Going to sleep at the boob

[Pregnatron]

Can anyone advise me on the following please:

We've been blessed with a very content 6 month baby girl. She has 3 - 4 30 minute naps a day and has just started sleeping 11 hours through the night. Whilst I know how lucky we are, she only goes to sleep at the end of her feed (breast & bottle) or when Daddy walks with her on his shoulder & pats her back (this can take up tp 20 minutes). Soon enough I'll be stopping breastfeeding and I don't have the muscle to wander round the house patting her back and am therefore worried we'll start having sleep issues.

I've tried controlled crying but it's horrific & she gets in such a state that she starts to mistrust me every time I put her down that I end up reversing all the good work done so far... I've been told by the HV to leave her but it's easier said than done.

Any suggestions please?

Whopping THANKS in advance!!

DS used to be like this, only sleeping on DW after breast or bottle or eventually sleeping on me after much walking around/patting on the back.

Until DS was over one we always used to give him a reasonably sized drink of warm milk and even today we usually give him 'supper' before bed and then we make sure he is comfortably warm. A midwife pointed out that when you're warm, safe and full people generally feel sleepy - babies are the same.

As for midday naps, DS eventually got used to sleeping without being held. It took a while and for a number of days/evenings we ended up putting him in his cot with one of our hands lying on his back until he drops off.

Now at nearly two, we still occasionally have to do this if he is upset when he goes to lie down but for the most part he is very good now and just goes to sleep himself. He simply got used to a bedtime routine (not that we follow a massively strict routine, but supper, cup of milk, change of nappy, into PJs etc at whatever time he seems to be tired).

This probably isn't anything like any official advice and every baby is different, but your problem sounded similar to what we experienced and I didn't want you to feel alone.

Hope this makes sense and is of some help and apologies for rambling.

Thanks for your post... good to know we're not the only ones!

dad added music to the walking - and a little one used to always drop off on at the befinning of the third song - less than 10 min into the walking/dancing routine lol