Dinner and Bed time with Three...Shoosh!

[livelovelaugh]

We definitely have not yet settled into a pattern with the whole dinner and bed time routine. Trying very hard to find ANY sort of routine that will allow for this crazy time of the evening to be easier on everyone, but no luck yet. Not looking for a "schedule" yet, but it would sure be a lot easier if the baby would go to sleep for a few hours as opposed to a 10-20 minutes around bed time. She wakes up just as I am putting DD1 to bed, and it throws everyone off - basically like starting over or worse. And nursing her while sitting up in DD1's bed just isn't ideal...DD1's owl "Penny" becomes the support for my arm while DD2 nurses off to sleep, gets a little nap in, and is awake again by the time DD1 falls asleep. DD2 is 8 weeks now, so I thought I would be through the old 6 week growth spurt, but that phase just hasn't ended. Been unpredictable since then and she just won't sleep for more than 20 minutes unless in our bed and VERY close yo my boob! Same pattern with all of my kiddos - I am qutie convinced that it is my parenting style and on demand nursing, but I can't imagine parenting any other way.

Anyone else ever try putting their LO down somewhere other than the bed and find that they will only sleep for snippits? Just need a FEW minutes...you know, a little tiny stretch of time to myself...asking too much? : )

[somegirl99]

DS hasn't slept more than 15 minutes except in my arms today.

[Terrilein]

DS will sometimes sleep in bed with me, but more often than not he's squirming in his search for the boob even if he all he does is latch on and not nurse at all. We've got a sidecar that gets little use - he gets all restless in it - but we have a moses basket hanging from the ceiling at the foot of our bed and he sleeps great in that, but not always very long. He takes all his naps in there so maybe that's why he sleeps better there at night than in the sidecar.

[Surfacing]

Livelaughlove, we have a similar issue here. Ds would sleep nicely in my arms and nurse as I was getting the dd's to sleep. It was still aggravating and hectic, but once the lights were off and everyone was quieted down, it would work. Now he's been unpredictable and dh has been putting the girls to sleep.

When I was alone with the girls, I would sit on dd2's bed and rub her feet and legs while I nursed ds. Or I would side-lie with ds nursing, and he would be in between dd2 and I.

Shoosh woman! Shoosh! It sure ain't easy!

[chattyprincess]

8 weeks old dd here to...I totally hear you on not wanting a schedule perse but just some type of consistent pattern lol. are you swaddling your lo? I find if I swaddle in her little "woombie" type swaddle blanket she will sleep fine layed down and not in my arms. Without the swaddle blanket she will wake her self up almost instantly. I think it takes them some time to lose the infant "startle" reflex and so they just kind of keep scaring the crap out of themselvesand waking up . I highly recommend swaddling before nursing and then nurse and lie down...at least this seems to work well here. lol.

[livelovelaugh]

Yep, swaddling away here...she just still wakes up...I think it might be gas, or more likely that I let her nurse to sleep, like I did with DS and DD1...sometimes she stays asleep longer, and in bed with us she just basically checks to make sure I am there and goes right back to sleep. At least she sleeps well with us - as in all night with a waking or two, but man oh man...sometimes I feel like a contortionist! I think my shoulder had just healed from co-sleeping with DS 6 years ago! : ) Ahhh well, it is all worth it, and of course it will change tomorrow. Ok, well, maybe next month. Fingers crossed! Then there is also the fact that once she does fall asleep anywhere but right next to me I feel so far away from her that I cannot rest and just want her near. Silly me.

[somegirl99]

Swaddling here too, we wouldn't get any sleep without it. In our case it's often a stubborn burp, or else he's still hungry.

ETA: also sometimes he just drifts in and out of a light sleep...if he sees that I am right next to him he will go back to sleep, but if I'm not (trying to eat or get something done) then he fully wakes up.

[mummy marja]

My 9 week old is the same. I don't think it's just your parenting style--don't change that! I think it has more to do with your individual baby's temperament. She's just not ready to sleep without you yet. Some are fine to be put down and left, some aren't. It's really hard, isn't it? Especially when you have other young ones to look after!

[Surfacing]

Originally Posted by mummy marja

My 9 week old is the same. I don't think it's just your parenting style--don't change that! I think it has more to do with your individual baby's temperament. She's just not ready to sleep without you yet. Some are fine to be put down and left, some aren't. It's really hard, isn't it? Especially when you have other young ones to look after!

[livelovelaugh]

Originally Posted by mummy marja

My 9 week old is the same. I don't think it's just your parenting style--don't change that! I think it has more to do with your individual baby's temperament. She's just not ready to sleep without you yet. Some are fine to be put down and left, some aren't. It's really hard, isn't it? Especially when you have other young ones to look after!

It is just so funny how mine have all have very similar temperaments in this regard. Of course certain people will tell you to change this or not do that, but I don't listen to those voices! Just givn' baby what baby wants. : ) Fortunately, she is taking a nice afternoon nap in her crib at this very moment - even woke up crying and crying 10 minutes into it, but by the time I ran upstairs she was fast asleep again! Back to watercolors with DD1! We are working on our trees, birds, and mountains today!

[Surfacing]

That sounds nice LLL, can we come watercolour paint with you?

As for people saying things, I think ultimately we all have to decide what is or is not working for us and our family. As Dr. Sears says, if something isn't working, change it. Decisions around sleep and our relationship w/our child is so personal, I think.