My daughter is 8 months old. How can I gently encourage my daughter to fall a asleep without breastfeeding and without crying? first six months I did only breastfeeding and after that I start liquid food.
Try to establish a bedtime routine. Similar to what Idza has mentioned, you can try talking to your baby, recapping her day as part of the conversation. Your voice would be calming to her and may help her drift off to sleep. You can also try setting up a get-ready-for-bed routine. Give her a quick bath, wipe her face, clean her gums/brush her teeth, change diapers and also change into pajamas. Soon, she will associate these as part of the pre-bedtime ritual and could know what to expect (bedtime!). One thing to note would be that some babies get excited over bathtime. If your daughter is one such baby, it would be wiser to leave out the bath as part of the routine as it will likely energize her instead of getting her ready for bed. Shift her night time feeding ahead so that she will not take it as part of the bedtime ritual.
Read moreIt is important to set a routine for bedtime so that she will know when is the time to sleep. When it is time for bed, I will bring baby into the room to wash up and change into his pajamas then I will off the lights and on baby songs for him. To which he will whine for me to off it when he wants to sleep. It will be easier for baby to nurse to sleep as it will keep them "fuller" and they can sleep longer before the next feed. Most breastfed babies nurse to sleep, it gives them more assurance. Is there any reason why you do not want to nurse baby to sleep?
Read moreTry a lullaby or telling a story in hushed tones before bedtime. Put baby in bed when she is getting sleepy instead of when she has already fallen asleep. You could give your baby her last feed an hour or so before the bedtime story or lullaby; this way you'll help your baby separate feeding time from falling asleep.
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