I recently posted this thread about nightweaning our 2-year-old. I'm happy to say that we've been at it for 4 nights and last night, he slept for 8 hours straight! (10:30 PM-6:30 AM) We were actually forced into it because I got really sick over the weekend - had a horrible night with DS on Friday night and when I woke up Saturday, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck and had a fever and flu-like symptoms. So Saturday night DH insisted I sleep at my parents' house to get a good night's sleep. I couldn't bear the thought of DS feeling like I'd abandoned him, but I couldn't bear the thought of nursing him all night either. So that's what we did, and DH said it was a really good night; he had trouble getting him to sleep in the beginning of the night but he didn't really cry at all when he woke during the night. Since then, I've been putting him to sleep still and then DH takes over after that.
Here's the problem - even before we started nightweaning, nursing him to sleep was taking longer and longer. And lately, it's sometimes not even working at all - especially at naptime (which used to be much easier than nighttime). When it fails and I know he's tired, I end up taking him for a drive which usually works (but only when he's really tired, after I've tried at the nursing for a while). But that's so wasteful, especially since I do a 20-minute loop and it sometimes ends up being twice a day! When DH gets him back to sleep in the middle of the night, he has a special way of holding him very high and snug which seems to help, but I can't do that because DS is heavy and I'm hugely pregnant. Same reason I can't wear him to sleep, though I'm not sure that would work around the house anyway because there are too many distractions. In the beginning of the night, it's very very difficult for DH to get him to sleep if I'm here - even the car doesn't seem to work for him like it does for me.
Anyway, I'm at a loss for other ways to get him to sleep. He's going to bed so late because of it, and napping later than usual which in turn makes his bedtime later, etc. He used to go to sleep 9:00-9:30, but lately it's been closer to 10:00-10:30. And he used to go down for his nap between 12:00 and 1:00 then sleep for 2 hours, but the past few days he hasn't gone down until 2:00 or later. And then I never know if I should just try to keep him up and skip his nap altogether. On the few days he's ever not napped, he goes to bed quite easily at 8:00 but sometimes gets really cranky during the evening and sometimes will fall asleep nursing around dinnertime which means we're in for a REALLY late night.
I'm also wondering how on earth I'm going to get him down for his nap when DS2 arrives. In the evening, my husband can hold/wear DS2 if needed while I get DS1 to sleep, or vice versa, but for naptime it's just me. I can't be lying in bed with DS1 forever trying to get him to sleep when I have a newborn to worry about. I thought about wearing DS2 on my back and nursing DS1 sitting up, but he won't fall asleep that way unless he's way overtired, otherwise he needs me to lie in bed with him.
Whew, sorry for the novel. I've just been worrying about these things and don't know what else to do. I really want to stop falling back on the car but I don't know what my other options are.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Here's the problem - even before we started nightweaning, nursing him to sleep was taking longer and longer. And lately, it's sometimes not even working at all - especially at naptime (which used to be much easier than nighttime). When it fails and I know he's tired, I end up taking him for a drive which usually works (but only when he's really tired, after I've tried at the nursing for a while). But that's so wasteful, especially since I do a 20-minute loop and it sometimes ends up being twice a day! When DH gets him back to sleep in the middle of the night, he has a special way of holding him very high and snug which seems to help, but I can't do that because DS is heavy and I'm hugely pregnant. Same reason I can't wear him to sleep, though I'm not sure that would work around the house anyway because there are too many distractions. In the beginning of the night, it's very very difficult for DH to get him to sleep if I'm here - even the car doesn't seem to work for him like it does for me.
Anyway, I'm at a loss for other ways to get him to sleep. He's going to bed so late because of it, and napping later than usual which in turn makes his bedtime later, etc. He used to go to sleep 9:00-9:30, but lately it's been closer to 10:00-10:30. And he used to go down for his nap between 12:00 and 1:00 then sleep for 2 hours, but the past few days he hasn't gone down until 2:00 or later. And then I never know if I should just try to keep him up and skip his nap altogether. On the few days he's ever not napped, he goes to bed quite easily at 8:00 but sometimes gets really cranky during the evening and sometimes will fall asleep nursing around dinnertime which means we're in for a REALLY late night.
I'm also wondering how on earth I'm going to get him down for his nap when DS2 arrives. In the evening, my husband can hold/wear DS2 if needed while I get DS1 to sleep, or vice versa, but for naptime it's just me. I can't be lying in bed with DS1 forever trying to get him to sleep when I have a newborn to worry about. I thought about wearing DS2 on my back and nursing DS1 sitting up, but he won't fall asleep that way unless he's way overtired, otherwise he needs me to lie in bed with him.
Whew, sorry for the novel. I've just been worrying about these things and don't know what else to do. I really want to stop falling back on the car but I don't know what my other options are.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
