish. No advice, hopefully this is a short phase

I wondered about teething and generally telling myself it's some kind of phase for my own sanity!

My son does this when teething (and for naps, always). Sympathies! In my case I stuck with it and it passed - less than a week, awful while it lasted but I just tried to rest as much as poss (bfing with eyes shut) and went with it. That's not much use, I hope it's similarly short-lived.

He is a rubbish sleeper anyway though - tends to wake most cycles even when it's not his teeth. :(

You could try a bit of calpol before bed, if it might be teething.