Q for those with baby & toddler (or those that have been there!)

Ok so DS2 is now almost 10 weeks old, DS1 is almost 2 1/2. My problem is that that bubs won't sleep past that first sleep cycle without me having to go in and resettle him during the day. Trouble is that it takes me sometimes up to an hour of patting/rocking/singing/standing on my head before he gets back to sleep. In the mean time my poor toddler is left on he's own in front of the TV for long periods of time which I really am not comfortable with. At first i figured it would only be a couple of days until bubs got the hang of sleep and then I wouldn't have to worry about resettling all the time and I'd be able to give DS1 the attention he needs but bubs is just not willing to co-operate!
What did/do others do in this situation? DS1 has never been much of a TV watcher up until now (he would watch in the night garden and that was it) but I'm worried I am now creating a TV addict - he even passed me the remote this morning, pointed at the TV and said "remote on?"!!

I had a similar problem with my DS and DD when DS was little. I hated DD sitting in front of the tv, but sometimes needed that extra time to be with DS. I got a sling and wore DS alot in the early months, and also got an automatic baby swing thing which he would sleep in sometimes. Otherwise I would put him into the portacot in the lounge room and I could settle him while watching DD too. I would give her some crayons or she could play with the playdough at the kitchen counter and I could still see her. It's so tough to give them both your time when they are both so little! Good luck :hug:

Yeah I'm with Kel, if I can't resettle DD2 within 5 minutes, I get her up and put her in the sling to continue her sleep while still doing stuff with the other two.

No use getting stressed out trying to get a baby to sleep and worrying about your other one - it doesn't help anyone. Bubs can feel your stress and won't go to sleep just cos you want them to - unfortunately!!!! LOL

Hun I was there, I understand, we put Tara in the bassinet in the lounge room with us and rocked her together and read stories the sounds of our voices comforted her also the washing machine helped her sleep too. But if she didnt want to settle I carried her around until she was drowsy and put her back in bassinet still in lounge room and rocked her.

Slings were our saviour too.....I didn't know some babies settled within five mins lol

BF DS2 to sleep while having DS1 next to may playing with shapo or sitting on floor with him rolling ball, doing jigsaw, pushing cars etc.

Or TV

Have a swing for DS2 but DS1 likes to push it to oops

I had the same problem (still do with a catnapping 7 month old, hopefully for your DS2 grows out of it sooner than that), and I find the best thing to do is get out of the house. Toddler is occupied in wide open spaces, running around as toddlers should do, and baby goes to sleep in pram. Maybe that's an option?

Also, don't worry too much. It will only be for a short time, particularly if you are conscientous about TV. I found my toddler started getting a bit addicted, but it only took a week of strict limits for him to snap out of the habit (it was a grumpy week though!). Even if you do have to use it a bit more than you like for this short time, when it comes time to return to normality, it's not going to be like taking cigarettes off a smoker, you know? There are plenty more interesting things for toddlers to do than watch a screen and you'll soon be in a position to offer more of them to him again.

get a carrier :)

We set up the portacot in our lounge when DS2 (now 4 months) arrived, that way I can walk/rock DS2 when he's unsettled and I can still be around DS1 (25 months) at the same time.

As for TV, I reason that while DS2 is so little, it's just a temporary thing to amuse DS1 during those times when I can't read him books or play with him because my attention has to be focused on DS2 etc. DS1 much rather be outside anyway :)

Thanks for everyone's reply, I do have a baby borjn but DS is already nearing 7kgs so he's a bit heavy to carry around for long periods of time.
I really like the idea of setting up the portacot in the lounge - I didn't think of that, I guess my mind set was that he has to sleep in a darkened quite room so if all else fails i'm going to give this ago.
He sleeps quite well at night and if he does wake he's able to settle himself without any trouble (he's still sleeping in our room so I can here him kicking around in the middle of the night) it's just the days that are a problem. Not sure if anyone has heard of a heart to heart bear but I have one from when I was little so i've pulled the heart out of him and put it under he's mattress today - this seems to have helped this morning.
Thanks again everyone :)

I found that I had to have DD sleeping in the living room (I also used to be quite strict on the dark quiet room for a nap for DS).

DD wound up sleeping a lot better, despite all the light and noise, she would come into her light sleep, kind of crack her eyelids open to see us and then snuggle back down for another sleep. And DS wouldn't be left alone to entertain himself or start calling out for me while I was resettling her. It was just way too hard running up and down the stairs all the time.

I think she was about 5 months when I started putting her in her room for her naps, when she was becoming much more aware of her surroundings and they were starting to wake her up rather than soothe her back to sleep.