Hi Everyone,
I have a multi-faceted problem, so I'm not quite sure where to post this, except I KNOW it's a sleep problem.
I have a 8 week old DD and a 19 mo old DD. I have been familiar with BW techniques since before #2 came along, but did not instill any sort of routine for her because I was just trying to cope with having two under 2! At 7 weeks, however, I wanted to start. My main priority was to teach #2 to not nurse to sleep. I tried to start some form of EASY, but working it into my older DD's schedule is a little rough, so I had to be a little flexible. She sleeps REALLY REALLY well at night- asleep by 930pm, DF at 11pm, wakes around 7am... Very few nights of night waking since the beginning.
However, I'm returning to work part-time in a few weeks, my dad is going to be watching them, and I need her to be able to fall asleep without me- and preferrably in her own crib. We have tried shhh/patting, swaddling, bouncing, rocking, white noise (womb-sounds cd), pacifiers (all shapes and sizes- to no avail). She basically CIO- except in my arms. But I just can't stand her crying for 45 min+. I end up putting her to the breast and she's asleep almost instantly.
We have a decent naptime routine to wind her down, but I can't spend a lot of time in a quiet, darkened room at naptimes because DD1 hates to be left alone. She'll play independently for awhile, but then will run into the room and yell "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY" and all my hard work is down the drain. We had been winding DD2 down, getting her asleep (without the breast,) then I'd wear her in a sling so I could pay attention to DD1. Amazingly enough, she'd stay asleep. Then, after a few days of that working relatively well, I had to accommodate a few schedule changes and Poof! she'd not go to sleep with anything but being nursed to sleep. Now that's all she'll accept. She cries through trying to be put down until it's time to feed again, and then promptly falls asleep at the breast. Poor thing is exhausted, so I let her sleep. But then the routine is off, and I don't know what to do.
What's the best way to get her to sleep if Shh/Pat is not working?
How can I accommodate my older DD's needs when trying to sleep train DD2?
I'm just soo grateful they are both sleeping through the night, I know I would be an absolute wreck if I were sleep deprived on top of this frustration.
Thanks for any advice:)
Shauna
