Did anyone successfully 'train' their baby to put themself back to sleep after 4 months of being fed to sleep?

[beatie]

DD2 has turned a corner and is waking up so frequently. I trying to train her to go down to sleep awake, rather than fall asleep as I feed her. It's working, in that I manage to put her down awake but it's not changing her frequent night-time waking habits.

The trouble is we're in that awful sleep deprived cycle. I know I shouldn't feed her in the middle fo the night when I know she's not hungry (i.e. one hour after the last feed) but then we're so tired, I just want to get her back to sleep as soon as possible, so we can get back to sleep.

I fell into the same trap with dd1 but got her to sleep beautifully after introducing a dummy. I'm reluctant to do that with dd2 as it was difficult to get rid of the dummy even once dd1 was 3.

Yes - we did it after 6 months of co-sleeping with him waking hourly for 1hr feed - and ALWAYS falling asleep on the breast - when he went to bed - I had to as otherwise he'd wake up.

I have to confess (and I know many don't like it) but we cracked it with CC - first night took AGES to get to sleep - but only stirred once, 2nd night pretty quick going to sleep - again never woke, 3rd night onwards very fast and never woke for a nighttime feed again! (oh and I ended up with a MUCH happier baby during the day as he wasn't so exhausted)

Yes, after 6 months it was though.
Started in the daytime(important as had had some sleep myself), one day bathed and fed dd, age 6 months, then put her in her cot and she cryed for half an hour....BUT I was watching and the noise she was making was awful but she was trying to eat her hands and her eyes were shut....so...after half an hour I got her out, bathed her again...thinking soothing water here fed her and then put her down again...watched from a distance again and she fell asleep by herself within half an hour and slept for 2...not on me Did it again later in the day, then night time and she has slept fine since. DD1 didnt sleep through till she was 5 and a half years old. I had to fix this baby, in fact, the baby was sleeping through before the 5.5 year old
Do it!!! Good Luck!

We are cc-ing at moment. It is getting a bit easier. For the first time, tonight he stopped crying after 5 mins, and just lay there and fell asleep. We were doing same as you at night, as dh goes to work and I felt it unfair to let ds2 cry and wake dh. However, he's almost 9 months and I was still bf at night. I decided to stop any nightfeeding about 4 weeks ago, and let him cry (going in every few minutes so he knew we were there). Don't know if I've been lucky, but he only cried for about 5-10 minutes and then straight back to sleep which was/is manageable. I know it will be worth it in the long term, but if ds2 cried for longer than half an hour at night, think I'd give in!

Hi Snips, I would love to learn how you started stopping the night feeds. My ds is 14 mo and a boob monster. He's off the day feeds but at nursery m-f so he doesn't see me to remind him of bfeeding. Decided to start last night by not offering boob when he wakes and see if I could settle him, kept laying him down but he was really sobbing his little heart out (kept getting up again) and after about 15 mins, I gave in picked him up to cuddle him and then planned to put him back down but he went mental so instead fed him... and even though he was awake when done (fully awake with all the crying).. I put him back in the cot and he happily went back to sleep. Same thing later in the night, but I just fed him (quickish feed - 15 mins) rather than mucking about, he whimpered going back in the cot and wanted to be latched on but I put him back and eventually he chatted himself back to sleep.

Is this OK .. or should I just refuse the feed, and let him cry, I don't want to be sending mixed signals but I am a bit of a wimp and he is so big now and knows so well what he wants, he's almost telling me in words!!

I am trying to wean him gradually. As he fed all night, I avoided feeding him this AM (I was in shower when he woke) and then I brought him downstairs for breakfast but he was really cranky and I knew he missed his first feed.

Any other suggestions for the weaning. I need to get him totally off boob by April but I don't want to leave it all too late. (I will be going away on a short trip then, can't bring him along and hubbie will be minding him for 4 days).

Thanks!!!

OK just started using charliecat's daytime method-could go for this as during daytime I think one has more willpower and also not as brutal asCIO-Just had half an hour of crying with me in the room patting through bars-torture feel like worst mummy in world but as soon as he quitened (from exhaustion poor little love) left the room and he has gone to sleep on his own. Now in tears myself of course-just called DH for support-none forthcoming as he is in a meeting boo hiss.
Anyway figure if I can keep this up for a week then start putting down awake at night should have some effect. last stage of the plan when we r down to 1 or 2 night wakenings (currently 5-10-ending up inour bed with DH very comfy baby very comfy-mummy squashed into a corner.I don't mind this but see that it can't continue indefinitely as I am going back to work soon) then make DH go in with bottle of expressed-this could take a while but as DS is only 5 1/2 months am happy to night feed til 9 months or so just cant take the continual wakening and co-sleeping not working for us.
Sorry for long-winded email-tired and emotional........