Since Marion has started MDO (which was on the heels of us leaving her overnight for the first time, maybe related, maybe not), she's really going through a phase where she wants me to put her to bed at night. Since we stopped BFing at 6 weeks, I've never put her to bed. Josh has always taken care of that. But now, at both nights and naptimes, she asks to be rocked (again, never has she wanted to be rocked) and at night, I can hear her asking for me to put her to bed. She's stopped kissing me good night because it gets her so upset that dada is putting her to bed.
I know a lot of you have mentioned that when you had #2 or #3, even if your kids were fine pre-new baby with dad putting them down, all of a sudden wanted mom to put them down. Should we try to keep up with Josh putting her down, assuming this mom thing is just a byproduct of MDO and some separation anxiety, or should I just go on and start putting her to sleep and let Josh put the new baby down when she gets here?
Re: toddler bedtime - WWYD?
I recommend keeping your routine of DH putting M. to bed. I second the rec for man on man.
When E. was an infant, DH always missed bedtime because I put her down for the night super early, like at 6 pm. By the time he got home from work I was absolutely fried and immediately went off-duty. So unless he gets home super super late, DH puts Sarah to bed. She begs me to put her to bed on some nights but I usually stay strong and let DH do it. If I cave then I've painted myself into a corner.
Emmy did/does that. DH puts her to put about 95% of the time, but before the baby came and right after we came home, so only wanted me. When the baby is a newborn, the bedtime isn't the same so it worked out and I was able to be there when Emmy needed/wanted me while DH feeds the baby, I put Emmy to sleep. After a month of so of her knowing that she can have either one of us, she want back to wanting daddy. I honestly don't ever want her to feel that I can't be with her because I choose the other baby. I guess it's a guilt feeling that I have. But it's worked out. For the past 2 weeks, she's wanted me at bedtime again. But Ally goes to bed at 7:30 and Emmy goes to bed at 8 - 8:30, so it's no big deal. DH does all the house chores and all the night wakings to compensate.
j+k+m+e | running with needles