Getting 12 month old to sleep is getting harder... tips?

[modadan]

I usually BF my DD to sleep for naps and night time which 8/10 works. But as DD gets older, she will often have a feed but is still awake leaving me to sling her around for up to an hour till she falls asleep. Even then there are times like tonight, that didn't work. It too me nearly 2 hours to get her to sleep and when she did I just broke down.

There is a lot of crying from her when she is over tired and can't sleep. She uses me as a pacifier and gets full of milk which after a while if she is still awake frustrates her. I had tried the pacifier, but she never really took to it. Maybe for a week (a quiet wonderful week) but then spat it out and didn't want to know about it anymore.

We have a bath, quiet time, book, music, feed, sleep (the main goal ) routine that usually works but lately it hasn't. After feed I walk her around in the sling for up to an hour. I try to get her down around the same time everyday but lately she is going to bed later. I try to bring it earlier but it's not working. Tonight the sling didn't work and she laid next to me in bed, frustrated, feeding, crying etc.. till she FINALLY fell asleep.

So what have mothers done with babies who usually BF to sleep but grow to an age where that is no longer enough?

I also need to vent... I feel really alone on this, my DH is all for co-sleeping (after some conviction) when things are good but then times like tonight I get comments like - "we never taught her how to sleep" or "we never sleep trained her". Yes honey, she is a circus animal, we should train her. He has no idea, listens to other people and makes me mad and frustrated, especially in times when I REALLY need support

[alissa_p]

good morning, this is the first time i have posted. i came on here this morning to try to read about what other moms and dads are doing for this same situation! my son is almost 1 yr old. i have always BF him to sleep in our family bed. after bath and stories we lay together and i usually wait until he falls asleep then sneak out of bed. but the past couple weeks this has been becoming more difficult. he doesn't want to fall asleep. i don't know if maybe i have gone past the window of opportunity and he is over tired??? he gets on his hands and knees and bounces around the bed and on me. i am very patient with him and i don't hold him down, but i feel strongly that he has to settle down and get some rest. last night i was thinking we should set the crib up, which we have never used. then he could play in the crib and would fall asleep when he is ready... but i don't think it would really work that way, and i won't let him "cry it out".
ahhhh, i think i will try wearing him down after bath and stories and see if that helps. then i could slip him out of carrier and nurse him back to sleep.
i'm sorry that i don't have any advice for you, but it helps me to know i am not alone in this.
keep posted on what works for you. if i come up with anything i will also share

[EzzysMom]

12 month is often a bad sleeping time as babies are learning to walk and learn new language. I would recommend trying some different nap/bed times. Try it later, making sure they get tons of exercise time during the day and hopefully he'll get back to falling asleep. I find my DD has gone through stages of being tough to get to sleep and then she'll sleep again once she's mastered some new skill or gotten a tooth. Make sure they're plenty warm on these cold days too, it helps my daughter sleep faster. So I would start trying for a bedtime an hour later, at least you won't be driving yourself crazy trying to get her to sleep for that hour, that's always such a struggle.