I'm battling with my almost 5mo. We're aiming for 3 naps a day and regular bedtime routine. As I've posted before, she has become hooked on being rocked / pushed in her pram to sleep - annoyingly, we are where we are!
The last few days we have tried and failed to get her to sleep without movement. With no bouncing (tried both PDPU and just holding her) she has cried through all of her day time naps (and missed them) and then fallen asleep on the boob at the 3.30pm feed (she doesn't normally nap after 3.30pm).
Tonight, again, we had bath, feed and bedtime and so far have had crying non stop for almost 2 hours. We have picked her up and held her but she will cry unless bounced vigorously. We have attempted to omit the bouncing entirely and held her with some shhh pat but she is crying like it's the end of the world.
I simply don't know how to remove this bouncing drug, she just cries and cries until the next feed and we start all over again. I just wish someone would convince me that this will work after x days because this just seems futile. We tried slowing it down, or just swaying, minimal movement but it's just not good enough. We have been very calm and patient with her in this so I don't think she's tense because we are.
It's not controlled crying (we're not leaving her without comforting her) but it feels like it knowing that the bouncing will stop the crying and not doing it and just holding her, because it's not what she wants and knows will get her to sleep.
Help.