Breastfeeding 26 month yr old and co-sleeping challenges

[Becca24]

I'm struggling with continuing to breastfeed and co-sleep with my wonderful 26 month old daughter. She has reverted to nursing every 1-2 hours during the night and into the morning. Her molars are coming in, perhaps that's the reason. It doesn't feel like anyone in our family bed is getting enough sleep these days. I don't really want to quit nursing but am feeling frusterated, guilty and sad. Would love to move her back to her toddler bed, which she slept briefly in for three weeks for 5-6 hours a night but she bumped her head on the headboard and will have nothing to do with it now. My husband has moved to the spare room and I go to bed between 8 - 8:30pm to nurse her to sleep. I typically am not able to get back out of the bed until 10pm for any adult and / or mommy time. Sadly, my 12 year old daughter is missing some night time mom attention as well. Would perfer to go the child led weaning route but at this moment feel like running screaming from the building! Also, nap time only occurs in the ergo backpack. So everyday for 2 hours I carry her will she sleeps. My family is very supportive but I'm feeling worn out. Any helpful suggestions, support would be great....

[dancinganya]

Can you change up the toddler bed?  Put the mattress on the floor and then try her sleeping there?  Put something she loves on the bed?

My daughter started sleeping in her own bed at 21 months, though I still ended up cosleeping at least half the night in there with her until just recently (she's 2.5 years old and we are finally nightweaning).  She took to her own bed well (though Mommy slept with her most of the night for the first month or so). We built it up as her big girl bed and recently put flower sheets on it that she picked out and loves.  She calls it her flower bed.  It's also a full-size mattress so I can sleep fairly comfortably with her there if needed.

Does she ever just play or hang out in her bed?  That I also found helpful.  She played and jumped on it before I tried to put her to sleep there.

At one point around 26 months, I was really struggling with nighttime and needed my husband to be a part of it (though my daughter always wanted me).  I decided I would leave the house two nights a week while he worked on getting her to sleep in his own way.  I think that was really helpful in getting him more involved with her sleep stuff.  Maybe once a week you could take your 12 year old out for special time and let Daddy struggle with bedtime for your own sanity and your 12 year olds Mommy needs?  That really could be a win-win for all (unless it's too late for taking the 12 year old out) as Daddy gets to bond with the baby more, baby learns new ways to fall asleep with Daddy and has a less stressed out Mommy, 12 year old gets Mommy time,  Mommy gets a time out from nighttime with baby...