How to teach a baby to self sooth

amother

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:02 pm

my baby is 6 months old, hates the bottle and paci. she only likes to go to sleep nursing, and has been waking up more frequently lately at night. how can I teach her to self sooth back to sleep if she doesn't have anything to help her. my others took a paci so it would help them relax.
help a tired mama out.

amother

Firebrick

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:04 pm

https://www.amazon.com/Preciou.....80801

You have to stop nursing her to sleep at bedtime. You are teaching her eat/suck=sleep.

amother

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:20 pm

ya I know, she needs to learn to put herself to sleep . I don't have patience to read a whole book.. practical advise welcome

amother

Apple

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:21 pm

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Little-Sleep-Complete-Parents/dp/0997580801

You have to stop nursing her to sleep at bedtime. You are teaching her eat/suck=sleep.

It’s not necessarily black and white. I taught my baby to self soothe during naps and still nurse to sleep at night as well as cosleep and nurse during the night

amother

Black

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:21 pm

Nurse earlier, unlatch if she's getting sleepy. The trick is to put her down awake while not over tired so that she can relax in bed and fall asleep. She can't associate nursing with sleep.

amother

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:23 pm

amother [ Black ] wrote:

Nurse earlier, unlatch if she's getting sleepy. The trick is to put her down awake while not over tired so that she can relax in bed and fall asleep. She can't associate nursing with sleep.

she literally closes her eyes as soon as she starts nursing...

stillnewlywed

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:24 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

she literally closes her eyes as soon as she starts nursing...

Closing eyes is not the same as sleeping. I moved nursing 45 minutes before bed...so we do nursing first and even if he gets sleepy I then wake him up, do bath time, books, songs, shema...so by the time he goes to sleep is 30 minutes since he finished nursing.

mushkamothers

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:37 pm

amother [ Firebrick ] wrote:

https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Little-Sleep-Complete-Parents/dp/0997580801

You have to stop nursing her to sleep at bedtime. You are teaching her eat/suck=sleep.

This is fake news... babies are allowed to nurse to sleep!
Your baby is 6m and waking more at night. Have you fed solids yet? Provide good quality and nutritious solids and she'll likely sleep better.

amother

Black

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:39 pm

mushkamothers wrote:

Of course they are allowed to but if she wants her to self soothe it's counter productive. And solids don't help babies sleep better if anything it gives them stomachaches that makes them wake up more. Babies don't eat food for nutrition before one, it's only to learn and for fun.

amother

Black

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:40 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

she literally closes her eyes as soon as she starts nursing...

Many babies close eyes while nursing that doesn't mean they are asleep yet.

amother

Firebrick

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:40 pm

mushkamothers wrote:

Babies are allowed to nurse to sleep, and for some people it works amazing. But most babies will have a very hard time putting themselves back to sleep during the night if they are nursed to sleep at bedtime. OP asked how to get her baby to self sooth during the night. Nursing to sleep is fine, if you are okay with nursing multiple times during the night.

amother

Firebrick

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:41 pm

amother [ Black ] wrote:

This

amother

Magnolia

Mon, May 16 2022, 1:45 pm

Just let her nurse to sleep. It’s so awesome in my opinion. So nurturing for the baby and you have an easy way to get her to fall asleep. Win, win.

amother

Hunter

Mon, May 16 2022, 2:18 pm

It doesn't sound like she is ready for self-soothing.

You are already teaching her to self-soothe. But she still needs you.

I really understand you, I have an 18mo who still needs me to fall asleep at every nap and who sleeps with me at night. It's exhausting.

But they end up so much better emotionally developed and so much better able to self-regulate when you just nurture nurture nurture. It really pays itself back in the years afterwards.

amother

Mon, May 16 2022, 2:23 pm

there has to be a way she can learn to put herself back to sleep.. u just put her down when she's awake? I can't imagine her just falling asleep like that.

amother

Petunia

Mon, May 16 2022, 3:09 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

there has to be a way she can learn to put herself back to sleep.. u just put her down when she's awake? I can't imagine her just falling asleep like that.

This is something I started at birth . (Bottle fed baby, no paci offered)

amother

Gold

Mon, May 16 2022, 3:14 pm

The No Cry Sleep Solution has a method to nurse to sleep but still have them self soothe so they can fall back asleep themselves if they wake up during the night.

amother

Hunter

Mon, May 16 2022, 3:17 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

there has to be a way she can learn to put herself back to sleep.. u just put her down when she's awake? I can't imagine her just falling asleep like that.

I put them down asleep. If I hear them start to wake up I make sure they have their pacis, that helps them stay asleep / fall back asleep. If they get more awake then we hold them and help them fall back asleep.

They are only this little for a few years. May as well give them what they need now and set them up for a better future later.

gootlfriends

Mon, May 16 2022, 3:21 pm

Just putting this out there: not all infants self soothe. Some need to be held or touched for a few minutes. Also make sure the last 30 minutes is calm, quiet and less light. Sleeping surface is comfortable and baby is not hot or cold.

amother

Firebrick

Mon, May 16 2022, 3:25 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

there has to be a way she can learn to put herself back to sleep.. u just put her down when she's awake? I can't imagine her just falling asleep like that.

It's difficult at 6 months if you don't want to do CIO
I start this at 2 months when baby is tiny and still swaddled - its a lot easier then.