i thought that i was but the last few days im not,its not so much my new 3 week old DS its my 2 and a half year old DD,im just so tired to the point of exhaustion she has always been a full on child and shes given up her day sleeps,DS hasnt been going to sleep in the evening till half 9 and DD hasnt been till 8 so by the time i get her to sleep then i get him to sleep but hes up every 3 hours for feeds and then shes up for the day at 5am im just so tired,im sure theres mums out there laughing or saying its normal please talk to me!!!Tell me you are all out there doing the same!!I know im not alone but just feels better to know theres others just so dam tired and any tips on how to cope?Im getting too cranky etc.Remind me it gets better!
1pj it's hard! DD2 hardly slept last night so I'm feeling tired too. But it DOES get better. Hang in there. Can you get your DD to at least have 'quiet time' in her room and read some books or something every day if she's not going to have a nap? Is your DP able to help out?
My dd also dropped her day sleep when ds was born. But she will sleep in the pram, so I just went for a walk each day at about 1:30 when she was tired and she would fall asleep. Then I would race home and jump into bed with ds before she woke up lol.
The other things that have helped are having ds in bed with me full time (he fed 2 hourly 24/7 until last month) and cooking up a weeks worth of food and freezing it so I don't cook during the week. I also bath them both at 5pm when I'm not too tired and then it's tv time for dd while I settle ds.
Once your baby learns day from night it will get easier I promise!
I hear you. My DS was a shocking sleeper til about 10mths... I also have a very full on 2.5yo, who I fight to get to stay in bed til 6am! She often is still awake at 8pm too! It's exhausting!!
I'm lucky she still has a day sleep - though that is becoming an issue too.
I second the "quiet time" idea - I've used that for DD when she has refused a sleep, put her on the couch with a DVD and told her she can stay and watch the movie or go to bed. She stays and more often than not she goes to sleep. Worth a try maybe??
You are not alone. I have 3 little ones. My 4 yo doesn't nap. My 23 month old does but my 6 month old doesn't really sleep at all during the day, 20 mins here and there on me. Both the 2 year old and 6 month old sleep crappy at night, on average getting up about 3 times each, of course at different times. My husband doesn't help with night shift at all. Needless to say I walk around like a zombie most of the time. I've learnt how to manage on about 4 hrs of broken sleep in 24 hrs. I do quiet time here though. When the middle child is napping my 4 yo gets to watch a movie and I generally sit down with my 6 month old for some quiet time.
My dd2 is dropping her nap and was getting out of bed early too, here is what we do -
At nap time she needs to play quietly or watch tv so she still rests. In her room we put it in block out curtains as the early sun was in her eyes, she has a heater to keep her room warm and she has a torch and toys to play with if she still wakes up early she isn't allowed to come out until a night light comes on (its on a timer) at 7am. It took a few mornings but now she stays happily in her room.
i have the same issues Its quite difficult it is getting a bit better though now dd3 is 9 weeks. My older girls 3 and nearly 5 dont really sleep during the day most the week, but the day after kinder (ie today) they will fingers crossed. I give them quiet time in their bedroom, Also at night when your new DS goes to sleep you should sleep too, thats the only way I can get enough sleep, dd1&2 I put in their bedroom at 7pm, dd3 has a feed then and I put her to bed in her bassinet beside my bed at 8pm, and I go to sleep myself at 8.30pm and she doesnt wake for a feed until 2am now which is good so thats how I get most my sleep. Then she wakes again at 5am and thats it for the day I have to get up cause after I feed her dd1 & 2 get up... so my days start at 5am at the moment.
Oh hun, it does get better. I wouldnt be having a third if it didnt. I found having a baby and toddler so hard for the first year (it's still hard but in a different way)
You will find your get feet, your toddler will settled and you'll start getting more sleep. I promise.
It's your dd in childcare? I ended up putting my ds in when dd was about 8 months, I should have.done it earlier. I could then nap with my dd. Seriously think about it if shes not already, just a day or two a week. It was my lifesaver.
It's taken me days to reply because guess what - I have an 8 week old baby and a 21 month old toddler. I found the first 6 weeks or so the hardest and then the night feeds started stretching out and it has got a bit easier sleep wise but it's full on with a tantrum throwing toddler. I hope you're getting some more sleep! Try to get your DH to take your toddler out on the weekends so you can catch up on some sleep and maybe someone could take her midweek for an hour or two. If you can top up every now and then it makes a difference.
It does get easier, so don't beat yourself up as it is tough on everyone adjusting to a new arrival.
Like Tilda mentioned, my DH used to take both of them out on a sunday arvo so I could just go and sleep for a few hours.
In terms of your older child not having a nap, maybe all 3 of you could go lie down in your bed. I sometimes would feed DS lying down, and because DD was with us, we'd all snooze. Othertimes, I would just put a DVD on, and lie down on the couch. Occasionally she would still fall asleep.
TV got a major work out in our house in the first year (it still does occasionally).
I also got a good carrier that I could wear DS in for a couple of hours, as at that age, he wouldn't sleep in the cot, but would have a good sleep in the carrier, and it meant I had hands free to play with DD.
Also, we had a good double pram, so we went walking alot too.
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not coping :(
1pj it's hard! DD2 hardly slept last night so I'm feeling tired too. But it DOES get better. Hang in there. Can you get your DD to at least have 'quiet time' in her room and read some books or something every day if she's not going to have a nap? Is your DP able to help out?
Its quite difficult it is getting a bit better though now dd3 is 9 weeks. My older girls 3 and nearly 5 dont really sleep during the day most the week, but the day after kinder (ie today) they will fingers crossed. I give them quiet time in their bedroom, Also at night when your new DS goes to sleep you should sleep too, thats the only way I can get enough sleep, dd1&2 I put in their bedroom at 7pm, dd3 has a feed then and I put her to bed in her bassinet beside my bed at 8pm, and I go to sleep myself at 8.30pm and she doesnt wake for a feed until 2am now which is good so thats how I get most my sleep. Then she wakes again at 5am and thats it for the day I have to get up cause after I feed her dd1 & 2 get up... so my days start at 5am at the moment.
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