Help for 10 Month Old Learn to Fall Asleep on Her Own (Without the Boob!)

At 7 months old I let my first daughter cry it out at night since she was still nursing every 2 hours! The doctor said her weight was enough that she did not truly need it anymore, it was just a habit. I fed her at midnight when I went to bed, then at 2 PM I just let her cry and did not go in (seems cruel now). She cried for 4 hours straight, 4 nights in a row and after that she slept through the night from midnight to about 6 AM. With my second daughter the theory had changed and I used the Ferber method (http://www.amazon.com/Solve-Your-Childs-Sleep-Problems/dp.... He tells you to go in after 5 minutes of crying the first night and not pick up or feed, just soothingly talk or pat their back. The second time you go in you wait 10 minutes, then 15, then 20 etc. The second night you start with going in after 10 minutes, then 15, 20, 25, etc. This method took 14 days before she slept through the night, so a lot more work intensive but somewhat less abrupt since she did get to see me but did not get fed. For naps they had blankets and bears and I just rubbed their backs and sang a song and then left. Seemed to work for both, although the 2nd gave up napping at about 3 years old since there was an interesting toddler walking around that wasn't going to bed. Ferber's book addresses many other sleep issues (night terrors, sleep walking, etc.) Good luck. Cato
They are 12 and 9 now and have no sleep issues at all.

Hey we used the technique described in the book "Good Night Sleep Tight" by Kim West". It is a gentle sleep solution that is a comfort for parents & child. We still consult it and our daughter is 2 and a half. Our child is a good sleeper, but when that was threatened (transition to one nap? issues around toddler bed transition...) we resorted back to her forideas & it all helped us use techniques to encourage our daughter to keep getting the sleep she needs. Good Luck.
K.

First of all...good luck on your transition back to work. The best advice someone told me about sending a child to daycare is that it is a transition for the child and mother that tends to last about 2 weeks and then it gets a lot easier for both the mother and child after that.
So...as far as your daughter's sleep habits. I would definitely talk with your daycare provider about your situation. A lot has to do with who is watching your child and what the situation is. I might actually try to get your child on a bottle if she will take it (unless your child is really good with the sippy cup or eats a really huge amount of solids) just because I would be nervous your daughter will be hungry becuase it is not as easy to take a lot of formula from a cup.
As far as going to sleep on her own...I think she will probably do some crying when adjusting to the new environment at daycare, and will learn to go to sleep on her own no matter what when she is in daycare. And even if you teach her how to do this now, she still may have to relearn it when she gets to daycare because it will be a different environment than her bedroom. You can definitely try to teach her now, as long as you realize this will involve her crying. If you don't do this, she will learn it at daycare and then it will be easier for her to learn this at home.
I got my son to sleep through the night at 7 months by giving a bottle right before I went to bed and then going in every 5 minutes when he woke up at 2AM with his binky and a backrub for a few minutes. This took a few weeks until he realized he was not going to be getting fed and he was regularly sleeping through the night. It really was not as hard as I thought it would be and I was so happy that we did it because I really needed the sleep! Good luck!

Hi there. I know - this is so hard. I did this with my DD around 6.5 mos. I too kept feedng her in the middle of the night, and I got to the point where I felt the kitchen is closed and the boob is sleeping.
So I personally could not stand to let her cry all alone, especially when she was used to getting fed and used to getting attention.
I was ready at this point because I was exhausted, and often times she was not really hungry either. Some moms think you should comfort feed and I understand that, but I was a walking ZOMBIE and had to work!
So the first night I sat with her while she cried, talked to her, rubbed her back and belly, soothed her best I could without feeding her. It took over an hour and a half. The next night over an hour, the third night, 15 min! After that she slept through the night, and has ever since (albeit any sick issues, etc). We both slept better, and I never had to let her cry on her own.
Hope that helps you!

Good luck.