how to stop rocking to sleep?

[_Lexi_]

My lg is 11 months old. We've got into the bad habit of rocking her to sleep. My back is killing me and she's started waking again at night after previously sleeping through, she then needs rocking back to sleep. Last night I was rocking her from 12-2.30. Need to stop. We tried tonight and just had a 2 hour fight. She just keeps pulling herself up to standing and screaming. Is there an easy way to teach her to self settle? I'm still breastfeeding and I worry she's got too used to being fed and rocked to sleep. At the point where I'm considering giving up breastfeeding, which I'd really rather not after getting this far, but I can't see how to break the cycle. It's wearing me down too much. Any tips or tricks on how to transition her to getting herself to sleep? We have a bedtime routine that we've followed for months and she goes to bed at the same time every night. It breaks my heart to leave her to cry. She's getting good at standing, but when she's tired she's very wobbly so can't leave her standing crying as she'll tumble. Just can't keep doing this x

 

[CaptainMummy]

We were rocking dd to sleep until a week ago. We did CC (not sure if that's an option for you since you don't want to leave her to cry) but she was also standing up in her cot as soon as she so much as half woke up. And it meant having to get up every half an hour all night to rock her back to sleep. It was exhausting.
The CC has worked amazingly for us but again, it's a personal choice that you may not be willing to try. We were desperate!

 

[Kanichen34]

My LO is 7 months and I am trying to break the habit now. Can't give results as I started tonight but I have been rocking/feeding her til she's drowsy - maybe. 80% asleep then moving her to her cot and shushing her and rubbing her back til she falls asleep there. I had to do it 3 times in about 40 mins but after the third go she's done her standard 3 hourly block. (Still on 3 hourly feeds). Not a single cry so that might be a route you could consider?

 

[_Lexi_]

I don't really know much about controlled crying. What does it involve? I worry my partner would go in and cuddle her if she cried too much!! Kanichen, its the rocking till drowsy we're trying to stop. It just takes longer and longer as she gets older and heavier! x

 

[MrsT2B]

No idea lexi, as you know, we're in the same boat!! It's strange though as bedtime she goes down fine, its just naps abs middle of the night she doesn't!! Kids- who can figure them out!

 

[Fallacy]

This is my problem exactly. Micah is almost 9 months and weighs 21 lbs. With me being now pregnant, I'm exhausted even more than before. He's never STTN, and he relies on the same - nursing then rocking. Sometimes he'll wake at like 1am and need to be rocked for almost an hour. Multiple times through the night. I just physically can't anymore. I don't know what to do either.

 

[Kanichen34]

In which case I'd start rocking her less and putting her down. Ie if you rock her til she's 80% asleep, next time do it til she's 70% etc so you wean her off it. 2 nights in and my LO is already responding - last night she just laid in her cot holding my hand for at least 15 mins, and her eyes were getting heavy... Still had to pick her up and rock her to eventually get her to sleep but for night 2 I think that's amazing progress!

 

[Gavins_Mummy]

There's not really an easy way to teach them to self settle. Mine involved a couple weeks of sleep training, before he was able to self soothe.

Other than quitting cold turkey and a little CIO, I agree with the above poster in weaning her off of it, rocking her less and less. It take a baby with a matured nervous system 20-30 minutes before they enter deep sleep. You should not be rocking her any longer than that.

 

[_Lexi_]

We tried cc tonight. Went in at 2 minutes and 5 minutes. I was then giving it until 10 minutes to go back in, and she fell asleep at about 7 and a half minutes and *touch wood* hasn't stirred since. It was heartbreaking listening to her cry though. I'm hoping it wasn't just beginners luck and tomorrow night is as quick. I had to stop my oh going in a few times though. x

 

[Iwillbepreggo]

Ok this is what I did
I started rocking my baby to sleep as a newborn until she was 12 months old! But since im due any day with # 2 I decided I had enough of this. So Whenever I saw that she was getting sleepy I would lay her down in her crib and of course she would pop right back up and want to play so when she did that I would take her out and do other activites playing,feeding,tv ect. Then I would give it another go put her back down in the crib sometimes she would pop up and cry( I NEVER let her cry it out) so I would pick her up feed her change her do other activites ect Then I tried again, put her down in the crib and one day she just went to sleep by herself now she falls asleep every time I lay her down all by her self no rocking!!

My rules: Never under any circumstances rock her to sleep if she is screaming comfort her feed her do activities then try again. Never let her cry it out. Do this everyday every night even if it is 3 am it will all pay off trust me

 

[Lady_Bee]

The only thing that worked for my son was giving up the rocking cold turkey and comforting him in his cot. He was just over a year old and his sleep (and mine) was so disrupted due to needing to be rocked and walked every time he woke.

It was bad for a few nights - lots of angry crying because. I would pick him up to calm him if he was REALLY upset but for the most part I just stayed with him and after
a couple of days he did start going to sleep with me sitting next to his crib.

After a few more days I left the room and only went back in if he got properly upset.

He regressed now and then and there were nights I had to stay with him for ages but we never had to resort to rocking again.