how can we get DD down without the screams?...

[mcflumpy]

Our DD is nearly 18 weeks and we have since the start really made a rod for our own backs, we realise this now. From early days she has always been put in her basket swaddled and asleep. Mostly because she would conk out after her last feed and that would be that. However, as she is a bit older and more aware of her surroundings, every night for about the last week or so, she has still been awake following her feed, we have nice quiet time in the dark, swaddle her, then all hell breaks loose! She screams and screams, will not go down awake we've tried shush patting, pick up put down, whilst she is awake in her basket to no avail.

Our routine is this:
bath time
bottle (EBM or formula depending on mum) in dark
cuddle in dark
Swaddle
put to bed (now replace with scream)

She is a brilliant sleeper when she is settled but its just so upsetting for all of us as she is so upset, mostly because she is tired and just wants to sleep.

Where do we start helping her to get to sleep easier and without the stress?

We are about to move her into her cot in our room and see this as an opportunity to change our bad habits but don't know where to start.

Many Thanks

cuddle her? feed her to sleep?

What thisisyesterday said.

I could feed her to sleep (breast afer bottle) but I've got first night out on my own in a couple of weeks and was hoping we would be able to sort ourselves out so DH could do it on any given evening. We very much see this as our problem, not our DD. We have cuddles in abundance but she is still very very upset.

She is generally a great baby and I find this screaming (and I mean screaming) match just so upsetting.

A dummy doesn't work.

Try pick up/put down or shh pat.

Forget about this making a rod for your own back thing. She's tiny and she needs help to go to sleep at the moment. She'll self-settle when she's ready. We rocked DS to sleep until he was about 5 months old, then stopped and never really looked bad (did rock him to sleep sometimes when he was teething or ill)

Have you tried rocking? We actually used my birthing ball - held DS in our arms, sat on the ball and bounced gently until he drifted off.

White noise helps some babies -try the hoover or a hairdryer.

Soothing music. You can use the same piece of music, so it becomes a cue that it's sleep time.

To be honest, if you can feed to sleep, I would then worry about self-settling later.