Has anyone successfully “sleep trained” their baby and no longer rocks them to sleep?

I never used CIO. Just started to get him used to sleeping and falling asleep in bed from quite early, it helps him if I stroke his head gently or sing to him and make shhh sounds. There are times when he falls asleep within seconds and there are times (like during heatwave) where it took half hour or more and he needed our help to fall asleep

see I’ve probably made a rod for my own back by rocking him from the beginning!

Up until about 3-4 weeks ago I rocked mine to sleep every night.. also couldn’t do CIO and was about to pay for a sleep consultant (but still wasn’t wanting to do CIO!) when someone suggested lying him down on our bed first to let him drift off to sleep.. it’s worked every time and I have no idea why I didn’t try this sooner! I feed him in the living room then bring him up, sleeping bag on, lie him down next to me with lights off etc, let him wriggle, crawl, climb etc I just make sure he doesn’t fall off the bed but I let him do whatever he wants with minimal touching/stimulation, I don’t talk to him other than to say goodnight and somehow he wriggles himself to sleep how he wants to lay etc!

Then I just transfer to the cot which is a million times better on my back! Ideally I want to try this whole routine IN his cot but after months of bad bedtime routines this is working so for now I’m not brave enough to disrupt it yet 😂

Gradual/pupd method worked for me

Lay them in the cot awake only pick up if really really upset otherwise shush and pat or stroke their hair whatevever your little one likes if they sit or stand lay them down but dont pick them up i did this and by the 2nd night she slept all the way through once your happy they can sleep that way change to only shushing while your there only pat if needed still no picking up then after change to shushing at the door over monitor etc the first nights are always hardest but its worth it my back was gone and i couldn’t let my baby cry. I tried transferring but once she roused she would cry until i take her into my bed then i started the cycle again she basically slept with me before this

Try reading ‘The Baby Sleep Solution’ by Lucy Wolfe, this helped us massively! It’s a peer support so no CIO but teaching baby to fall asleep by themselves whilst you are there but not doing it for them. It hasn’t worked 100% but made a big improvement for better naps and getting baby to sleep

so my LB is still up twice for feeds. Did you do this to night wean too or did you still feed? Or wasn’t your little girl waking for feeds?

I agree with about trying on the bed. Although our daughter (who we feed to sleep) just started to roll off of me onto the bed then snuggling into the mattress / roll around until she fell asleep.

I have also read that you can layer sleep associations e.g. so whilst you rock also shh, sing, pat bum or what have you. So they build a sleep association with those.

Then slowly faze our rocking but keep the other associations. E.g stand holding them and pat and shush, then sit. Then in theory over time you can try with them in the cot/ on the bed still patting and shushing.

She was feeding she was a boob monster feeding every hour when i did this she dropped the feedings herself she hasnt fed since then at night