Can anyone recommend a good bedtime comforter for a 12 month old?

[saoirse86]

DD is nearly 12 months and I really struggle to get her to settle. About 50% of the time I can get her to sleep at night by giving her her bottle, then letting her finish what she wants, I put her in her cot and she falls asleep within 2-20 minutes. The rest of the time I just feed her to sleep then put her down.

During the night she wakes about 4 times on average and always needs her bottle to get to sleep. A few months ago it got to the point that I was so tired I'd just give her the bottle and let her drink it herself and she'll just chuck it to one side when she's done.

It really does seem now that she's just using it as a comforter and often isn't even drinking, just kind of suckling iyswim. I think it'd be crazy for me to introduce a dummy at this age but is there anything else anyone could suggest as a comforter?

I'm not willing to do any type of cc, and I just feel far too tired in the night to do anything very productive so I feel like this could help her learnt self settle and then can go from there.

Any suggestions gratefully accepted!

I didn't give my DCs bottles, but I too found that they were feeding at night more for comfort than hunger.
At that point, when they woke up in the night I would go to them, but not offer them a drink. Instead, I cuddled them and comforted them back to sleep.
For the first couple of nights they complained about the lack of drink, but from only the 3rd night or so they stopped expecting it.
After that they quickly learned to self settle and stopped crying for me in the night so much.
Rather than replacing the bottle with an alternative comforter, maybe you will find that your DD can learn to settle herself without one.

how do you feel about co sleeping for a short time, untill she manages to get back to sleep without the bottle. that way at least you rest.

replace the milk with water may also work.

Sorry I should have said what I've tried.

I've tried not feeding her at night but she will cry and cry and cry, then fall asleep, then wake up an hour later, more crying, fall asleep, wake up an hour later... You get the idea! It's just been awful when I've tried that and the most I've managed is 5 nights.

I've also tried water but she's more than happy to just drink the water. That's another reason I feel like it's not the drink, but the sucking she wants.

I don't know whether co sleeping would make much difference because it doesn't seem like it's me she wants iyswim and she doesn't settle well for me.

Do you mean like a soft toy? DS has a small Jellycat rabbit and he rubs its ears on his face when he's going to sleep which seems to help (although he's still a crap sleeper).

DD1 has lovie - she actually has 3 of them as they used to goto nursery with her & come home covered in paint & gravy. They lasted so well DD2 has just got 3 of these! I walk round with them stuffed into my bra so they smell of me (yes, I have forgotten and gone to the post office with a small White bear peeking out from between my boobs )

cuski or sleepytot?