What sleep training? 10 month old feeding to sleep, waking regularly and need help

[carrottopper]

I need sleep but can't bring myself to do the cry sleep training. I keep reading lots about different methods and just don't see how it will work.

Dd is still bf and feeding to sleep. She wakes very often in the night and I usually feed her back to sleep. How can I help her self settle?

I keep trying her with a comforter but she's not really interested. What's the best way of getting her attached to a teddy?
Should I be offering water in the night instead of milk?

I've read about pick up put down and it says not to pick them up at 10 months but she gets so angry unless we pick her up.

Any ideas?

Might be worth getting a copy of 'The No Cry Sleep Solution' book, it has a lot of ideas to try. Not that I've done much of it yet

Some babies just don't seem to like a comforter though. My oldest loved his thumb and cuddled a blankie and later a cuddly toy. He stopped feeding to sleep at about 9 months, although he went back to it for a while a few months later when teething.

My youngest still feeds to sleep at 19 months (or is cuddled by DH when I'm at work) and only has a blankie to copy his big brother I think! He also wakes every night.

I work full time so have just gone with it this time. There's no way I could let them cry either!

10 months is still relatively little. You could also try googling Dr Jay Gordon's gentle night weaning method, although I think he recommends it for after one year old?

I'd very much recommend reading the No Cry Sleep Solution. It's written by a mum of 4 who has done extended bf and cosleeping and it does focus on bf babies.

The first step is the hardest but also the simplest. Remove nipple from the babies mouth when sleepy but not asleep. They will protest and root. Replace nipple in mouth count to 10 and retry. Repeat until baby falls asleep. Do this every time and baby will surprisingly quickly learn to go to sleep without the breast in their mouth.

Loads of other things in the book and that's just the first step to self settling but it'll get you started while you wait for the book!

It's not a quick fix though. If you need something to work faster you're looking at perhaps gradual retreat. It will involve a lot of crying though IMO in an older bf to sleep baby.

Good luck. I'm on stage 2 (putting in cot sleepy) at 6mo and the nights are getting much better.

XPost!

On the comforter - with Ds all i had to do was tuck it in with him every sleep. With dd I've tucked it in with every feed and sleep to no avail. I think some babies just don't do the comforter thing.

My 9 month old is the same and I co sleep with her. I get enough sleep that way.

Third recommendation for No Cry Sleep Solution - it does require some persistence, but it really helped us!