Seeking Help with "Self-soothing" Methods...

My son is six monthes and I was having this problem until just a week ago. I had asked several peds, researched extensively the internet and everything I could think of and NOTHING WORKED. I would try to let him cry it out, but he would cry for hours. I was at the end of my rope. My husband polled the women he worked with and most people said the standby rice in bottle. That does not work for most people and it is a myth that getting them fuller makes them sleep according to several peds I asked. HERE IS WHAT FINALLY WORKED. . One woman suggested that we put a metronome in his room. The constant noise soothes them. We did not have a metronome nor did we want to invest in one so I bought a homemedics sound machine from Walgreens and when I put him to bed, I started turning on the SOUND OF RAIN or WATERFALL. That night hw only woke up once ( He had been waking up 4-6 times a night) for a week he woke up once a night. Last night for the first time, he slept through the night. I am eccastic!! So, I figured it was worth a try for you. Play some constant, low, noise while he sleeps. Nothing shocking or beeping, basically, something that would soothe you. Good Luck!

I have pretty much the same problem, so thank you for bringing this up. My only salvation has been Elmo, and a few other music videos for baby. I hate to have her just sit there and veg out on TV, but here lately that has been the only way to get her off my breast with out her crawling around the whole house wining. I can't wait to hear the other advice you get. I can say that since she got her first tooth last week I have noticed her wanting breast more and more, and I wonder if that is because of the pain of getting in new teeth and breast being such a terrific soother. Good luck.

I recently have used Good Night Sleep tight and it is a no cry method for helping your baby sleep through the night. IT si written by Kim West. She suggests that you do the sleep shuffle - by nursing your baby back to sleep every night you are letting her associate those 2 things - she thinks she has to nurse to get to sleep. Anyway the book suggest you put the baby in her bed and sit next to the crib for the first 3 nights - slowly (3 nights later) you move closer to the door. The 7th night you should actually be just outside the door and making soothing sounds shhh shhh. We are on night 4 and it is going very well. Make sure you have a going to bed ritual too and don't vary from it. You have the set the stage so they know what to expect. Anyway I recommend the book - I bet you could check it out at the library. Good luck!

I agree, I think that if you try to space out her feedings more. I assume at 7 months that she is eating baby food. You may what to feed her a little more during those feedings or try inserting a "snack" of baby food between her "meals". I could also see the boredom idea being plausible. I know that it is hard to entertain a child all day when you have other things to do. You could try to involve your 5 year old in entertaining her. Teach him hoe to play with her and they could play in the living room while you fold laundry on the couch or in the bedroom while you make the bed, etc. Let me know how it goes.

I feel your pain. I too am a mother of a 7 month old breast feeding baby. My daughter was sleeping great through the night until about six months, the last two weeks have been hell with her waking up every two hours and the only way to get her back to sleep is nursing her. I have tried walking around with her, rocking her, and none of these things work. My husband has even tried getting up with her so she doesn't even see the breast but after about 20 minutes of screaming I usually give up and end up feeding her. I'm convinced it is from the teething and that when her teeth finally come in this will get better, at least I certainly hope so because we are all missing our sleep. Speaking of sounds like she is up for the first time tonight. Good luck and let me know if you find the solution to sleep without breast at night.

Hi A. R, Have you tried to pump your breasts and give her a bottle when she is in the bed with you? Then let her get what she is hungry for, hold her a little bit and then put her to bed. A full baby and a dry baby should mean a happy baby. You can always sit in a rocking chair and give her a bottle of breast milk and rock her to sleep and maybe she would start sleep through the night. Let me know how it turns out, Good Luck

You might have to let her cry during the day, too. If she only nurses sometimes when you're out, she's occupied. Try the same thing when you're at home. Just because she cries doesn't mean she's hungry. Get her a baby video and let her watch, sing a song, play a game, or read a book with her, but skip the feeding unless it's time to eat. Being on a good, healthy eating schedule during the day will help eliminate the nighttime feeding. However, she will cry about that if she wakes up out of habit and you don't feed her, so if you're not ready for that, you might wait until you are to start. After you get the daytime sorted out, it will help sort out the nighttime, and then you can tackle the other issues. Hope it helps.
J. W.