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Two Under 2
Thorns and stings
And those such things
Just make stronger
Our angel wings.
~Terri Guillemets
Please tell me it gets easier
I am having a really rough time.
DD constantly wants to nurse, which makes DS jealous. He has been acting out by kicking her and throwing tantrums. I find myself losing patience with him and this week they both cried the majority of the day. DD will cry unless I hold her and only sleeps 20-30 min at a time.
Today I tried to take them out so DS could run around and I spent 1 hour trying to get him ready, tend to DD screaming and did not end up going since DS refused to get in his car seat.
I hate this and DD is only 2 months, (DS is 22 months). I am considering sending DS to daycare (which he hates) just so I do not have a nervous breakdown.
Thorns and stings
And those such things
Just make stronger
Our angel wings.
~Terri Guillemets
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Please tell me it gets easier
My husband is in the military, and I can't find a babysitter for the life of me! I am a few hours from family but am going to go visit them in a few weeks, which should help. I am just having a tough time and feel really sad that my DS is acting up which in turn makes me have to be " the bad guy" and punish him =(
Plus not getting sleep isn't helping. He just went down for a nap and cried for 30 minutes before he fell asleep =( He has been refusing to sleep since his sister arrived
We are also military so I know how hard it is to find babysitters. I know it's tough. =( I don't have a lot of advice since I'm still new at it too. But something that's helped us is that when DD is sleeping that's when I get me and DS dressed and ready for the day and I try to spend as much one on one time with DS as I can during that time. I'm not nursing but when you do nurse, maybe you could be down on the floor with LO #1 still "playing" with him or maybe reading with him during that time? Sorry I don't have much advice but everyone says it gets easier. I'm hoping....LOL.
Our family blog
Thanks
I love your siggy pic, adorable!
I try and pay as much attention to DS as possible, but when I am nursing he knows I won't/can't get up and acts out. I try reading him books etc but all he wants is for me to put DD back in her swing. Ugh, why is he being such a stinker? I guess he is only 22 months, but he is so stubborn sometimes!
It depends. Most days she is awake at 9am and up for 2-3 hours and will nap 20-45 min, then up 2-3 hours again, then another 30-40 min nap, then up till 7 ish when she will sleep the longest (maybe 45min- 1 hr) then up till 11pm. She nurses a lot and sometimes dozes of while still eating.
Today she has been sleeping more, but will not stay asleep (unless I am holding her) longer than about 40 minutes. DS was the same exact way
but I did not have another child to take care of so it was not that much of an issue.
DS decided that 22 months is a good time to give up naps completely, which is not helping the whole situation.
Ahhh, okay. Here's my opinion, if you want it.
Since she's only 2 months old, she should be awake for only 55-60 minutes before putting her back down to sleep (awake so she falls asleep on her own, no crying needed). I didn't wait for sleepy signs, I strictly watched the clock. There's a guideline in my siggy for awake time lengths between naps based on age.
Also, I recommend swaddling. Do you swaddle? We thought DD hated it so we quit when she was 2 weeks old, but tried a new technique (also in siggy) when she was 10-11 weeks and she fell asleep on her own and slept 7 hrs that first night. We used that same swaddle on DS from day 1 and he did great from the beginning.
So, my recommendation is watch the clock (put her down after 60 minutes max) and swaddle her using the escape proof swaddle.
I second the swaddle. I started around 2 months (never did it much before) and DS started STTN and naps were better. I no longer swaddle during the day for the most part, but I have to at night. He sleeps amazingly in the swaddle. I use a miracle blanket but do not tuck his legs in because he is too long. Best thing ever.
It gets better. DD started dropping naps too, but I still put her in for a "resting" time. She naps every other day or so at this point.
I do swaddle, which she likes, but it doesn't help her sleep =( I am just following her cues right now, I could not force her to sleep more even if I tried. We co sleep at night and I keep her near me/in the same room for her naps as well.
Just out of curiosity who comes up with those guidelines? I'm not trying to be snarky, just curious. DS never slept that much as a baby and did not sttn till 17 months (I put him in a crib at 6 months). He did not nap for more than 1 hour at a time until 15 months- and now has given up naps completely at 22 months.
My MIL said my DH was the same way and he still doesn't sleep very much.
I appreciate the advice and will check out the swaddling technique, maybe that will help.
I don't know who comes up with them exactly. I just found them online, tried them for both my kids and it was great for us.
I know you say you couldn't force your LO to sleep, but my question is I wonder if (by the time you think she should be napping, like if she's yawning), maybe she's overtired by then and isn't able to fall asleep any more.
Definitely do what works for you, but I highly recommend looking at the clock.
Also, you said your DS didn't sleep more than an hour and I wonder the same thing: were his naps short and did he not STTN because he was already overtired before he went to sleep?
