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Stopping feeding to sleep in daytime - 9mo

4 replies

cornflakegirl · 26/05/2010 12:57

DS2 is 9mo, and we've slipped into the habit of feeding to sleep for his daytime naps. He used to be good at settling himself - he found his thumb at 3 months, and after that could get himself off to sleep, just took a bit of cuddling and singing till he stuck his thumb in.

Then around 7 months he got an ear infection, followed by a nasty cold, throw in sprouting a few teeth plus changing his sleep pattern from 3 or 4 naps to 1 or 2 naps, and now we're feeding to sleep every time.

I have tried not feeding - today he started getting sleepy (yawning, bit grizzly) at about 11.20, so I changed him, took him upstairs, chatted to him gently as I closed the curtains, put him in his grobag, gave him a cuddle, put him in the cot. He was fine and smily. I pottered about, left the room briefly. He grizzled, so I went back in. He wasn't looking really sleepy, so I read to him for a bit. Then he started grizzling and rubbing his eyes, so I sang to him. He was rubbing his eyes more and started flailing a bit, and then started full on crying. So I picked him up for a cuddle. But he didn't stop crying, and he was fighting against me holding him. After a couple of minutes I felt really bad about letting him cry when it's so easy to soothe him. So I fed him - he had a decent feed on one side and fell asleep. I put him back in his cot - he didn't stir at all. This all took about half an hour.

So - my method was a complete failure. (Not the first time I've tried, it always seems to end with him crying inconsolably, without any real build up to that point.) Anyone got a better method?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
rubyslippers · 26/05/2010 13:03

have you got No Cry Sleep Solution?

pantley pull off technique is good

i did a version of it, but DD was much younger

basically, I let her feed until she was almost asleep and then unlatch her and let her fall asleep in my arms

i did this for a few days

then i unlatched her and put her in the cot and stayed with her whislt she went to sleep - hand on chest or her head

again, did this for a few days

then she was ready to go down awake

i also gave her a cuddly which she still has (she nibbles on its ears) before she goes to sleep

cornflakegirl · 26/05/2010 13:10

ruby - I don't have it, although I did read it years ago.

I do sometimes try to unlatch him a bit early (generally impatience rather than sleep training!), but it seems to result in him rooting around trying to find the nipple again, and if I don't provide, he starts to wake up and get more upset. Did you find that too?

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rubyslippers · 26/05/2010 16:46

yes - she would automatically root

what you can do is unlatch and then you push his lower jaw up so his mouth is shut (less violent than it sounds)

just keep a very gentle pressure there and he should stop the sucking reflex

cornflakegirl · 27/05/2010 20:29

I'll try that - thanks.

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