tandem nursing/ cosleeping w/ infant and toddler

[MuslimMama]

Mamas I need HELP!!

DD is about 3 weeks old and DS is almost 2. He was pretty much night weaned until DD was born and now he has gone back to being almost exclusively breastfed. He wakes several times a night, which would be fine if it was just him, but the whole waking process and sleeping arrangement is causing lots of sleep deprivation and upset for him.

DD will NOT sleep in a sleeper. I dont know if it is something I am doing wrong (cuz it seems like every other kid in the world will sleep in a crib or sleeper except mine... they want to be right next to me the entire night). So needless to say, she is sleeping next to me. The scary thing is at night DS will try and hop over me and has almost landed on her head several times. If I am feeding her, then obviously he has to wait until I am done, which makes him hysterical.

Can anyone offer a solution? The only thing I can think of is night weaning him AGAIN, but I am hesitant to do this with a new baby. I dont want him to feel bad since I dont think he will understand why I am feeding her and not him.

Thanks

[FingerLakesMom2B]

oh i feel for you...
dd- 23 months and ds-4 months were the same way a few short months ago. if your ds isn't seeming really jealous, i bet nightweaning again would be the way to go. my dd almost completely stopped eating food when ds was born. i thought i would lose my mind. i didn't really sleep at all for 2 months, and am about to nightwean dd again for the 5th time. good luck- i'm sure they will both settle in soon.

[Surfacing]

[vivvysue]

i would go for the night weaning, he is big enough to understand that she is small small and he is bigger and sometiems must wait his turn. as for the hysterics, ugh, i went through that with mine who were 18 months apart... it is hard but you will find your way through,
is there anyway your dh can help calm ds while you nurse your wee one, i used rescue remedy for both he, dh and i when we were faced with the situation.
maybe a cuddle while you nurse baby with a dim night light on, and a short story about when he was a wee one and needed to be fed during the night so he could grow up strong and healthy like he is now, and how he is the big brother and it's his turn to watch as she grows to where he is now. then a little nurse for him when she is finished so he doesnt feel completely left out of his best comfort nursing with mama


hth~ vs