Bedtime success!!!!!
I'm so excited. Dd went to bed all by herself tonight. She went through a phase of it around maybe 8 months old but it was quick. Ever since then I've stayed with her until she fell asleep. Patting her back. Until recently. I phased myself out of bedtime.
Oh the bottles! I feel you on that, pp. When I took them away we were both miserable for at least a week. In the morning I'd give her a sippy cup and she'd throw it across the room over and over because she was ticked. Lol. This was much easier than that.
She's still in a crib. I used to sit next to it with my arm through the slats breaking my back to pat hers. Then one night I told her no more patting. Still sat right next to her but no patting. Did that for weeks. Then one night told her I was going to sit in the rocking chair. I was still there, but was going to sit in the chair. The first night of that she was very concerned but didn't freak out. Just pouty. Weeks of that. Then last week I told her I was only going to sit in the chair for 5 min and then I was leaving but would be right across the hall in my room. Did that for about a week and tonight she just told me bye bye. I would have kept doing the 5 min thing for a while longer, lol. But I guess she was ready. Very slow plan, but overall she took it much better than I expected. She never threw a fit about any of it. I just made sure to explain what would happen that night throughout getting ready for bed every time there was a change in routine. So she heard like 5 times what would happen at bedtime that night and wasn't surprised by it.
Oh and kvonq we used to rock to sleep but she just got too big and wasn't comfortable anymore.