Any chance this will just improve?

[Bugaboom]

I have a 9 month old dd. She is breastfed, refuses bottle or dummy (believe me we've tried!). Basically she feeds to sleep at night around 7.30pm, wakes about 2 to 3 hours later and then we cosleep. She pretty much feeds on and off for rest of night but as I doze through it I'm really not sure how much. I've done this basically because she wouldn't settle away from me in early days and having a three year old as well I've just had to maximise sleep.
However I think her sleep is worsening. It's taking ages to settle in evening and she absolutely will not settle for anyone else. So some evenings I don't get any time at all and it's getting me down. Nap wise she generally sleeps on the go in her pushchair/car seat or sling. If I feed to sleep and put her in cot in day she doesn't last very long so I generally get her to sleep in pushchair and she naps reasonably well.
I've tried settling her in cot awake but drowsy- this was around 5 months- and it just didn't work. I've tried introducing a comforter but she throws it away! I've also tried to put her back in cot after that first feed but I'm useless by that stage and just relent to co sleep.
My question is, has anyone been in this situation and it just improve? If so when?! I'm planning to move her into her own room soon. I can't face the thought of sleep training right now but feel it might be inevitable.

I should add she eats well in day.

Hi Buga,

I actually asked the exact same question not long ago and got some quite positive answers.

Unfortunately I couldn't see how our situation was going to improve on its own (very very similar to yours) and it just seemed to be getting worse.

We decided to hire a sleep consultant and have been working with her for 4 weeks now. She's now only getting up once during the night and I'm not feeding her at all during the night, I'm hoping in the next two weeks she'll be sleeping through, but even if she's not I'll be happy with where we are from where we were!!

It's been very gradual and gentle, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the guidance and reassurance we have received.

Personally I think there are two options : 1) Carry on as you are, your LO will sleep through the night eventually, it might be next month or it might be in a couple years. 2) actively try to do something about it in a way you are comfortable with.

There's not a right or wrong answer - it's just what suits people individually.

Good luck

Also, with regards to the comforter - I gave DD it to hold every time I fed her to sleep for a couple month, she eventually started to associate it with being sleepy but it wasn't till we managed to get her settling in the cot I've noticed she really does use it for comfort and looks for it, she goes to sleep cuddling it which is very cute!

Thank you for taking time to respond sleep. I think I'll have to carry on as we are for a couple more weeks but I'll persevere with comforter- should I just give it her in cot or at other times she sleeps like in pushchair? My husband has offered to take time off to help (he isn't usually be kept from work until after their bedtime). I'll look up your old thread. I hope your LO continues to improve, sounds like you're doing a great job.

I gave it to her whenever she would sleep - so for naps in the pram and in the cot at bedtime. She likes having something in her hand when I feed her (usually my hair!!) so it was quite easy to have her hold it when she was feeding to sleep. She now sucks the label to get to sleep, or the blanket, and it's nice to know she has something in the cot which relaxes her.

She slept through for the first time ever last night - and trust me - if she can do it anyone can!!

Hope you get some sleep