Has anyone successfully stopped feeding to sleep?

[Misty9]

Please help, I'm at the end of my tether. Dd is 8 months old and has always fed to sleep at bedtime. For naps she was carried as a small baby and now will go off to sleep in the pushchair. So i know she can do it.

This last week she's been waking every 20 - 40min after going down and only going back to sleep if breastfed. She's not getting enough sleep and I want my evenings back!

Has anyone tackled this? Preferably without leaving her to cry... unrealistic?

Try this thread!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/2260571-Help-with-6-month-old-sleep-issues-please-Im-desperate-Time-to-sleep-train

Yup, posted on that and have ccontacted sleep specialist. Dd is now screaming with daddy after 2 hours of me trying to feed her to sleep :( So leaving her to cry seems inevitable.

Honestly I would just feed her to sleep for an easy life. It's prob just a phase. It will pass. Def I found 8-12 m the worst for both my babies sleep. Teething and all sorts.
Fed dd to sleep till I weaned her at 14m. Slept like a dream from then on. Still feeding ds to sleep now at 10m and at times feeding 4/5 times but it's quick and easy and I know it will pass.
If she won't feed to sleep now have you tried calpol/neurofen as May be teething??

I did successfully stop, but not until dd was over a year and a half, so not really the same situation! But we transitioned completely smoothly - dh would just take her up to bed at a set time, put her in her cot, and she'd go to sleep. There was no crying or anything. She may have been ready for a long time before this, for all I know.

It was a while before I risked putting her to bed myself, though - I think that would have been harder.

Yes. I used the no cry sleep solution but I would advise reading the book (it's short) than trying to get a précis from somebody on here as it's more a general ongoing approach than a "solution".
I used it to gradually separate the last feed and sleep over a period of weeks till eventually we could put a story with daddy after the bf and before sleep and put him down (initially with rocking to sleep, eventually awake).

Yes. Used controlled crying with my first at 8.5 months because she took so long to feed back to sleep and I was exhausted. It worked and everyone was much happier.
Tried it with my second at the same age and it failed spectacularly, he just pooed every time he was left to cry!
I was very very very lucky though and he just started sleeping through a few weeks later, of his own accord.

Soz for pointing you where you'd already been misty! Hope things improve for you soon.

Yes, I've been in the same boat as you twice now, with both my daughters. I gradually sleep trained my first dd. I started off un latching her off the breast when she fell asleep. After that I started to unlatch her as she closed her eyes and eventually we got to a point that lying down next to her was enough.

With my second dd I told her one day that she would not be getting "more more" at night time anymore. We made up a song and dance for it too! That night she went to bed lying on top of me. She was 15 months though and understand a lot more as she's the second child.

I would also recommend the no cry sleep solution. It's really good and provides a whole list things you can try. Xx

we did at 5months because she was waking every 45mins all night for a boob.

I spent a couple of weeks setting up positive sleep associations, a solid bed time routine and a love etc and then fed her to sleep. once the routine was in place, she was practically falling asleep before the feed. but I'd feed her, then wake her up and then put her down. first night she cried for 37 mins. second night for 18mins and third night not at all. then I gradually brought the feed forward to 6pm instead of 7 which is where we are now. feed at 6, bath, story, lullaby, in bed for 7 and straight to sleep. she wakes up once a night between 2 and 4 for a feed then wakes up at 7am. best thing we ever did.

• lovie not love. stupid autocorrect.

I swapped feeding to sleep for shushing him in his cot while letting him suck on my little finger (he won't take a dummy or I would have probably used that). It usually takes about 5-10 minutes unless he's overtired or under the weather. I'm now trying to gently move it to shush pat by pulling out with my finger and shush patting earlier and earlier. Sometimes if he's really tired he manages to sleep with just shushing now which is lovely because I can lie down at the same time!

Sorry mupperoon , I do appreciate the suggestion.

Well, after 15 minutes of cc last night, dd slept for.... (Drumroll) 7 hours!!! Yes, SEVEN hours straight! Then quick feed and back down for another 2.5hrs. We're in shock. She hasn't slept that long since a newborn. I'll keep on top of her naps today and we will see what tonight brings...

isn't is amazing Misty!!! 15 mins is really good for the first night, you are very lucky! did you enjoy the sleep?