I'm posting here rather than family bed, because my approach is MUCH different now that DS is 20 months rather than an infant, obviously I nursed my son on demand well into his second year of life, but now things are a little different. Here's my question:
We sleep in a family bed arrangement with a queen mattress on the floor, with a twin mattress next to us. DS sleeps on the twin mattress about 90% of the time, if he's cold or lonely I have no problem with him snuggling up in the queen bed in the middle of the night, which he often does, but I am firm about *putting* him to bed in the twin sidecare BECAUSE I'm pregnant and take up over half the available queen bed space myself (I'm 37 weeks).
He's been sleeping very well since about 12 months old. We nightweaned gradually between 12-15 months, and weaned completely about 2 months ago, and unless he's sick or has a nightmare, he doesn't night-wake, and if he does, he's pretty easy to get back down with snuggles and sometimes a chorus of a lullaby.
My problem is this: he's had a virus the last 2 weeks. I got him checked out and it's just one of those things we'll have to wait out. His appetite has been shot so we had been bringing a sippy cup of water or milk to bed with us to help keep him hydrated and help with soothing when he's been waking with a fever or diarrhea (yeah, it's been a fun 2 weeks!)
Now he's "better". . .no fever, poops getting normal, eating again. The problem? Now he's been waking the last 4 nights wanting a snack between 3 am and 5 am. He stays up for 2 hours without fail EVERY TIME!!!
The first night we still let him get up without any argument because we were so happy he just wanted to eat something. But now it's becoming a nightly routine to have a banana, crackers, yogurt and a sippy literally in the middle of the night. I feel like it's that Taco Bell commercial about "fourthmeal"
I am all for meeting my son's needs and I don't want him to be hungry or thirsty, and I realize a little toddler can't control when they feel those needs, and may not feel them on my schedule. On the other hand, I REALLY don't want to make this a permanent habit and am anxious to keep this from becoming a new routine. Especially since it is really disruptive to my and DH's sleep, and we can't function, and I am of course feeling extra pressure and anxiety about it because we will be welcoming a newborn soon with their own nighttime parenting needs.
What would you smart MDC mommas do in this situation? Wait it out and hope he normalizes as he continues to feel better? He ate PLENTY during the day the last few days, including a HUGE post-dinner dinner last night, but he still woke up!!! I really don't think it would have killed him to not eaten in the middle of the night, but he was really insistent and I know as much as anyone being pregnant that when you feel hungry, you feel hungry, you can't help when it happens. Should I pick a day and talk to him about it before bed and just "enforce" night-night time? Should I let him get up but cut back the amount of food we give him gradually? Some other creative idea I haven't thought of yet? Thanks for any help or advice!
We sleep in a family bed arrangement with a queen mattress on the floor, with a twin mattress next to us. DS sleeps on the twin mattress about 90% of the time, if he's cold or lonely I have no problem with him snuggling up in the queen bed in the middle of the night, which he often does, but I am firm about *putting* him to bed in the twin sidecare BECAUSE I'm pregnant and take up over half the available queen bed space myself (I'm 37 weeks).
He's been sleeping very well since about 12 months old. We nightweaned gradually between 12-15 months, and weaned completely about 2 months ago, and unless he's sick or has a nightmare, he doesn't night-wake, and if he does, he's pretty easy to get back down with snuggles and sometimes a chorus of a lullaby.
My problem is this: he's had a virus the last 2 weeks. I got him checked out and it's just one of those things we'll have to wait out. His appetite has been shot so we had been bringing a sippy cup of water or milk to bed with us to help keep him hydrated and help with soothing when he's been waking with a fever or diarrhea (yeah, it's been a fun 2 weeks!)
Now he's "better". . .no fever, poops getting normal, eating again. The problem? Now he's been waking the last 4 nights wanting a snack between 3 am and 5 am. He stays up for 2 hours without fail EVERY TIME!!!
The first night we still let him get up without any argument because we were so happy he just wanted to eat something. But now it's becoming a nightly routine to have a banana, crackers, yogurt and a sippy literally in the middle of the night. I feel like it's that Taco Bell commercial about "fourthmeal"
I am all for meeting my son's needs and I don't want him to be hungry or thirsty, and I realize a little toddler can't control when they feel those needs, and may not feel them on my schedule. On the other hand, I REALLY don't want to make this a permanent habit and am anxious to keep this from becoming a new routine. Especially since it is really disruptive to my and DH's sleep, and we can't function, and I am of course feeling extra pressure and anxiety about it because we will be welcoming a newborn soon with their own nighttime parenting needs.
What would you smart MDC mommas do in this situation? Wait it out and hope he normalizes as he continues to feel better? He ate PLENTY during the day the last few days, including a HUGE post-dinner dinner last night, but he still woke up!!! I really don't think it would have killed him to not eaten in the middle of the night, but he was really insistent and I know as much as anyone being pregnant that when you feel hungry, you feel hungry, you can't help when it happens. Should I pick a day and talk to him about it before bed and just "enforce" night-night time? Should I let him get up but cut back the amount of food we give him gradually? Some other creative idea I haven't thought of yet? Thanks for any help or advice!
