hf1

Have to do something - suggestions please

My avatar
epsilon1
Cloth Nappy Groupie
Cloth Nappy Groupie

Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby epsilon1 » Fri Jul 03, 2015 7:46 pm

Sorry, me again, about sleeping and feeding...

How do I stop having to feed a two and a half year-old to sleep?

And then move towards him having a more independent bedtime generally?

It didn't matter very much before his sister arrived, but it's getting tricky needing someone to look after her while I get him to sleep. He has so far resisted attempts at establishing a routine leading up to feeding - starts throwing bedtime books on the floor, getting cross with songs after a while... He does have a bedtime toy, but that's about it. I have once or twice managed to get hi to go to sleep just lying quietly on my lap having fed for a while, but only once did I then manage to get him into his cot afterwards without him waking up.

He has amazing abilities in terms of staying awake at night without being fed, incidentally. Haven't yet found the limits, but latest was about midnight. He doesn't usually wake up at night now. Maybe once a week, or a bit less. He's never had a dummy (pacifier), or fed from a bottle, and it seems a bit perverse to introduce either now.

My avatar
Dancing mum
Cloth Nappy Nutter
Cloth Nappy Nutter

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby Dancing mum » Sat Jul 04, 2015 1:49 am

I wish I had some helpful advice but all I can offer is >:D<
I'll keep watching this post with hopeful interest though as my 15 month old still feeds to sleep, is very hard to put down once asleep and wakes several times through the night. Thursday night I was pacing the streets with her wide awake in sling at 11.30pm and tonight she's already woken 3 times and it's only 2.48am :zombie:
I hope you get some useful tips soon as you must be shattered with a baby as well :shock:

My avatar
ems101
Cloth Nappy Disciple
Cloth Nappy Disciple

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby ems101 » Sun Jul 05, 2015 3:05 pm

Well why would he give up that wonderful 1:1 time with mummy when he gets the perfect opportunity to be rid of that annoying little baby?!

Would you think about moving him into a special bed and then having special stories then holding hands until he sleeps or for a set amount of time then leaving him. I think he needs to come to terms with sharing his mummy and no longer breastfeeding. You need to say before bedtime that he's not having mummy feed him to slerpany more buy he will still have special time with you. Once he's given up the feed (and it may be a fight but you need to stay firm) he will be more open to doing the routine with someone else. It's so hard but you have to be in charge and weather the storm that weaning will be

My avatar
epsilon1
Cloth Nappy Groupie
Cloth Nappy Groupie

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby epsilon1 » Sun Jul 05, 2015 3:54 pm

The frustrating thing is that until the baby arrived, the bedtime feed was the only feed. Now I get demands through the day, although it's dying back a bit. I wonder if I need to wait until that's really calmed down?

Next time Mr ep is working abroad is October, so we have a bit of time. Converting to a bed would mean child-proofing his room :shock: although the last few nights he's been climbing out of his travel cot and just came straight in to see me, so if he wasn't coralled with a stair gate it might not matter :lol:

My avatar
ems101
Cloth Nappy Disciple
Cloth Nappy Disciple

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby ems101 » Sun Jul 05, 2015 4:27 pm

It's so hard at that age, they are full on envy and fury as well as do much love and passion. Personally I'd finish bfing, it sounds like it's becoming a tricky focus of competition and sibling rivalry. Do you feel he is ready r finish? Are you ready for him to finish?

My avatar
littlesez
Cloth Nappy Chatterbox
Cloth Nappy Chatterbox
Site Supporter

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby littlesez » Sun Jul 05, 2015 10:23 pm

Do you want to still feed? What about just being really clear , only one feed a day. Feed downstairs then cuddles for bed? Don't worry too much about transition from the cot. Leon has never been in one, as long as he is asleep he can't cause any trouble and on waking they just come and find you, no need to fret about baby proofing. Think I just moved any wires and that's it xx

My avatar
epsilon1
Cloth Nappy Groupie
Cloth Nappy Groupie

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby epsilon1 » Mon Jul 06, 2015 11:19 am

littlesez wrote:Do you want to still feed? What about just being really clear , only one feed a day. Feed downstairs then cuddles for bed? Don't worry too much about transition from the cot. Leon has never been in one, as long as he is asleep he can't cause any trouble and on waking they just come and find you, no need to fret about baby proofing. Think I just moved any wires and that's it xx


I think that's roughly where I'd like to end up. I don't mind doing one bedtime feed as part of a routine that someone else can complete, what's problematic is having to feed him to sleep every night, for however long it takes.

It's been useful having this discussion actually, I've now got a clearer idea of what I think I want.

My avatar
ems101
Cloth Nappy Disciple
Cloth Nappy Disciple

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby ems101 » Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:16 pm

Good luck, let us know how it goes x

My avatar
epsilon1
Cloth Nappy Groupie
Cloth Nappy Groupie

Re: Have to do something - suggestions please

Postby epsilon1 » Tue Aug 04, 2015 7:11 pm

Update:

Things have moved on a bit. Firstly he's no longer having an afternoon nap, and is adjusting, and also asleep fairly consistently between 7.30 and 8 (up a bit early, but that may change when the mornings get darker, hopefully), also we now have days when the only feeding he does is first thing, and bed time. He still asks sometimes, and I still feed during the day sometimes, but it's all calming down.

Finally, we're managing to have him doing the last bit of falling asleep on my lap. It's taking a little while, and sometimes he is almost asleep when I finally get him off, but it's moving in the right direction anyway.

I may try to manage things to the next stage when we're on hols at the end of the month, and he may be in a normal bed (don't think cot is supplied where we're going). I'd sort of rather keep him in a cot, since sometimes he'll happily lie in it quite a while after he wakes up, chatting to himself, rather than coming to me, but I guess you can't have everything, and it is getting harder and harder to carry him to and put him into his cot the bigger and heavier he gets.

Next

Return to Baby and Toddler

cron