Baby won’t sleep alone

in completely the same situation here! i also exclusively breastfeed and the last two weeks i’ve been cosleeping with my 7 month old as he started waking every half an hour and was taking atleast 3 hours to put down in his crib, he is currently teething which i think may be the reason he’s more clingy and won’t sleep alone. i think it’s better though that we are both getting sleep plus it won’t last forever! x

I wouldn't say it's caused by you! Some babies are clingy like that, mine is, I started cosleeping at 6weeks old, he now sleeps the first half of the night in his bed! I started by putting a crib mattress on the floor next to our bed then I would lay with him till he was asleep and then I'd get into my bed. From there we made a twin sized floor bed and that way I can cuddle him to sleep and crawl out. He's 20months now and we started the transition at about 8months, and had his bed made and him sleeping in it at 11 months. He still wakes once a night, and I bring him to bed with me then, but naps and the first half of the night he's in his bed. Honestly I'm soaking the cuddles up cuz he's growing so fast and he's also only little once.

I bottle fed my first and she was like this at 6 months. I would say its completely normal as at 6 months they still dont realise you and them arent separate people. They learn this around seven months which is where the separation anxiety starts.

Cosleeping and constant napping really helped me.

I would always try to settle baby in their bed first and tried rocking to resettle if it didnt work then brought into my bed. We are under the impression of whatever works to get us the best night sleep so if she didnt settle after 2 attempts we brought her into our bed and safely coslept. She's now 2.5 years and just started sleeping through the night. She was in her own room and cot from 1 years old.

this wasn’t caused by you its caused by human evolution. frequent wakes ensure babies needs are met - milk (their tummies are tiny), diaper change, caretaker closeby, snuggles. it’s also a biological advantage in protecting against SIDs. do whatever works best for your family and supports your parenting values. i personally bedshared until our daughter told us she was ready to sleep in her own room, which happened at 18mo and she has never asked to come back in our bed and started immediately sleeping longer stretches (she woke every 2 hours until then). waiting for her sleep to develop naturally and focusing the first 18mo on responding to her needs taught her that she was safe and supported and gave her the skills to be an independent sleeper.

for naps, what happens when you snuggle with your baby to fall asleep in your bed then roll away when he’s fully asleep?

This is 100% not caused by you! This is how a LOT of babies are naturally. My son is 9 months old and wakes every 1.5-2 hourly. I was like you, confused as to why he hadn’t progressed to longer sleep… but it’s all a lie!!! Babies wake up frequently!! It is what it is!
Your options are: accept it, which takes SO much of the anxiety away (I ended up doing this. It still sucks, I’m still tired, but I’m a LOT less stressed) or sleep train. If you choose to sleep train, do a lot of research beforehand so you are happy with it. It’s not for me, personally, and I researched it for months.

There is no such thing as a ‘bad habit’ when it comes to breastfeeding or being close to a baby. I’m stating this as fact rather than opinion because it is a fact!!! You’re doing great, I’m sorry you’re in a hard, sucky period of motherhood in terms of sleep 😞 but I am right there with you 😭

4 months old and in the same boat! Unless she’s touching me she won’t sleep. We follow safe co sleeping rules at night and she naps exclusively contact, unless she’s in the car or pushchair as she won’t go down any other way. She will make herself physically sick and overtired if I try to put her down to sleep. It’s a nightmare, but I’m making it work however I can 🥲

I’ve never did co-sleeping with my baby but on occasion if she’s having trouble I lay her next to me and then put her into her crib when she falls asleep. When you transfer him to crib/bassinet try patting him or not moving your arms away for a couple of minutes. My girl also falls asleep sometimes instantly to baby Mozart sleep music on YouTube. Hope something works for you.