Dd 6.5 mOnths cannot fall asleep without feeding

[Cupcakemummy85]

My dd is 6.5 months and uses me as a dummy basically. Before naps I try and put her to bed awake when she is tired but she screams and screams and when I go in to calm her down she kicks it up a gear and gets hysterical. then I have to go in and feed her to sleep. At night she is pretty much latched on all night and I try and take her off and put her in her cot but she wakes and cries. My duh said he can't co sleep anymore with her and it's ruining our relationship because I'm always tired and very snappy. She is a major bottle refuser and she won't even touch a dummy. I have another dd who is 2 so this really isn't ideal at all. It was different with dd1 because she was formula fed from around 7 months onwards.

Are you putting her down for naps early enough?

I've only just started to have success with daytime naps, because my HV gave me some really good advice - basically that if you wait until they are yawning/rubbing eyes/batting ears etc, then you've missed the earlier sign of them going quiet and 'zoning out'. If you can catch her then you might have a little bit more success.

It's not always easy to spot if you are getting on with stuff, but I've found it's definitely made a difference - if I put him down as soon as I notice he's gone quiet he'll wriggle around and cry a bit but be off to sleep in around 5-10 mins, but if I miss that sign I could be looking at 15 mins of proper crying/soothing before he'll drop off.

Put her down earlier. Feed her to almost asleep then rock her for the rest then into cot. That way you start to break ye feed/sleep. Then you can try less rocking and working back. I'd also put her in a cot for bedtime - it might take a week to get her used to it but I found mine slept better if I wasn't so close.

Thank you for replying. I just don't get it, as soon as I lift her up and start rocking her she's awake, I put her in the cot and she screams. I always try and look for the spaced out tired signs but she doesn't really have that lol. I just can never get on with things and I feel really bad for my other dd.
Now dd is totally awake. It's so frustrating as she actually hasn't slept. I'm on the brink of tears. I haven't even had a moment to brush my teeth, let alone get ready for the day. This shouldn't b happening at 6.5 months :(

Have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution? There's a great technique in there based around breaking the feed to sleep association. It takes a week or so but I know people who have had great success with it.

cupcake, delurking to show moral support. My 9mo DD is the same. Cannot fathom how to get her down without a bf. She'll fall asleep in the car or pushchair by herself, but cot during the day or for bed: having none of it . My DS was much easier to put down for a nap. He responded to the techniques and tricks... Not this one. DD will not have a bottle, dummy, soother, soft toy, blanket. She won't be rocked, shushed, patted, left to self settle. We did try controlled crying one evening as this worked with DS, but it became obvious very quickly that she was terrified and I couldn't continue.

I do hope a solution presents itself before I go crazy with sleep deprivation! We are co sleeping for want of a better idea and it seems to get everyone the most rest at the moment.

Luck, and to you.

Do you wind her after each feed? My dd was notorious for this - it usually was wind waking her. I would sit her in my lap and rub her back gently to get the wind up (could take up to 20 mins) then I would rock and put into cot. Could take a while but she got used to it.

Is she a windy baby? Unsettled? Or just not good at napping?