DD has pretty much always been wrapped and then fed to sleep, however, about 1 month ago, we decided to wean from the wrap for 2 reasons, 1 being that she is too big and the other being with summer coming, she gets too hot.
It was going really well, she was still feeding to sleep, but without being wrapped. I was even able to put her down in her cot a few times when she was drowsy and she'd fall asleep by herself.
Fast forward to about 1 week ago, and she is being a pain in the butt to get to sleep! Most of the time, I'll feed her and her eyes will start closing, and then she'll start slapping me and pushing me away so that she can get back on the ground. I've tried doing it in a quiet dark room, but she still does it. If I put her in the cot, she cries straight away if I leave the room, and if I stay in the room, she sometimes will fall asleep (not very often though) and the other times she practices standing up in the cot and walking around. We've resorted to taking her out in the car to get her to sleep! I really dont want to get into that habit!
Sorry for the long post, but does anyone have any suggestions for me?
I think when DS was that age, we just sat next to the cot and rubbed his back, or played with his hair until he fell asleep. If he got up (which was typical) we would tell him to sit back down or we would leave the room, because it was sleep time. We would follow through if he kept playing, and he would get upset when we left the room - only took a couple of times (we went straight back in of course) and he realised what the consequences were, so it was better for him to fall asleep with us beside him.
Of course now - at nearly 2 - he still needs us sitting beside him to go to sleep - but its better than still pattin his bum to go to sleep (we did that till he was about 13 months..lol)
Up until about 1 - 2 mths ago we also stopped wrapping DD for the exact same reasons as you mentioned M2S....DD is now 11mths.
I now just put her in the cot, give her a dummy and put on her Winnie the Pooh baby music / light show thing and I leave the room. This thing reflects shapes onto the ceiling - but isn't very bright and colourful so as to not stimulate her...and by the time the thing stops (ten minutes) DD is asleep...Not to often will I have to play the thing twice for her...
I got the idea about the music / light thing from a friend who swore by it - and she had three DS's....I know it won't work for all - but when DD was younger she was a horror to put to sleep - so I would try ANYTHING!!! And this did the trick!
we were actually making some real progress, while DH has been on holidays, he has been settling her a lot, and she will quite often go to sleep for him when he is sitting on a chair next to her cot. But when I try, its a different story. She really knows I'm a sucker! She just cries and I don't even leave her, I'd hate to think how hysterical she'd get if I left the room. When she gets really upset I've been picking her up, but the only thing that seems to calm her is another feed, and then she normally falls asleep feeding. Am I doing the wrong thing by giving in and feeding her? Is it teaching her that she just has to keep crying and Mummy will eventually give in to her?
Need some help
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