Author Topic: Newborn EASY and toddler too?  (Read 1295 times)

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Offline SandyGal

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Newborn EASY and toddler too?
« on: October 03, 2005, 22:17:51 pm »
My ds will be two weeks old tomorrow and I have been trying to establish the EASY routine since a week ago. I dare say that I was moving forward, but today I feel like it is just impossible. My dh is going back to work tomorrow and I have a twenty month old to take care of. I can't leave her alone for 30-40 minutes to help my new lo get to sleep.

We have a few issues besides the time input to work out and any advice would be greatly appreciated as right now I am feeling very overwhelmed and doing quite a bit of crying. As you can see, I am a sleep forum moderator and firmly believe in teaching independent sleep. Having said that, I started with my daughter after six weeks of age and was hoping that starting earlier would be easier. Not seeing that. Obviously every baby is different so I am trying to figure out what is going to work for ds.

First of all... swaddling. I'm at a loss. I'm a very good swaddler... did it with my daughter until she kept breaking out of it and then she found her thumb soon after (which by the way was between six and eight weeks). Ds is already breaking out and gets seriously upset when I put him in. I have tried to compromise and leave one arm out. The other one is always out in a matter of minutes. I know that consistency is key with babies, so I am trying to figure out a plan and stick to it, but I'm in a fog and feel like I'm floundering. I'm thinking I might give up on the sleep teaching part and just work on the EASY routine for now.

Is it possible that today was just a fluke and he is having a growth spurt and is therefore impossible to settle to sleep because he is hungry again so fast? I guess I could give it a break for a couple of days and then try again, but like I said... I have a toddler to care for.

I need some encouragement and some ideas for starting so early. If it gets too hard, I may just give it a rest, do whatever works and try again when he is a bit older.

Thanks all,

Sandy
Sandy-Mom to Kyra (1-7-04) and Kylan (9-20-05)


Offline Katet

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Newborn EASY and toddler too?
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2005, 01:37:09 am »
Sandy, congratualtions

I found doing what ever it took in the first 6 weeks was the key.
Until Liam got sick 2 weeks ago (& spent 3 days in hospital) he was a great sleeper & I didn't do much other than make sure the feeding was going well & that I didn't let him get overtired for the first 6-8 weeks.
While you are exhausted & working out a routine etc that works. I suggest doing much the same as I did... focus on making sure the bedtime routine works & one nap that coincides with the toddlers nap time. The others I just did what I could & it worked.
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05

Offline SandyGal

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Newborn EASY and toddler too?
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2005, 18:10:45 pm »
Thanks, Kate. I'm finding slowly but surely that what you say is true. I'm going to concentrate on making sure he isn't hungry (and let me tell you this little guy needs no encouragement tanking up in the evenings... he goes on a two hour feed schedule all evening). He really seems to sleep just fine and when he doesn't he has been hungry. Also... overtired is a definate issue with him. The window is super important or we can just forget it until the next feed!


Thank you so much. I forgot how nerve racking breastfeeding can be! I don't know how... must have blocked it out because I had dreams of it going super well this time  :lol:

Hope to be getting back to the boards occasionally, but for now it is hit or miss! :)
Sandy-Mom to Kyra (1-7-04) and Kylan (9-20-05)


Offline deenz

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Newborn EASY and toddler too?
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2005, 07:43:51 am »
Hi,  I don't have any advice for you... just wanted to say that I'm in the same boat!  My dd#2 is 2 wks old today, and on Monday I too will be on my own with her and dd#1 (20m).  I am getting increasingly scared about it, and very teary!  I feel like I should be 'better' at this than I was the first time round, and feel pressure (from whom I'm not sure!) to get this good routine happening right away!  And I have no idea how to be starting to teach dd#2 how to sleep by herself.  At the moment I'm just happy if she's asleep in her own bed!  I am rocking her basinet to get her to sleep, but then I wonder how she knows I'm still there, as she can't see me....  Oh I had forgotten how hard it is in the beginning!!

Anyways, good luck!

Offline Katet

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Newborn EASY and toddler too?
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2005, 09:35:52 am »
You are going to do great. Just spend these early weeks getting to know your lo's understand what their faces & crys say & when they get to about 6weeks old & feeding & awake time actually is more regular you can work on the sleep. I think as long as they aren't feeding to sleep all the time & you are at least getting them in their bed & have the start of a good wind down routine. that is as good as you can be. I fed to sleep sometimes, I rocked to sleep I did what ever I could when I had to, but when I had a toddler asleep I focused on how Liam moved when he was just about to fall asleep, so I could get him from my arms into the cot & finish it off if I needed too when Aiden was around.
Also very important is working out what to do with your toddler when you feed & settle, when I get a chance I can give you a few ideas of what I have done/do to keep my toddler occupied while I settle & how I settle when my toddler wants to be there too :lol:
You may have done it all before, but not with this baby & not with a todder too, so cut yourself some slack & take each day as it comes & in a few months you might  be thinking (like me) I could alsmost do it all over again!!
dc1 July 03, dc2 May 05