Need some help for a friend

**Fuchsia!** · 17-09-2008 17:16

My besties baby only sleeps while being held, he is breaastfeed and won't take a dummy. She will be feeding him and then as soon as she pulls him off the breast he will start crying and won't sleep unless he is put back on the on the boob.

He is 5mths old and she is at her wits end, she is considering CC once he turns 6mths so i would like to try and help her with her having to resort to CC if i can.

So any ideas?

**NibbleCurlynBub** · 17-09-2008 17:23

I would say persist with the dummy.

My advice to her would be to try feeding her bub boob in a chair and when he is finished give him the dummy, lay him down in her arms and walk into the bedroom where he sleeps and rock him there.

It will take time and it will take encouraging but it can be done. Try to take it one modification at a time.

Does that help at all?

**Benji** · 17-09-2008 17:30

Is she co-sleeping? I've heard this helps some mums.

I ended up trying to NOT bf DS to sleep as he was much the same. I would feed him upon waking, instead of to sleep and I tried other settling techniques to get him to sleep, walking around with music on, rocking chair, wrapping, etc.

**Fuchsia!** · 17-09-2008 23:26

Originally Posted by NibbleCurlynBun

I would say persist with the dummy.

My advice to her would be to try feeding her bub boob in a chair and when he is finished give him the dummy, lay him down in her arms and walk into the bedroom where he sleeps and rock him there.

It will take time and it will take encouraging but it can be done. Try to take it one modification at a time.

Does that help at all?

Yep i suggested that, she said she had tried lots of times to use the dummy, but he just won't take it.

I showed her today to slowly pull bub off the boob and replace it with a dummy and wriggle the dummy a little so he suctions onto it more.

She said she is going to try again and try to keep persisiting

Originally Posted by Angike

Is she co-sleeping? I've heard this helps some mums.

I ended up trying to NOT bf DS to sleep as he was much the same. I would feed him upon waking, instead of to sleep and I tried other settling techniques to get him to sleep, walking around with music on, rocking chair, wrapping, etc.

I will tell her that, but i don't think she is the co sleeping type, she likes her bed to herself! lol

**julietv8** · 18-09-2008 07:57

I've been doing the suggestion in the no cry sleep solution, with success. Basically it involves feeding until the baby is sleepy, then gently popping your nipple out and holding their jaw closed carefully with your finger while you count to ten, if the baby is still rooting for a breast give it back for a minute and try again (at the start this can take 5 or more tries). Eventually (took about 3 weeks for me) you can just take your boob out and thats the cue to go to sleep, my son just rolls over and goes to sleep by himself the second I pop my boob out of his mouth.

I would highly recommend the book for your friend as a gentle alternative to CC

**spoon** · 18-09-2008 07:59

Does she wrap him?

**Fuchsia!** · 18-09-2008 08:28

Originally Posted by spoon

Does she wrap him?

No she doesn't wrap him

Thanks julietv

**DALLASMUM** · 18-09-2008 10:59

my bub used to feed to sleep so i swapped his routine so he fed on waking up instead of going to sleep, and when i fed him i gave him a blankie ( made of dot minkee so it feels really nice) to play with, so as he fed he played with it. it slowly became his comforter he related the blankie to me( i have two and i keep one down my top during the day so it smells like me) and then i gave it to him when i put him to bed ( its only about 20cmx 20cm so i wouldnt think it was a suffacation risk) -

i would also wrap him, i know Dallas is way more relaxed when he is wrapped we keep one arm out so he can play with his blankie.

im not so sure i would use a dummy i had major probs with dallas and his- he used to wake everytime he spat it out- using one now could just cause a new problem.

**Chickadee** · 18-09-2008 11:05

From 4 months I used a pat/shush technique, with bub in the cot. It takes a few weeks to see results, but wasn't a full on CC. Although, in that time I did quickly learn to distinguish her distressed cry that really needed me from her grizzles that I would just monitor.

She also started using a comforter at around this age - a small soft baby washcloth with a tag on it that she liked to play with in her hand.

**lotti** · 18-09-2008 11:12

Getting a really good bedtime routine even at this age might help too.

So she could do masage, bath, feed (then attempt to put down?) put lullaby music on and I would sit in there patting the back til the baby is asleep.

Also sometimes putting them to bed when they are 'overtired' makes it alot harder.