help! how to teach my 8mnth old dd to fall asleep alone

[wrensmum]

Hi, My DD is getting much better at night, sleeping for 5 hr stretches etc.. but some night we are still soothing her 4 or 5 x.
I have been following the NCSS book and have very slowly got her out of our bed, into her own room and now, falling asleep in her cot with soothing. Next step is to be able to walk out and her fall asleep alone.
I'm not totally against controlled crying but would rather try other methods first. I'd love to here what you did and how and for how long and what worked.

Hi there Wrensmum. You have my complete sympathy. We had similar problems with DS but unlike you weren't sensible enough to tackle the problem when he was under a year. DH and I were really unhappy with the idea of controlled crying especially when in tired desperation we tried it and DS just got more and more distressed. The found out about the gradual withdrawal method (from memory think it is in the Baby Whisperer book) which turned out to be our salvation. Basically you put baby in the cot and get them to fall asleep by resting your hand on them then after a day or so of that you don't touch them but sit right next to the cot and finally each night you withdraw a little bit further away from the cot until eventually you are outside the door and then completely out of sight. It took us a couple of attempts to crack it as exhaustion caused one or the other of us to resort to cuddling etc. in the middle of the night rather than going through the whole sitting there 'til baby falls asleep. Definitely worth sticking with and if you have a partner start when you are both able to commit to it i.e. when there aren't any major work events etc coming up.
Sorry this is so long but hope it helps. I know just how desperate you must be feeling.

Forgot to say that whole process only took between a week and 10 days so really doable in comparison to months of broken sleep.

ok, thats reassuring... but now she's got her 4th cold since xmas and is teething! will give it a go! thanks