How to best implement EASY with your 8 week old + 2 year old demanding attention

[Ccaldwell]

Hi Moms,
I used Baby Whisperer for my now 2 year old, when he was 6 months old. Due to his colic, we had a nightmare of a time until he turned 6 months and we were able to follow EASY. So for all the moms with baby's with colic, I feel you. It will get better. Thankfully my 8 week old does not have colic, and is doing fairly well on the EASY schedule. That is, he is when my toddler is distracted enough, or at Mother's Day Out. When he wants my attention, it is very hard to try to shhh pat the baby in his bassinet, while in the other room my toddler is playing and then screaming mommmma. I'm trying hard to juggle them both, but I'm not sure what to do. Most days the toddler gives me 5 minutes of shhh patting. Some days it's :30 and other days it's 10min. But most days it seems impossible to juggle both.

What do other moms with older kids do when trying to put their baby down? Anyone have any suggestions? There are times when I just have to give in and put the baby in a rocker and tend to my toddler. So I'm using a prop, but I just can't have either the baby or toddler sitting there screaming for more than a few minutes while tending to the other one.

Thanks.

[Katet]

I got told when I had my second (21.5 months apart) that the toddler will remember,  the baby won't.

With my DS2 I focussed all my energy on bedtime & the nap time when DS1 was sleeping & the other times it was "what ever worked". He'd nap in the car on the way somewhere, he'd nap in the stroller on a walk/at the park, he'd nap in a carrier while I did things, he'd nap on my lap while DS1 & I interacted. My days were catnap, catnap, catnap, big nap catnap, catnap kind of thing but I had a blissful 2 hours in the middle of the day when they both napped & I didn't get stressed about DS1's needs & we got out of the house loads... it wasn't always ideal & sometimes DS2 was grumpy because of timing, but you know it didn't hurt DS2 (in fact long term it was much easier when naps dropped off as there was always the one long nap)

[Ccaldwell]

Thank you so much, that makes sense. He definitely falls asleep on walks and if we're going to the grocery store. So that's a blessing. I just wanted to make sure that I was trying to put him down as often as I could without using props like walks, etc. But it's so hard with my toddler. You're right in that the toddler will remember. I'm going to just keep working at it.

[Katet]

Honestly I think they learn the patterns and it's a western (type A person) 'ideal' that babies should do XYZ, but I know so many people who on their subsequent children have better sleepers despite less worry about the routine (I did for the most part... except 5am wake ups and  when I hadn't worked out DS2 was super low sleep need

[KBolton]

I feel you! I have a 7 week old and a fabulously spirited and demanding 2.5yo. I normally make sure first nap is in bed going down independently, I treat my older daughter to paw patrol whilst I do what I need to for nap time. The next nap is often in the pram and she’s often in the sling for the evening nap. I aim for atleast one in bed, hopefully 2. If it’s a nursery day, I put my LO in the pram bassinetto go down independently and then attach it to the pram to do the school run.

Is it me, or is the bedtime routine now a juggle of epic proportions?! Hope you manage to find a routine that works for all 3 of you.