I need some advice please on gentle sleep methods that wok for my nearly 8 month old.

Hi everyone.
My dd will easily fall asleep during the day on her own but I have always let her feed to sleep at night and then just popped her into her cot once she is asleep. I want to get rid of the feeding to sleep at night and would like to be able to put her into bed at night and she puts herself to sleep like she does during the day. I've found lately it is getting hard for her to feed to sleep anyway and I would like to eventually wean her around christmas so that we can ttc number 2. I Tried putting her into bed without feeding to sleep and she cried for 40 minutes before she went to sleep. I didn't leave her, I sat with her, with my hand on her chest but it wasn't easy to do this. I'm not interested in cry it out methods or Tizzy Hall.
What have you done that has worked for you? Is there a way of doing this without the traumatic crying? We have always taken a gentle approach and want to do the same now. I've been trying to track down 'The no cry sleep solution' but can't get it at the library or anywhere today and I need some advice for tonight.

Thanks all :)

I'd keep up the bedtime feed, but start taking her off and putting her to bed before she falls asleep. I'd begin by waiting until she is really drowsy and drifting off to begin with and then over two or three weeks start doing it sooner and sooner until you are putting her to bed awake. FWIW the bedtime feed was the last one we dropped. It does work a charm for settling them after a long day. HTH

I think you are on the right track. Any change is hard.

I'd do what you are doing for a week and see if it takes any less time for her to fall asleep.

Good luck.


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Sorry I should have clarified. I usually let her stay on the boobie until she is out like a light and then I gently pop her into bed. I now want to be able to feed her and then pop her into bed while she is still awake and have her put herself to sleep. Not dropping the bedtime feed just dropping the feed to sleep. After some advice on how you've done this gently?

Do you have the No Cry Sleep Solution book? It has some lovely ways to do exactly what you'd like to do.

I have tried various books and gentle methods with my DS. In our case, the only thing that worked was about 4 years. He now puts himself to sleep on his own. Triumph!

You might not have to wean to TTC, plenty of women breastfeed and ovulate!

Sometimes, it just doesn't work that way :D Most babies can't put themselves to sleep. And it's pretty normal for 3 year olds to still need help - maybe not feeding to sleep, but you'll still be spending at least 30 minutes doing the books, cuddles, stories etc.
If you need to change the way you get her to sleep, then the best thing is to just try different things and see what works :)

Thanks MadB
I'm happy to spend 30 mins or more helping her to sleep would just like the transition from feeding to sleep to be gentle. I'll try some cuddles tonight, minus bf :)
MummaSue: Yes that's the book I'm after by Elizabeth Pantley, I'll have to order it online.
HotL: I just found that out today. I never knew you could ovulate & not have AF. Interesting :)
Thanks ladies

Over time, most kids will make the change from feeding to sleep themselves. Just another option if you don't want to force it now.

I too would try to not have her completely fall asleep after the feed. I feed before a sleep most sleeps and DD is sometimes out to it and sometimes not. I take notice of the sucking and when i know it's more of a comfort suck than actually feeding i will put her to bed. If she's awake when i do this i tuck her in, give he a kiss, whisper good night and walk away. Mostly she is happy to fall asleep herself but if see needs more help, i pat, if she needs more than that i get her up and hold her.

And just a little extra note... I fell pregnant when breastfeeding DS2 and continued for a couple of months into the pregnancy. He started biting and that was it for me :)

EJ: if she is not asleep and I put her into bed she will cry inconsolably and if I pick her up she roots around for the boob. This only happens at night during the day she puts herself to sleep. I'll give that a go, pick her up shoosh her etc or rock her in her bed but It sounds like we may just have to get through a period where she cries about it until she gets used to the idea. Thanks :)
Were you ttc number 2? Do OPTs work when you're BF?

It is possible to be fertile while breastfeeding (as many women discover). It is also possible to fall pregnant the first time you ovulate, and so never have a period.

Has af returned Babyluv?

No no AF yet & I wanted to get my body back to normal for a few months before we ttc number 2 early next yr. But maybe I won't have to wean her to ttc number 2. Wondering if I could find out if I am ovulating using an OPT. I was getting twinges and ewcm a few days ago so maybe AF is on it's way.

See how you go babyluv, you don't want too many tears obviously so just go with the change really gradual. She will hopefully embrace the change soon enough. Good luck xo

DD was a bit of a surprise (but the best surprise we could ask for), but i did have my af back. I think for us we just slipped up on being careful around the fertile time. With my boys i got my af back when they were about 8 months old and i still breastfed them for another 5-6 months after that. Do you have any idea where you are in your cycles at times (assuming you don't have af yet)?? I could sometimes tell using my skin as an idication, i would breakout a little or get really dry skin. I've never used OPTs before so no help there sorry :)

Thanks EJ, the only clues I have are ovulation like twinges and ewcm. I might give the tests a try if AF doesn't turn up & I get twinges again.

I assume the tests would work. I'd wait and watch for fertile signs before starting to use them though. It's a bit hard to 'catch' the first ovulation before your cycles resume properly, and sometimes you get af first, then start ovulating. If you ovulate, you will have a period, unless pregnant of course.
Everyone's different - some women resume their cycles very early, despite exclusively breastfeeding, some will not ovulate until they've completely weaned, and everyone else is somewhere in teh middle. You could look into Billings for more info on tracking your fertility.

I think i take for granted what my body has been through these last few years, especially the time frame of feeding DS2, falling pregnant and feeding DD but it's been so wonderful i wouldn't change a thing. There are definaltey different signs (different signs for different bodies) indicating where we may be in our cycles. I still get ewcm without af. I'll be interested to see if it returns soonish now that DD has pretty much reached 'that age' for me. With DS1 i fed him up until 13 months and we conceived #2 when he was 16 months.

Like MadB said a SIL of mine fell pregnant when breastfeeding her DS (he was over 12months) and she'd had no af.

Good luck for when the time comes xo