BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => General Sleep Issues => Topic started by: andreaderego on August 22, 2016, 21:21:43 pm
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Hello!
I am new to the boards, so please forgive me if this question has already been askes, wasn't able to find it.
I have a 2.5 yr old, and a 5 week old. With DD1, I applied the Easy routine and had great success. However, now that it's the second time round, I am finding that the BW approach to sleep training is too time intensive to apply consistent when there's also a toddler in the house who requires my attention. (Both girls are Spirited types, wouldn't ya know!) I have just started shush Pat to train DD2 to sleep in her crib, and after 20-30 mins she STILL hasn't settled, and now her sister is up and needs me. I know there must be moms out there who use EASY with older siblings in the house. Though I do my best, there have been times I've left DD2 to cry it out bc her sister needed me. Tracy doesn't address this issue I'm her book other than to say not to do that. What have you done to navigate meeting the needs of multiple children witj differing schedules and needs with only one set of arms?
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hi and welcome to the boards! :)
It is a bit tricky the 2nd time around, isn't it?! Does your 2.5YO still have an afternoon nap? I remember one of the things that helped my sanity was timing that afternoon nap so that both kids were sleeping at the same time. Since my DD was used to the routine of going to sleep in the afternoon, that left me with DS and I worked a lot on sleep training at that time. For mornings, it was a bit trickier. I vaguely remember sometimes using baby gates to barricade her into a room that had plenty of toys & I could hear her but she couldn't do any harm to herself...and I remember days when she was playing in the hall right outside DS's room while I tried to get him down...
There's also some more ideas in here:
Introducing EASY to a 2nd child
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Hi Jaime...thanks for the info, and for the link to the other thread. It was full of helpful suggestions.
DD1 does nap, and is trained to stay on her room for"quiet time" btw 1-4 each day. Working with DD2 to get her to actually sleep, however am starting to see some success w shhh/Pat. I've been doing it consistently when DD1 sleeps, and just doing the best I can at the other times.
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Sounds to me like you are doing fab :D I found cutting myself a bit of slack and aiming for an EAS pattern, and taking sleep as and when it came (sling was a lifesaver!) really helped in those early weeks with two. My feeling (although Tracy obviously said to start as you mean to go on) is that time spent on independent settling/shh pat etc at that early stage is a lot of time for little gain. We aimed for one nap a day where I tried shh pat in the crib, and then we did other naps deliberately in other ways so we could get out and about (and keep DD sane!) until it became a bit easier x