Gradual retreat-what iff she never falls asleep?

[MrsGSR]

DD almost 8 months old. Always been a terrible sleeper.
Had a bath and a feed just before 7 then put in her cot awake. She's now screaming. When do I give up and admit she's never going to sleep, that I'm a crap mum and that I'll need to live on energy drinks for the rest of my life?

She will BF to sleep but wakes if I move. We were co sleeping at night and she was sleeping on my lap during the day but I'm about to start full time OU study and I need her to learn to self settle so I can work whilst she naps and not be woken up every hour through the night.

Ah I feel your pain! DD is nearly 9 months and is a similarly crap sleeper. I'm back at work and it's a challenge! We use a dummy when she naps, it keeps her happy and sleeping for a bit longer. Also, you're in the middle of a sleep regression - it does start to get a bit better, we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

She won't take a dummy, I've tried every single shape/size in the hope they might help but she refuses! DH gave in and has rocked her to sleep. She's never going to sleep on her own.

I've just stopped feeding to sleep (11m) because he doesn't go to sleep anymore! We're trying out settling in cot. It takes a while, there's a lot of false starts, but I stay with him until he goes to sleep. It works for us - it would fail miserably if I left before he was asleep. She WILL do it, but it might take a bit of persistence.

How long should it take?
She just got so distressed. For the first hour she was fairly happy, for half an hour she got more and more annoyed, then she screamed for over an hour. I sat next to her the whole time, patting her back, talking to her softly, singing to her. I gave her some water hoping it would help calm her down but she had a few sips then would scream again. I honestly think she'd still be awake if DH hadn't rocked her to sleep.

I usually end up picking him up, calming down and starting again. A few times. It takes us about half an hour - 45mins now. It took longer at first.

About 9-10m was really rubbish for us - we co'slept' (hahaha, like anyone slept) from about 2am.

Does she wake immediately if you feed to sleep? I'd be tempted to stick with that for a while longer (because that's what I did), I completely understand why you don't want to though. Solidarity here.

She wakes as soon as I move, either to put her in her cot or just to get comfy if we're co sleeping! I have a bad back and find I'm so sore in the mornings when she's been in our bed!

Anyone awake?

We had two nights that were better, almost good, and then it all went downhill again. One night she refused sleep for over three hours before DH took her downstairs to sleep in her pram. She's been awake for two hours so far tonight, doesn't seem to have any plans to go back to sleep!

I just don't know what to do. Please help!

I know it is often frowned upon, but I finally left my dd to cry herself to sleep without me in the room. When I tried gradually leaving, pick up put down, etc, she just got more and more annoyed. When I just left the room, she eventually fell asleep. That said, not sure I would have had the willpower for it if DH hadn't been so set on doing it. I did sit outside the door and cry the first night or two.

I left for 5 minutes to run to the loo and it just made her scream louder! We can't do pick up, put down either though, it makes her very angry.
Managed to get her to sleep after just over two and a half hours, not her worst, but certainly not her best.