DS2 starts at CM in 6 weeks and only falls asleep at the boob!

[sheeplikessleep]

DS2 only falls asleep on the boob, both daytime and night time. (He does fall asleep in the car seat too, but after a bit of crying).

We've focused our attention on getting him to sleep longer at night (through not feeding at every wake up) and gradually, he is sleeping for longer periods, which is a revelation and appears to be working, slowly but surely.

However, nap times seem sooo much harder! I feed him until he is pretty much asleep, but as soon as I take him off, and put him in his cot, he is wide awake.

He starts at the CM in 6 weeks (he has just turned 9 months). Not sure where to start really. I don't want to stop breastfeeding yet and he is on 3 meals a day, so he should be able to go a bit longer. I need to think about whether to supplement with formula when I go back to work or just go straight to cows milk (he'll be 11 months when I go back).

Agh! Any help appreciated. Thanks

Have a look at the baby whisperer book. Good luck.

are you really going back to work?

fidelma - yes, i am going back to work, just 2 days a week. why do you ask?

You sound like you don't want to!

2 days a week is pretty good going though.

I work for a family where the baby will only go to sleep whilst cuddled by the mother. From day 1 I have placed her in her crib and at the beginning - day 1 and day 2 she moaned and needed help ie rhytmically rubbing her back, by day 3 I did cc - she literally did a tired cry (2 mins) and fell asleep, the same for the 4th day - and now 4 weeks on she goes straight down in her cot and goes to sleep by herself. However she still needs cuddling to sleep if her mother is around.

Children sleep diferently in different places/for different people - don't worry he'll be fine :)

btw baby was 10 months-

fidelma - tbh, i'm quite looking forward to going back for a bit of a break :). ds1 was a little older (16 months) when i started back at work and by then, he was able to be put down in his cot awake and he slept well for his nap.

we haven't tried ds2 with a bottle either and because i work about 2-3 evenings a month too, dh needs to be able to settle him at night. (ds1 was mix fed from 5 months, so was quite used to having a bottle).

so i know that we need to get to a point where ds2 can take milk from a bottle / cup from dh on the evenings i work and also that the cm is able to put him down for a nap without too much effort from her. and that he takes some milk from a beaker whilst at hers (although i am not too worried about that by 11 months old).

lifeinagoldfishbowl - that's reassuring, thank you for posting. i've just spent an hour getting him off to sleep now (i'm trying to get him off to sleep through cuddles, patting etc). i've managed it two days on the trot (morning naps), so i'm hoping gradually i can space out the feed a bit and reduce amount of cuddling time.

dh says we've got time, a lot can change, but i want ds2 to go through the tears with it all at home, rather than with someone he doesn't know and somewhere he doesn't know, if that makes sense. life - your post is reassuring that maybe our cm won't need to take quite as long at settling him! every time i put him in the cot, he cries and stands up and stays standing up!

sorry for taking so long to respond!

DS was fed to sleep for every nap and at night. First day at CM I got a text at 0930 to say that he'd fallen asleep in her arms without any probs!!! He's been absolutely fine ever since and for a while she was the only person that could get him to do this.

I'm sure that your LO will do something very similar. Bit like the second you get in the doctor's room, they suddenly perk up.............

thanks cairnterrier, thats reassuring too!

No worries.

PS HV came to see us on Friday to do the 12 month screen, DS refused to put his feet on the floor so was been referred for remedial standing classes.

He hasn't stopped standing since

Can't wait until he's a teenager.

my 10 month old will only sleep on the boob and naps for 20 mins during the day for me but at her childminders from day 1 went into the cot awake, self settled and slept for an hour! If only i knew the secret...

My ds was exactly the same however while at nursery he fell asleep with a sip of milk from his cup and a snuggle! (He was 8 months)

my god, i'm so shocked how common it is for them to all fall asleep differently in childcare! little monkeys

yep - my DS (almost 2yo) refuses to nap when i'm at home... when my mum has him once a week he goes into his cot and snuggles down with no problem at all...
Grrrrrrrrr.

DS sleeps just fine for the nanny but it's the boob and nothing but if I'm there!

I'm a CM too and have had little ones who would only be rocked in a pushchair/cuddled/fed to sleep and it's never taken them more than a few days to settle into me routine (up in the cot). I always stay nearby and don't go down until asleep but never takes more than a few minutes.

I'm sure he'll be fine!

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