Nursing to Sleep, Weaning advice

sarahe6185

My 16 month old is down to nursing once a day-- before bed. Nursing her to sleep has become a crutch and the only way she'll get to sleep at night. Now I am pregnant and with my growing belly it is getting too hard to place her in the crib after she is asleep. (my hubby works nights) I would like to start getting her to fall asleep on her own. I tried CIO and she is a determined girl who will cry for hours and not give up and she stands. She never lets herself lay down to even try to sleep. We did it for several days and the crying and the lack of sleep led me right back to where I am.  We have a bedtime routine of bath story and nursing. She just needs tht comfort to actually fall asleep. Even nap time she gets rocked to sleep before going to her crib.  Any suggestions? I am getting desperate.

mrstrax

Disclaimer- I haven't actually done this, so this is a total guess.
Maybe add in some story time before sleep? Nurse until she is almost asleep and then snuggle in your rocker to read a "bedtime book" and then lay her down. You may need to stay and rub her back for a few days, but it may let her have the comforting she is used to and then you can taper off the time you spend rubbing her back etc. Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy!

ramennoodlegif

 I started doing this with my 16 month-old shortly after her first birthday: Around 30-45 minutes before bedtime (usually 7:30) I start nursing (we nurse when she wakes in the morning, as soon as she gets home from daycare and right before bed.) After she's finished, we take a bath if needed, then brush teeth and read two books. I lay her down in her crib, cover her with a thin blanket, and turn her night light on. I turn on her musical seahorse nightlight thingy and I rub her face with her "Lamby". I try to keep as close to the routine as possible.It was rough at first, since we had co-slept up until her birthday, but forming a routine made the transition a lot smoother. Hope this helps, if you still need help.