Need a miracle - How can I get dd to settle herself + to sleep through?

[MrsFogi]

Dd (30wks) just cannot get herself to sleep at night without bfing to sleep and wakes every 2-3 hours for a bf - I really want to get my evenings back and get some sleep. Any suggestions (which don't involve controlled crying)?

hi i dunno if i can advise as im in the same boat my youngest son is 8 months and although bottle fed i have the same problem i dont want to do cc either.although last night i did pick up put down with him in his cot he was just begining to drift off when my eldest shouted from his room "im bleeding" so i left baby ran to sons room where i found he wasnt bleeding (had picked finger nail and was a bit red!) when i got back to the baby he was screaming that loud as i left him that he threw up his last bottle and his tea all over me and him aaaaaarrrrrrggghhh.eventually he slept until 12 30 am another slurp from a bottle and he was off til 6 30 am im gonna persevere with the going to sleep alone thing and then tackle the night feed and swap milk for water as it really is just a comfort thing with him.this is probably not much help to you but you arent on your own id like my evenings back too!

Dunno, MrsF - DS2 the same. Do you co-sleep? Although that's a short-term fix - DS2 wakes as much as ever for big feeds in the night because he knows the all-night snack bar is open for business.

DS1 used to suck his fingers and slept better at this age than his little bro - DS2 doesn't suck anything (except his thumb when he's in the sling sometimes, but never when he's going to sleep any more).

Maybe not what you want to hear either, but my ds is 17mths and still bf to sleep and through the night. Plenty of babies/toddlers do and it is completely normal. I bf ds to sleep 7pm-ish, he sleeps in his cot for a few hours, then we co-sleep for the rest of the night. That is the only way I have managed to get some decent sleep, as I am not really disturbed by subsequent wakings.

Elizabeth Pantley's "No cry sleep solution" is something you could look up if you want to stop the night feeds gently. But I think though if your dd isn't happy to be gently nudged into it, then maybe she isn't ready. I know it's hard, but sometimes it is easier to change your expectations, accept the existing situation and find ways to cope with it, rather than fighting against the tide trying to change it.