1 year old doesn't sleep in cot and feeds to sleep

[Molukmik]

Hi, I'm desperately needing some advice please. My baby has just turned 1 and is breastfed few times in the day and at night when he wakes up. He has food about 3 times. He has never slept through the night and wakes up frequently throughout - moresore the last third of the night every half an hour. I pat him and rock him but the only way he goes back to sleep is if he is on the breast. I am exhausted. He used to sleep in his moses basket as a newborn and then the cot until he was about 5 months but now I've given in and we co sleep. Everytime I put him down on the cot, he either wakes up or only sleeps for a max of 1 hour. I know you're meant to put them down on the cot when they're drowsy but he just ends up standing up and crying. I don't know what to do. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

He’s eating 3 meals a day, so my advice would be to stop BF as you’re so exhausted.

I’m in exactly the same position OP - it’s exhausting and hard work and I hear you!
Are you unable to sleep alongside you DS as the feed through the night? Every time my DD wakes I just pop her on the breast lying down and usually we both fall back asleep (sometimes she doesn’t and has to be rocked or comes back for multiple feeds).
I honestly don’t put any expectation on it changing or any pressure. I don’t even have a cot as she will go into a floor bed when she’s ready.
There is a lot of noise out there about expectations of baby sleep e.g. they should sleep through at 6 months or they shouldn’t be feed to sleep and “drowsy but awake” but honestly a lot of it’s nonsense. Follow Lynsdsey Hookway on insta for much more helpful and realistic advice.
Please don’t put loads of expectations on yourself and your little one if that’s stressing you out and exhausting you. Focus on getting the best sleep you can right now and know that things will get better xx

Stop breastfeeding and he will have to find another way to fall asleep.

Stop breastfeeding and teach him another way to settle. He's one, he doesn't need to be breastfed anymore if it's not working for you. There is no gold medal for continuing and sacrificing your own health. It probably won't be an easy few days/weeks but in the long run will almost certainly equal more sleep.

Thank you so much. I'm glad I'm not alone. Hope things get better for you too. Sending love xx