Feeding/shushing to sleep - IS there a problem?

[susiemj]

Our Dd is 5 months old. She is an extremely alert baby. I have no idea but everyone who spends time with her comments on it.

She has three naps in the day (usually): two of about 45 minutes and one of about an hour and a half.

We always sway or feed her to sleep (she is bf). We also still swaddle her because she wakes herself up with her hands.

She usually sleeps at about 8-9pm to 7, usually waking at around 3.30am and she usually comes into our bed at about 5.30 for cuddles, dozes and milk. She is usually very happy when she finally wakes up.

I'm fine with her routine as it is. A night's sleep wopuld be nice, but I don't really expect it with a bf baby.

My question is: should we try and teach her to sleep on her own and without the swaddle sheet?

My own feeling is that we could do this but that it would be very hard. If we leave her as she is now, there may be a difficult time later on but equally there may not. So if we try now we may give all of us an unnecessarily hard time.

I'm undecided about this. I think we're fine at the moment but I do think about it quite a lot (I have a lot of 'baby whispered' friends and wonder if I'm doing the right thing). It would be very interesting to hear your expeiences.

If you are fine with routine and DD, who wakes up ONCE during the night is happy - why change it?

No, you sound like you're happy right now, she's sleeping really well for a 5mo old, and in my experience it can be a lot easier helping them to self-settle when they're older, as you can explain more and they can understand more. Please try not to worry about this - I wish I hadn't and had just enjoyed the cuddling for what it was.

i bf ds to sleep every night, well he falls asleep when I'm bfing him after his bath anyway, and I'm not going to wake him up just to teach him how to fall asleep on his own. To be honest he can do it, and has done it regularly without me having to do the old pick up put down routine or following any baby guru's advice. One day he just realised that when he woke if he was still tired he could just close his eyes and go back to sleep. If your dd is waking up happy and she sounds like a very contented little girl then I'd leave things just as they are.

Ds didn't really stop waking up for a feed at night until he was on two solid meals a day as well as his milk feeds so when you start weaning in about a month that might change... or it might not, they're all so different.

Just re read your thread.

The problem with those books is that they are targetted at people who are having problems. In other words, if there were problems sleeping, then by all means, try and get some advice, but if it isn't a problem, don't make it one!

DD slept with us in varying degrees until she was about 13 months, and will still come into bed with us. She started sleeping through the night around 12 months or so, but if she wakes up and doesn't immediately settle, will bring her into bed with us (a bit more tricky now we have DS who is 3 months!)

Go with your gut feeling.

I wish I'd spent less time trying for things DS wasn't ready for. He's slowly doing them all by himself as he gets older anyway.

If it feels like it's going to be tough, then don't do it, is pretty much my mantra these days!

Like others have said. Go with your instinct. If you are happy with things the way they are, then don't change them. Plenty of time for her to settle into a routine of her choosing.

If I could turn back the clock, I would have co slept from early on and not beat myself up about 'getting it wrong' by feeding to sleep and not letting him self settle.

He's now 15 months and all by himself he now pops off the boob when he's finished his feed, points to the cot and says 'there !' to indicate he's ready for bed. He's done that ALL BY HIMSELF. He still wakes 1-3 times per night, but I don't mind - he hardly bfeeds in the day now so i enjoy the quiet peaceful sleepy busy toddler. Enjoy it while you can and stop thinking about it !!

Thanks for your replies. In my heart I know I will just carry on the way we are.

I'm with you Rosemaryeater!

I did wonder if I would be storing up trouble for the future, though and wondered if anyone had experience of this.

I have to admit that for a few months, I did worry that I had set myself up with a really bad sleeper.

But but but he NEVER slept through while co sleeping like your DD.

And like I say, he's gone into his own cot, self settling and dropped his numerous night feeds all of his own accord, without any force help from me. I am currently a vvv proud mummy !!!

sorry - cross post puffy. i love the image of your son pointing!

I didn't cause myself any trouble. He's always been a crap sleeper. At least I could feed him to sleep, it was the onlything that worked! {grin}

I cuddled my DS to sleep until he was about 20 months. I was happy, he was happy. He was bf until 6 months, and was brought into our bed reasonably often as a small baby.

I sensed when he was ready to go to sleep in the cot and I did this gradually over a few weeks. By the age of 2 he happily lay in bed on his own and dropped off.

He is now 6 and is still a good sleeper - loves going to bed!

Good story Miss Elizabeth.
Thanks.

Good to know, IateRosemary. Thanks