When should you start 'self settling'?

[Bellyrub1980]

If that's the correct terminology!?

My 13 wo baby is, essentially, a good sleeper. At least I'm coping ok I think. She has 2-3 naps a day and sleeps 7pm - 7am with one waking at around 1am. We've just started to successfully nap in her crib during the day most of the time (yay!!)

However, all of these sleeps are induced by feeding or rocking (and the occasional healthy dose of white noise!!)

I've read a few threads here about much older babies still needing to be rocked to sleep and it made me think.... Should I break this habit sooner rather than later??? If so, when?

Do NOT upset the apple-cart! If she's sleeping that well on what you're doing, then carry on.

FWIW, DS1 was fed to sleep - shit sleeper. DS2 was hot-housed to self-settle from birth, and does so beautifully - still a shit sleeper.

The key is to not be so habitual in how you get her to sleep. If you always and only rock her to sleep and she cannot get to sleep any other way, this is likely to develop into a habit. Likewise if you always feed to sleep and she cannot get to sleep without being fed, this again will develop into a sleep association.

But if sometimes you rock to sleep and don't feed, sometimes you feed to sleep and don't rock, occasionally you might be able to put her down nearly but not fully asleep and maybe she will get herself to sleep without feeding or rocking?

If you develop something as a permanent sleep trigger that works every time so you use it every time - then expect that to become a sleep association so make sure it is something you will be happy doing for a long time (or are wiling to go through the difficulties needed to break the habit).

I would say it's either feeding or rocking. She has, a few times, just fallen asleep of her own accord but it's very very rare. But then I don't ever let her try. It seems to really depend on catching her in the right state of sleepiness.

Ok, I shall keep going as I am then. Thank you xxx

Do give her the opportunity to try. Look at the 4 month regression threads for inspiration.. nothing wrong with encouraging it now. Very promising that she can be put down at all though, good baby!