How do you handle this situation?

Ruggerkitty

DD is due at the end of the month. DS turns two on the 21st so I won't exactly have 2U2 but I thought you guys would be the best ones to ask.

DS still wakes in the night probably at least 3 nights a week. He wakes up crying and asking for Mama so I think it's bad dreams but I'm not sure. I usually just rock him back to sleep, sometimes it takes 20 minutes or so, other times it takes forever and I fall asleep in the rocker with him. And on the really bad nights he won't let me leave his room at all, so I put him in the crib and stay in the rocker until I can find a moment to sneak out. I've tried Ferber (which worked beautifully at 12 months) and even complete CIO. These methods do not work now that he's older, his cries turn to screams if I don't get to him within about 5 minutes. 

So, please tell me how you handle a new baby and a toddler that still wakes on occasion? I'm starting to panic about this! Oh, and when I bring this up with DH (who sleeps with earplugs), he says that DS should be sttn and just to let him cry and that's the end of that conversation. LOL 

mrsseguin

I think it's terrible that your DH is wearing ear pugs and not helping with the situation.  He's leaving it up to you to deal with. 

We had many sleeping problems with DS.  He would wake multiple times per night, sleep in our bed and was just overall a terrible sleeper.  We moved him to a toddler bed around 20 months, we thought it would be easier to put him to bed...we would sit beside his bed till he fell asleep.  We still had the same issues.  He would wake multiple times and be difficult to put to sleep.  We then moved him to a double bed with a bed rail, he sleeps great now.  

DH still lays with DS when he puts him to bed.  It's just what works for us.  DH and I have different views on bedtime...we just work with the differences.  I hope your DH will start to work with you on this.  It is very stressful...and with the new baby coming I totally understand.  My kids are 25 months apart.

Kaiterz

I take might duty in my house since dh works and I don't. However if I'm nursing a nb I would bite the bullet and have dh take care of dc1.   You may want to have dh and dc1 work on night time wake ups now so he can efficiently tend to dc while your with the baby. 

Ruggerkitty

The nursing issue is definitely a concern. If I'm nursing and can't get to my older child then he's going to have to wait. But I really don't want him to feel abandoned. Am I going to get any sleep at all? 

Monicagail1

Kaiterz:

I take might duty in my house since dh works and I don't. However if I'm nursing a nb I would bite the bullet and have dh take care of dc1.   You may want to have dh and dc1 work on night time wake ups now so he can efficiently tend to dc while your with the baby. 

I don't have 2U2 yet, but I would do this too.  My DD is usually a pretty good sleeper, but lately she's actually woken up asking for Daddy, so I go with it and let him handle it, especially since I know I'll have more of the nightime load when DD2 arrives.

moonfaerie

My two year old wakes at night on occasion. She goes through phases where she STTN like a dream and phases where she cries for me half the night. Depending on her cry, I tend to her or let her cry. If it sounds like somethign is really wrong, I go in right away. If she sounds like she's just crying for attention, I give her a few minutes and see if she stops. If she doesn't stop after 10 min or so, either DH or I go in give her a hug for a minute or two and tell her to go to sleep. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. If she continues to cry and there wasn't anything obvious wrong, then we let her cry.