Will this sleep training work or just confuse?

[Expiealidocious]

For the last month my six month old hasn't slept longer than two hours. He is ebf and feeds to sleep. At night he feeds and goes straight back to sleep, but as mentioned before will only sleep for 45min up to two hours. Day time naps are only 45 minutes and take longer to settle into.
He was six weeks premature so I don't know when the sleep regressions apply.

I love feeding him to sleep, it's the sweetest thing. However, I am exhausted and the cracks are showing.

I have started some sleep training based on things I've read online. I am pulling the nipple out before he completely falls asleep and then winding him before placing down in cot on his side, in a grobag.

Sometimes he's still very drowsy and will fall asleep (should I wake him up more?). Other times the transfer has woken him and he starts crying.

When this happens I put white noise on and stroke his back and bum. Sometimes he will calm down and sleep, mostly he will fight it. If he is really upset I pick him up until he calms and then place him down again and start the stroking again,and so on... If the crying continues and he's not sleepy anymore I pick him up until calm, feed until drowsy and start again.

This morning he was chattering away to me having previously been very drowsy on the boob. The shush stroke was taking so long and so in my frustration I have placed him on his tummy. After a few minutes of looking around and then a few minutes of weak crying and grumbling he has fallen asleep. I have an angel care monitor and his cot is pushed up against the bed, but because he was prem I'm scared of tummy sleeping. It could just be that he was exhausted rather than this being a preference too.

This is very long and rambling now, but I want to know if what I'm doing has a chance of working, or if I'm just going to confuse my poor boy. Should I continue with the shush stroke,should I try tummy sleeping in the day and side at night?

I also wondered if I should go cold turkey on the feeding before bed and move to an EASY routine, but I have no idea how I'd make him sleepy without feeding him, and I do enjoy those cuddles and I'm so tired myself that I don't know if I have the patience for hours of trying to get him to sleep.

He just woke up crying in the tummy position after less than 45 minutes, so I don't think that's the answer.

I should also add that he won't take a dummy.

Saw this on fb recently

I would continue doing what you're doing to be honest. It sounds very sensible (taking him off the boob before fully asleep etc). He might not start sleeping right through the night any time soon but some babies just don't, no matter what you do. I wouldn't personally put him on his tummy until he can easily roll himself over. Even though the SIDS risk is very small, it's still just not worth it IMHO and back or side to sleep is so much safer.
The other thing you could do is co-sleep but obviously only if that suits you both. I personally think if you keep doing what you're doing you'll get there! If he's falling asleep on his own, some of the time, at 6 months it sounds pretty good to me. I don't think there are any brilliant quick fixes for really wakeful babies unfortunately (not in my experience anyway).

Oooops, cross-posted with some quick fixes. That wasn't deliberate. The YouTube one looks amazing, try that and tell us if it actually works?!

That tissue paper thing... How did they find out that worked?! Not sure I would have thought to try that!

Might have to give that a try when he's just giggling at me in the cot! Currently feeding to sleep :/ wish me luck for the pre cot waking up!

I've reintroduced his swaddle and touch (a lot of) wood it's been easier to settle him from quite wide awake! I had wanted to move away from using it but he's showing no signs of rolling so I might carry on a little bit if it improves things.

I'm not not sure the method is right, waking that often is probably due to over tiredness. I would suggest either gradual retreat or leave the room and return every give minutes so. Done consistently it should work fairly quickly. Remember it's protest not distress, my ds was the same as yours. I cracked at 5 months and. Did the return after 5 mins thing, it was pretty much sorted after 4 days. Angel sleeper ever since, he is now 3.5,

I can't leave him alone to cry, even checking in on him. I know it works for some but it doesn't sit right with me. At the moment I'm with him the whole time he's awake and if he starts to cry I am there to comfort him.

Need I have no real idea, but my Dear Dad used to sit with me and stroke down my nose with his forefinger and thumb (like a gentle squeeze) over and over when I was little and it's extremely soothing. Maybe it's the repetition.

Expiealidocious I think you are doing great. Your method in the OP sounds like a perfect middle ground for recognising that some sleep training is needed, but keeping it reasonably gentle and baby focused.

The shushing and stroking is the way to go, as you are doing. This should create a separation between feeding and sleeping.

The danger you have here is that your love of feeding and cuddling to sleep may create a barrier to your sons development in learning to sleep himself. Feeding and cuddling to sleep at this age is fine as long as it's being done for the benefit of baby, not just because you like it and want to do it.

I often reintroduce the swaddle for odd nights when over tiredness strikes, or a tightly tucked in blanket over the sleeping bag. In the same way, have you thought about having a dummy in the house (and teaching him to utilise it) just for the few times when he needs some extra sucking help to get to sleep.

Your son clearly likes the secure feeling of being cuddles - which is replicated in an independent (ie without an adult required) way with a swaddle. Likewise he clearly likes sucking to sleep so finding something to independently replicate this would be useful for your sons unique preferences - if not a dummy then is there something else he could be encouraged to suck?