How to get 9 month old to self settle to sleep

[RLou3]

DD is 9 months and I haven't been in any sort of routine with sleep, she would usually just sleep on the go, in the car, or in my arms whilst on the sofa . Mainly down to breastfeeding - which I have now stopped. But anyhow, I am desperately needing and wanting her to actually sleep longer during the day that for just 30 mins here and there. She's such a light sleeper. Should also mention that I've co slept for the past couple of months. Hoping to move her to her cot this week.

Any advice on how to make this easier and how I can get her to self settle!

Thank you!!

Hi, I was about to post a similar thread. Sorry I can't help, looking forward to reading the suggestions. My LO will also only sleep on me, when I put him down he wakes. Really need him sleeping in his cot

What happens when you put her down awake (but tired)? You could try putting her in the cot and then going back to comfort her after 3 minutes, then 4 minutes and so on. You might find that she cries at first, but then settles and sleeps. It might be hard for you at first (and feel like an eternity), so use a timer and set a limit on how long you will try e.g. 15 minutes. Try not to get too stressed. With DD I found that if this was going to work, it worked quickly, I.e. within 10 minutes. If she wasn’t settling after my limit I picked her up and tried again for a nap later. You don’t need to persist if it makes you miserable. If this works you would also see fast ongoing results, e.g. quicker selling for naps, sleeping better at night.

Once they’re no longer a newborn, it’s great to work toward putting them down awake, rather than transferring them once asleep. It might sound impossible if you’ve been rocking/feeding to sleep but it’s worth a try.

Also worth looking at wake windows and nothing down nap times for a week or so to see if there’s a pattern. I think DD was down to 3 possibly 2 naps by 9m.

Caveats: based on my sample of one baby who learned to suck her thumb to self soothe.

Oh! And I can really recommend the book “Teach your child to sleep” by Mandy Gurney. I was a bit about the title but it’s packed full of sensible advice and practical solutions to specific issues, done in a gentle way.