Tell me your gentle sleep training methods please...

[Mamdoingherbest]

My little girl is 8 months old. Has been EBF but now eating three meals a day along with BF. She's amazing, funny, happy and a joy but the worse bloody sleeper EVER!!!!!! I know why, she will only settle with a boob. We co sleep and she's settled by boob off n on all-night long. Day time naps only happen when she's either fed to sleep then held (by me) or rocked to sleep then held (by others; Dad or Nannie). If we put her down she wakes up. Night time I feed her to sleep and she then wakes up every 45 minutes until I go to bed when she sleeps right next to me and feeds off n on throughout the night. Yes yes I know, I've made a massive rod for my own back but it's just been easier until now. I'm going back to work and just can't go on like this. So my question is can anyone share any good ways to gently sleep train my LG. She needs to learn how to self settle but there's so many different approaches to sleep training and I'd love to hear your success stories of what's worked for you...

I had this baby!
We did the Jay Gordon method but not until about 14 months.

Don’t make excuses or say “you’ve made a rod for your back” you’ve given your child love and stability. You’ve met her needs and done what you needed to do to get through it.

I used to apologise for her sleep and the way she was. But she was always happy and a lovey baby. She’s now an ace toddler and generally sleeps 12 hours every night!

Following as in exactly the same boat with my six month old except she wakes every ten mins if I leave her in the evening 😂

You could do the No Cry Sleep Solution now and the Dr Jay Gordon's night weaning method at 12 months OP

@Hunkyd0ry thank you for saying that, I do apologise for her being a bad sleeper and she's got a reputation in my family for it now. But you're right, she's getting everything she needs and that can only be a good thing right?!
@tumtitum 10 minutes?! That's a killer. I really miss an evening to unwind and switch off. We've had nights where it's been short periods before I'm summoned to open up the boob bar. It's not for ever ay?!
@JiltedJohnsJulie thanks I've just looked at the Jay Gordon's approach and it seems like a good method for us. I like how it's straight forward. I find the no cry sleep solution a bit vague. I like Gordon's styles each night. Thank you for the ideas, much appreciated. Did you use these methods?

I felt judged by my family (Parents used to put us to bed and turn off the monitors. After 5 minutes they’d listen in, if we were still crying they’d wait another 5!) So I think they thought I was soft.

But we got there in the end. DB and SIL now have a baby and are having the same problems which makes me feel better!

Hope it works for you. I was really pleased with how quickly DD settled.

The implication here seems to be that if you don't feed your child to sleep or hold them until they sleep your a hard hearted monster. I can assure you I'm not and my dd also has everything she needs and is very well love and most importantly secure perhaps even more so since she sleeps well and can stand to be alone as she drifts off. Shen she was little she was fed, bathed, dried and hugged and had a lullaby then she was placed warm and cosy into her cot where she drifted off to sleep. The only reason your dd can't do this is she has never had to. Any change to her routine now will not be gentle and she will probably fuss and cry but it doesn't mean you are doing her any harm just that you are changing things and there is nothing wrong with that.

Yes, we did the No Cry at about 9 months and did have some success with it

@MumUnderTheMoon I have two children. My first enjoyed going to sleep without me holding or even touching her. She had a dummy and would drift off very independently. My second one has come along and is the complete opposite, enjoying the closeness of having mummy there 24/7. From my experience of having these two very different babies I have found that people who I've spoken to about my sleep situation tend to suggest I've in some way spoilt my second little girl and "made a rod for my own back" even though I've done things the same. They're just two very different characters with very different sleep patterns. So it's purely form personal experience that I wrote that. I totally understand that however a parent puts their baby to sleep it's done with love and warmth towards them. I suppose I'm just dreading having to change things and take away my LGs secure routine but I know it's got to be done.

@tumtitum I feel your pain. We are in exactly the same situation with our DS at 6 months. Wakes every 10 minutes in the evening with only the occasional 30 minute stretch. It’s breaking us. We used to be able to rock him to sleep and then just sit there with him in our arms in the dark, but now even that doesn’t work. I’ve come to the conclusion that he just hates being left alone and knows that he will be if he goes to sleep. Hence screams and protests at naps and bedtimes no matter what we do. He only rarely feeds to sleep too, so OP I’d be happy to take that over nothing!