11 Month Old Won't Go to Sleep on Her Own.

All crying it out teaches her is that when she needs you, you won't come.

You don't have to wean her right at one year if you and she aren't ready. The WHO recommends two years, and the AAP says a MINIMUM of one year. Do a little reading at kellymom.com to learn more.

The best way to night wean is outlined here: http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/ap/sleep.asp

It's a million times easier if your husband/SO puts in his share. Nurse her and have him take her from you, and then rock her to sleep or pat her. She's still an infant, and unless you're planning to leave her alone, she doesn't NEED to be able to put herself to bed. :)

Schedule, schedule, schedule....not routine...but schedule. So that the child knows what to expect and when...makes bedtime much easier. The more scheduled to begin the better. You will have to do it for one to two weeks prior to putting the angel to sleep on her own, and then the crying will eventually just stop. She will cry at first, but reassure her and put her back to bed, but the key is in the scheduling of her entire day before bed. You can ease the schedule later on as she has gotten used to going to bed on her own, but count on a couple of months to get solidly into this. It is hard, but worth it. I have four kids, 13, 11, 7 and 2. It has worked for my whole house!

If she has been nursing to go to sleep then she can't be expected to just go to sleep on her own. Breastfeeding is more than just eating, it is a secure, loving thing for your baby. It is also not mandatory that you wean her at 12 months. My almost 11 month old only falls asleep on her own in the car if she is totally exhausted. Does she take a pacifier? Sometimes that can help if she gets sleepy while nursing you can slip it in and see if that works but at best your baby need to be rocked to sleep. It is hard, but a lot of babies need to have their someone to be there with them before they drift off to sleep, it makes them feel cozy and secure. You won't ruin your baby by rocking or nursing her to sleep.

wean first. my kids slept with my hubby and i until they were weaned and could walk well. after they could fill up mashed potatoes, bananas and chicken AND had tasted the independence of walking around the house... well i wasn't of as much use to them and they didn't put up a big fuss about moving to their own beds. my most difficult child did 4 nights of crying it out before he got the hang of it.

wear first. wait until she can get around the house and find her way from her room to yours by herself. that way she's sure of where you are and how far away it's really not. but put her in a crib. you want her to know her way around, not creep around in the middle of the night, LOL.

She could be teething her 1st set of molars and the pressure bothers her when she lays down. Or she is trying to control her sleeping behaviour by not allowing herself to go to sleep when you want her. You'll have to decide how long the battle of the wills last. If you keep going into her room, she is winning. Or she is hungry still. You could try give her a snack before bed time like yogurt, cereal, etc.

Good luck! I know I so wished my kids came with their own set of instructions but we have to hit and miss on what is wrong instead!

S.

My 17 month old still won't go to sleep on his own. he was breastfed too, and still is nursing just to get sleepy (usually a minute or two) for me its been a slow process of weaning, but I"ve liked it that way. As far as getting them to sleep, I just tried getting my husband or mom to do it so that the nursing aspect wasn't always the way to sleep. I still have to rock him to sleep now. He's not nursing every time anymore, we are almost done. you could try some music or sound machine, I've used those too. good luck.