My DH is military too. www.sittercity.com is a great resource for babysitters and it is free for military members. If you go to www.sittercity.com/dod you provide them with some information about your DH and you can log-in and start searching. I found a great sitter on there when we PCSed in February. She is a college student and comes for 4 hours one morning per week. It has helped me a lot during DH's deployment to know that I have a block of time that I can make appointments (hair, doctor, dentist, etc) without the kids.
My advice - GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AT ALL COSTS. Even if it takes an hour to get out the door and you have to wrestle your toddler into a carseat. JUST GO. Seriously. I never ever ever stay in my house all day long. I would go insane. Or get a nice double stroller that you can take around the neighborhood. Just get outside. Your 2 month old is very mobile still so it will help you to get your toddler some stimulation.
It does get better. You will learn to do this and feel more comfortable. But you really need to believe you can do it not make excuses. Laugh at yourself too... This situation is hard, but it can be fun if you choose to approach it in a lighthearted way.
GOOD LUCK!
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
I agree with above. I don't have any 2U2 experience yet but swaddling and scheduled naps really helped with DS. He woke up, nursed for 20 minutes, we played for about 30-40 minutes, then back down for a nap. He'd be up again to nurse 2 hours from the first time he woke up. It made my life a lot easier because he and I both knew what to expect.
We also swaddled, first with receiving blankets and then with Halo sleepsacs with arms or the Kiddopatamus swaddlers. He slept swaddled until he started really rolling over and pulling up (9 months). Around that time we did sleep training and now he sleeps 7:30/8 PM to 6:30/7 AM every night and doesn't wake up at night unless he's sick. We tried sleep training at 6 months and it worked but between 6-9 months my DS was really sick so at a certain point it all went out the window. Once he was better we did the sleep training again, it sucks but it worked. Your LO is too young for sleep training but just getting on the Eat, Play, Sleep schedule will really help you!
I appreciate the advice. I am curious how you get your baby to nap.
I nurse DD then play, wear her, or walk her in a stroller etc but she will not sleep. I swaddle her and put her in the swing/bounce chair but she still won't sleep.She will cry unless I pick her up. DS was the same way.
I will swaddle her and rock her trying to get her to sleep but she won't fall asleep.The only time DD will nap longer is when driving in a car, but it still is only approx 2 hrs max.
At night she goes 3-4 hrs between feedings (we co sleep) and sleeps from 11pm-8am or 9 am
angel, sittercity does do background checks. the sitters have to pay to be background checked, so not everyone on the site is, but if having that information is important to you then you can certainly filter out anyone who isn't checked out.
My advice is to go on there, read the profiles, read the references, find a few you like, and then interview them. I have had several girlfriends find wonderful sitters through sittercity.
good luck!
Married 6/28/03
Kate ~ 7/3/09 *** Connor ~ 11/11/10
4 miscarriages: 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014
*~*~*~*~*
No more TTC for us. We are done, and at peace, as a family of 4.
"Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” — Charles Dickens
Thank you!!!!!
Hmmmm....I guess my DS really likes routines, still does. He knew, eat, play, sleep. Sometimes it would take 5-10 minutes before he settled down. He loves the My Little Lamb Cradle Swing from FP. I've heard good things about the Rock N Play as well. Does your LO have the signs of being colicky? My DS was colicky so the swaddling helped with that as well.
Hmmmm....I guess my DS really likes routines, still does. He knew, eat, play, sleep. Sometimes it would take 5-10 minutes before he settled down. He loves the My Little Lamb Cradle Swing from FP. I've heard good things about the Rock N Play as well. Does your LO have the signs of being colicky? My DS was colicky so the swaddling helped with that as well.
She does have bad gas and fusses till she gets it out. She loves her bouncy seat, but won't sleep, just look around and stay awake lol. She will sometimes sleep in her swing but most of the time just looks at the mobile and cries after 5 minutes for me to pick her up.
Today she woke up at 8am, and did not take a nap till 12:30 (when I went on a walk with her and DS). I tried to swaddle her, rock her etc but she still would not sleep
She slept 45 minutes and was up till 3pm, the slept another 30 minutes was up till 6, slept 30 minutes and has been up since then. She is now drifting off to sleep at 1030pm.
Hmmmm....I guess my DS really likes routines, still does. He knew, eat, play, sleep. Sometimes it would take 5-10 minutes before he settled down. He loves the My Little Lamb Cradle Swing from FP. I've heard good things about the Rock N Play as well. Does your LO have the signs of being colicky? My DS was colicky so the swaddling helped with that as well.
She does have bad gas and fusses till she gets it out. She loves her bouncy seat, but won't sleep, just look around and stay awake lol. She will sometimes sleep in her swing but most of the time just looks at the mobile and cries after 5 minutes for me to pick her up.
Today she woke up at 8am, and did not take a nap till 12:30 (when I went on a walk with her and DS). I tried to swaddle her, rock her etc but she still would not sleep
She slept 45 minutes and was up till 3pm, the slept another 30 minutes was up till 6, slept 30 minutes and has been up since then. She is now drifting off to sleep at 1030pm.