Please help me get some sleep

[BabyDarlingDollfaceHoney]

I have a gorgeous 5 month old baby girl. She is wonderful in every way, but she only sleeps while she's being held and likes to comfort suck a lot while sleeping (she is breast fed).

For her daytime naps this is inconvenient but achievable. I don't get much done but she sleeps happily enough on my lap and naps well.

During the night however I am really struggling. If I get her fast asleep I can sometimes get her into her moses basket asleep and she might stay asleep for a maximum of 2 hours. This only happens once per night though and most of the time she doesn't sleep there for more than 30 - 40 minutes at a time. Sometimes only 10 minutes though. It takes a good hour to get her deeply asleep enough to get her back down each time she wakes, do I'm getting virtually no sleep. She spends most of the night asleep on my lap, comfort sucking.

Once or twice per night my husband will take her from me while she's asleep and she'll stay asleep on his lap for up to an hour while I grab a little bit of sleep.

I feel like I have tied everything. Things I have tried:

Co sleeping (didn't make any difference, she still woke and wanted to be held, even side to side nursing wasn't enough).

Laying a worn t shirt in her basket so she can smell me.

Inserts for the basket (Babymoov Cosydream)

Having the basket in different positions (next to my side of the bed, on the other side of the room, in her own room next door - no change)

Dummies (she spits them out)

Making sure she isn't hungry. I have her one bottle of formula in the evening before bed. I've tried giving more in the night but even if she takes it she doesn't sleep for any longer.

Playing white noise.

Warming the basket with a hot water bottle for her.

Dressing her more and less warmly / keeping the room cooler and warmer.

I have not and am not willing to try any cry it out techniques (at the moment. I realise I may get more desperate if things don't improve).

I thought the next thing to try would be to start laying her down when drowsy, picking her up and soothing her on the breast again when she fusses, but keep putting her down and not letting her fall asleep on me.

My concerns with this are primarily that it won't work and also that she'll become chronically overtired.

Can anyone tell me of this is a reasonable thing to try?

I have read loads but everything seems so oversimplified and also everything I read seems to contradict something else I've read.

I should add that she's a happy baby. She's hitting her milestones and she is not generally a fussy baby. She doesn't cry very much, even at night (I pick her up before she starts, if left in her basket she would cry).

If anyone has any experience with a baby like mine or anything I haven't tried I would be so grateful for advice. Or anyone to just tell me things will get better on their own? Any pearls of wisdom oh wise mumsnetters?

TIA x

Gosh this is tough for you! At five months you must be exhausted. Have you considered getting some advice from a local maternity nurse ( often cheaper than sleep consultants). It sounds like you're doing so well, you just have an extra cuddly baby. But I would say five months you can start to break the sleep associations now. You need to find some help to find a way that suits you. Maybe try a cot now too, nice soothing bedtime routine. It takes so much perseverance! I'm trying the pick up put down method this week and it's all about consistency apparently. Prob not much help but just wanted to send some support!

Things that helped me (I have an incredibly similar baby!) try getting out for all day time naps in either car or pram! It's tiring for you but helped my DD learn to sleep in other places. Also when DD turned 5 months I fed her, had her very calm and drowsy then placed her on her tummy and patted her bum and stroked her face with white noise playing. Because she was on her tummy she couldn't see me and was much much more physically relaxed and she dozed off very quickly. You could then turn her on her back once asleep or for day time naps you can monitor them on their tummy. I also started a very set nap and sleep routine (not regimented in terms of timings etc) but consistently did the same things. All naps at home had the same musical lullaby toy playing, white noise, dim room, sleep sack on and now she is starting to associate that with naps and she's going to sleep much faster. Good luck!

Also - try different dummy's. My bf baby only took to the nuk genius silicone dummy (I resisted giving a dummy for so so long but really helped my DD to settle alone)

Thank you so much for your reply. Yes it is exhausting!

I am determined to persevere with the putting her down while drowsy technique. I'm comfortable with it because I don't have to let her cry but it's firm enough to hopefully work.

I appreciate the words if support though, it really does help! I reposted this got traffic over in AIBU in desperation yesterday and had some every helpful relied there too!