Boob Monster

Go to Tom Thumb and get some dark blue pacifiers. The nipples are smaller than the traditional pacifiers and they mimic the size, shape, etc of nipples and it will her learn to suck on the pacifier for comfort.

You really haven't created a monster - you've got a very smart baby that knows what's best. This is totally normal and you are doing a great job of ensuring you will have a healthy baby. The issue with getting her to bed is timing. You are likely trying too soon. I honestly can't remember the exact amount of time, but it was 10+ minutes that I had to wait for my younger son before he was in a deeper sleep. I also kept a couple of blankies on my lap and around him, so that he was transferred with those and I didn't have to lay him on a cold surface. He would generally sleep until about 2 am at that age, at which time I just brought him into bed. You can get dad to do that so it's not so disruptive of your sleep. Another option is to do the crib in a "sidecar" mode - i.e., right by your bed, so it's an easier transition. If you do this, you may find that she's only up once at night and gradually less - she is likely waking up more for comfort than hunger at this point. But, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with boobies for comfort. Indeed, they are a very powerful tool as she gets older and needs comfort after injury, when she might be ill, etc. Despite what folks might say, nurturing a child in this manner does NOT make them more dependent - you are satisfying an innate need for a baby to be close to their mother. It's the forced separation that causes all the problems later in life. If you meet these fundamental needs early on, you will have an independent and self confident child later. It seems you are already seeing some of that and really for a girl in life that is an asset to know her own mind.

This may not be the answer you want, but I just want you to know that IMHO, you are doing a great job. The time when dad can put her to sleep will come later when you can read to her at nite and she bonds more with daddy. You can start this process in a few months by having daddy first read to her before you nurse. I knew it was time for my son to stop nursing at nite when he wanted to read again after nursing. I just switched to reading to him (he also still wanted to read with daddy) rather than nursing and he would go to sleep thereafter with no problem. If you make the transition slowly you will find that everyone benefits in the long run.

I also had a boob monster! (boobie-monster - I called her) and I didn't sleep for 8 hours straight until I realized at 11 months old (when the doc told me) that she was a trained night feeder. She didn't nurse because she was hungry - it was solely a comfort thing. I'm sure you can google it. She also slept in the bed with me. The doc gave me a sheet that had instructions about what to do which was basically let her cry to train her *not* to expect the breast in the middle of the night. I was NOT for letting her cry at all, but I was so exhausted I thought I'd better give it a shot. I also had to move her to a crib (though at almost 2 that crib is still in my room) so that she wouldn't just reach over as normal to nurse. The time limit on the instruction sheet was 30 minutes, but I wasn't going to let it go past 10. The first time she woke up she stopped at about 8 minutes. The next time she stopped just short of 5. The *very next night* she slept for 8 hours straight without crying at all! She now sleeps 12 hours straight most nights. I felt like a new woman being able to sleep and I think that she felt better too being able to get solid times of rest! I realized that if I'd only known what to do I could have been getting *rest* for the better part of a year! Kind of crazy, but you don't know what you don't know. Anyway.. I hope this helps. Babies, even stubborn ones (and oh my gosh, mine was and IS) learn *very* fast so I pray that whatever you end up trying works and wish you both many nights of precious sleep!

I'd try to have dad put her to bed after she nurses.

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When she's waking up as soon as you put her down and wanting the boob she is not hungry so nursing isn't mandatory.

I had this same problem with my 4 month old. She just would not sleep on her own. I've found that swaddling the babies when it's time for bed helps a lot! Even though they seem too big for it at this stage not being able to move keeps them so much calmer.

Also, I would try putting her to bed a little later.

I hear ya, we've had Titty-Trolls here and my hubby and I laugh about how cute the kids have been about nursing; I'm so thankful I've been able to! With my first I was in the same boat as you about what to do to get him to go to sleep without nursing him and stay asleep. I had to teach my son to self sooth (something unheard of to me at that time) and that after I knew he was clean, fed, well, and ready for sleep that I had to put him to bed and let him fuss himself to sleep. It was hard at first because I had the urge to cater to his every cry and fuss. He fuss himself to sleep, then he'd wake up and fuss some later on, but shortly thereafter I saw that he was getting use to it and he would fall asleep faster and stay that way! It was such a relief. Google 'self soothing for infants'. My youngest is going to be 4 months on the 13th and what I know now has helped TONS! Both my boys stopped using a pacifier at 3 months as well. I believe it's because they developed self soothing skills from my methods. Best of luck and may God bless you ~Chell

At 5 months, you should be able to start to settle down into a routine, so you just need to insist on it. Most moms (including me!) are so tried, they do the easy way like let them nurse again, but if you really want it to be a one time down for the night kind of thing, there will probably be some tears. There are tons of methods for sleep training and you have to do what works for you, but be consistant. One suggestion would be to rock, nurse, and when she cries as you lay her down, just rub her tummy or hold her finger and sing a song to her to try to calm her. Another suggestion is to leave for 5 minutes and then have hubby go in and try to console her. Again, there are tons of books on the market for helping mom to sleep train. All I can say is I did each child differently, and for the most part, they are pretty good sleepers now (10 & 8 year old are great, 2 year old goes to bed fine but wakes at 5am to get in bed with me, which I allow b/c I'm too tired at 5AM to fight with him!) Now, on to the boob monster. Well, I have 3 kids and 2 LOVED their paci's. I LOVED their paci's! #3 wouldn't have it. I tried to force it on him, and he just didn't want one. I didn't really want him to do the thumb thing either, so I didn't push that, but he just never really took a paci. You can try forcing it a bit by holding it in her mouth, trying different brands/styles (silicone is harder, but the other is softer and maybe she would like one over the other), but again, each child is different and it's possible that she won't ever really take one. Hang in there! For me, with nursing, it was almost a year or more before my kids totally slept though the night (2 out of 3), and I knew that if I went in their room, I was going to nurse them. If you don't set your expectations too high, you won't be disappointed! Ha, ha! But I did try a bedtime routine from the time they were little, even though it didn't really work until somewhere between 3 & 6 months. And, if she's a premie, it may take a bit longer. Hang in there! This is just a season and you will make it through!

My sons much preferred my husband's thumb over anything else! See if his thumb or pinky finger would soothe her. My husband would put his finger or thumb on the roof of our sons' mouths, and within minutes they were quiet and soothed.

Good luck!

Just keep putting her in the crib and doing the routine. Yes, it's a pain, but soon, you will put her down and she won't cry! Just keep at it! Don't give in. One thing you might be able to add to the mix is a light tap on the butt. My guy now just needs me to pat his butt and say "it's bed time, go to sleep." He then resettled himself.

At 5 months, getting up 2 to 3 times a night is expected and normal. Sorry to say.

Can you substitute a pacifier for your breast after she falls asleep? Then, put her in her crib and she won't have to let go of the pacifier.

There is a book called the no cry sleep solution, it has some good suggestions in it. It sounds like you are a very patient mommy! Stay strong :)