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Post edited 4:24 pm – November 12, 2010 by Kimberly

Hi there,

It sounds like he has a feed-sleep association and that he has not learned how to fall asleep on his own or how to go back asleep when he wakes without feeding. This is the habit you will have to break in order for him to learn how to sleep better. And it is hard. There is no doubt about that.

None of us as parents want to hear our children cry or to think they are suffering. However, please consider this. He is crying because he's frustrated and he wants to sleep just as much as you do but he only knows how to fall asleep one way. He needs your help and your guidance to learn to fall asleep another way. And that is going to require a plan and being consistent. If you give in after you start your plan, then that just confuses him. He won't understand why one day he has to cry and cry and cry to get what he wants and another day he get what he wants right away.

There are a few different methods that you can use to help teach him to fall asleep. I would try just breastfeeding until drowsy and then putting him down. If he starts to cry, try to shush and pat. You can pick him up again and try to calm him and then put him down again when you think he's ready. Stay calm and let him know you are there for him, but keep repeating the process. It make take a number of times each night until he starts to get the message.But the key is to be consistent so he starts to understand that this is how we go to bed.

At night when he wakes, when he feeds, pay attention to when he starts to slow down with his sucking and before he's fully asleep, gently unlatch him. This can also help to teach him to fall asleep on his own.

I'd also recommend that you take a look at Nicole's ebook, The 3 Step System to Help Your Baby Sleep, which covers sleep associations as well as different methods for how  to help teach your baby to sleep. You can find out more about that book here: http://babysleepswell.com

You might also find this article on sleep associations helpful: http://www.babysleepsite.com/s…..sociation/

Hang in there. It can get better but he's going to need your help and guidance which I  know can be very hard when you are already exhausted. Keep us posted on how it's going.