I have NO idea how to tackle 2 yr olds bed time now i have a newborn...help!!

[beckoes]

So DD1 is 2 and a half. her bed time routine has been the same for a while. Bath, Breastfeed, Book, Cuddles with mummy till she falls asleep. she is in her own bed. sleeps all night. no problems! tried to get her putting herself to sleep while i was pregnant but it was a disaster, screaming etc. guessed she wasnt ready.
Now DD2 is here, and DH is back at work on monday im totally freaking out. I have no idea how im going to get her to sleep.
tonight we bathed. baby was asleep so i gave dd1 a breast feed then baby woke up hungry so i had to leave dd1 in bed. she screamed. she wouldnt even have DH in the room. i tried to explain that baby needed her dinner and dd would have to stay in bed and play with her teddies and id come back when baby had finished feeding.
im outside her room and she just keeps coming to the door. i keep walking her back to bed. asking her to stay in bed. saying night and i love you.
any suggestions???

[sas85]

Is it possible you can sit next to DD1 in bed while feeding DD2 and read to her or just sit with her listening to music while you feed bub? My girls are in the same room now and I found when I first moved them in together for the night feeds when DD1 would wake up with bub, I would sit on the end of her bed or next to her and feed her till bub was done and could give her what she needed.

[Netix]

I was going to pretty much suggest what Sas said, but she said it much better than what I got.

[CrystalBoo]

I had the same problem with DD when DS came along. She is very attached to her bedtime routine, and DH is away for two weeks of every month so I couldn't just hand over to him. I ended up buying a small portable DVD player that she watches on her bed when I am putting DS to sleep. She is only allowed to have it then, whether it's five minutes or half hour, so it's a treat for her. As soon as he's asleep, I go in and do her bedtime.
It might not be everyone's idea of a good solution but it works awesomely for us - everyone is relaxed and happy. Definitely some of the best money I ever spent.

Good luck!

[Roryrory]

Could you maybe BF your bub while lying down next to DD1? I know it will depend on how DD2 attaches (my boys couldn't feed lying down til they were 6 months or so, but Rosie was a gun from the start) and how "reliable" DD2 is (ie: will she squash/cuddle the bub?)

[~Jayne~]

I had exactly all the same ideas as all the other wonderful ladies!!!
FWIW though, the more you stress about it, the worse it's going to be. Bub is going to pick up that you're anxious & may fuss over her feed, etc...
So, try & stay calm & relax. DD1 is 2.5 years, it's not horrible to make her wait, you know? I mean this in the nicest of possible ways. lol
I'm sure it's not going to take long!
Good luck! xx

[tanyaya]

i am currently 37 preggers and have a nearly 2y.o. who just graduated from a week at sleep school and now does wonderfully in his own toddler bed, sleeping the night through.

... so this is the low down. you will probably have a few nights (hopefully less) hard time, but the basis of what we did at sleep school was to move him out of our bed and into his own bed/room all night. At first we had to shut the door, going in every few minutes to reassure him when he got really upset.... but by the second night, he was ok with it, it only took 20 mins to settle him and by the 3rd night, we just shut the door and didn't have to go back in.

I'm sorry but i think you need to have some tough love and shut the door/get a baby-safe gate and basically put your kid in the room. It doesn't mean you can't go in now-and-then to comfort her if she is beside her (i'm not a CIO advocate, but each to her own).... but this is what worked for us. Before sleep school, I thought there was no way my DS would ever be sleeping in his own bed all night - but now he is - miracles can happen!

[Panda74]

tonight we bathed. baby was asleep so i gave dd1 a breast feed then baby woke up hungry so i had to leave dd1 in bed. she screamed. she wouldnt even have DH in the room.

Ah this is us! How did it go?? I am doing bedtime solo tomorrow night and am expecting lots of tears as I run back and forth between the two!